HAWERA CHEESE EXPERIMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20024, 14 August 1928, Page 12

HAWERA CHEESE EXPERIMENT.

Sir, —" Herd Tester," in his letter on Monday, states that Mr. Veale's comprehensive experiments convey nothing that we do not already know. I most emphatically disagree with " Herd Tester." Mr. Veale's investigations, the most thorough ever carried out on this question by any? research chemist, have conclusively demonstrated, (a) low-testing Friesian butter-fat yields 13.7 per cent, more cheese per pound of butter-fat than Jersey butter-fat does, (b) The dairyfarmers of the Dominion are losing immense sums of money annually by using high-testing milk for cheese making. " Herd Tester's" contention that payment on a but-ter-fat basis for milk for cheese manufacture has stood for 20 years and that it is impartial and reliable is utterly opposed to fact. I repeat again that payment on a butter-fat basis a]j>ne for milk for cheese making inflicts a grave injustice on the " low-testing" suppliers. May I again point out that Mr. Veale's figures for the month of September showed that on the a.ctual value of milk supplied for cheese making the Jersey, herd-owner was overpaid for that month £lO 2s lid, and the Friesian herd-owner was underpaid £lO lis 6Ad. Where is the reliability and the impartiality of the butter-fat basis of payment when it results in this grave injustice? "Herd Tester'-' is greatly concerned over the carrying capacity of the various farms. This point was not "part of Mr. Veale's investigations, but later on I am fully prepared to debate with " Herd Tester" the question of cost of production. " Herd Tester will not admit his error regarding the fat and the casein content of milk, for he still maintains that the amount of solids—not fat —increases proportionately with the increase in fat. " Herd Tester" has evidently been reading the " Science of Cheese-making" by Van Slvke and Publow, page 207, and the figures taken by " Herd Tester" to prove, as lie thinks, his own statement conclusively prove that my statement is correct. Milk testing 3 per cent. fat contains • 2.10 per cent, casein. Milk testing 4 per cent, fat contains 2.50 per cent, casein. Milk testing 5 per cent, fat contains 2.90 per cent. casein. Please note that the proportion of casein to fat i" milk testing 3 per cent, is .70: in the 4 per cent, milk it is .625; and in the o per cent, milk it is .58. This statement definitely shows that "Herd Tester absolutely wrong in his conclusions. J. P. Kalaugher, Secretary, N.Z. Friesian Association.