SUPERFINE CREAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20768, 10 January 1931, Page 12

SUPERFINE CREAM.

Sir, —I feel genuinely sorrv for the many small farmers who regularly have their cream graded lower than ."finest." I know numbers of such who are continually "grousing" about favouritism on the part of the grader, or profiteering on the part of tho dairy company. They threaten to send to another company, and, perhaps, supply three or four companies in as many seasons. This sort of thing causes very serious loss to themselves, the industry, and the country. I know hundreds of small farmers cannot afford to have nice sheds and surroundings, but it is wonderful from what poor surroundings "finest" cream can come if a few points are conscientiously attended to. I happen to have some small farmer neighbours of the "disgruntled" type. They seem as if they cannot see their faults. I can see at a glance that their washing up, or ventilation, or care of their separated cream is at fault. Perhaps on the plea of keeping out dogs, cats, rats, or birds, they keep the door of the separator rcom closed night and day. Perhaps overnight thoy leave in the separator room an unwashed kerosene tin used for carrying milk to pigs. Perhaps the room smells slightly stuffy because of stale skim milk 011 the floor. Any one of these little things is sufficient to cause "offness" in a whole batch of cream. On the other hand, some struggling farmers think for themselves, and instead of blaming the other fellow find that even in poor surroundings they can do clean washing up of the separator and every utensil that holds tlib milk for even a short time, with just a small amount of good boiling water. Thav are determined to have thorough ventilation and freedom from even the slightest stuffiness, even if the desired end has to he obtained by keeping the door continually wide open, and the cream suspended in tho draught by a strong wire from the ceiling, and covered only by fine netting, or very open gauze. They will keep tho doors of the walk-through milking shed wide open day and night, when tho cows aro not there. This helps the ventilation of the separator room. Moreover, they will not be guilty ever of running the warm cream from tho separator straight into the can containing the previous separation, as this makes the temperature right for bacteria in the older cream to multiply at an alarming rate, and, in a few hours, alter the taste of the whole. There are numnierous other points even more obvious that are generally not attended to by the "disgruntled" farmer, and they are not questions of expense, but just ones requiring a little thought. I have known a batch of my own cream to be graded "first" instead of "finest" in muggy weather, because the door of an old separator shed' had accidentally beon left closed all night. But I "lid not "grouse" at the grader. Instead, I thought, "clever feilow, that grader. He knows his job. He does not fail to catch me." I sometimes wonder if it would not do good for the producers of superfine cream to turn the tables by a campaign of grousing against tho others for spoiling the industry, not because- they are poor, but because they will not. think. I think nothing helps the ferocious cutthroat competition among dairy companies so much as the production of poor grade cream. Small Faiimeb.