GRADING OF CREAM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22596, 8 December 1936, Page 13

GRADING OF CREAM

Sir, —There is no doubt that there are several dissatisfied farmers in the "Waikato like "Karmer Hill'' and "Disgusted." It' they eould gain finest for their eream it would be all right, but because they cannot they blame tlio grader or grading system. They think if they see a dirty shed and the milker gets finest the grading must be wrong. It may be that the cream was taken right away from the dirty shed while cream in a cleaner shed was left there over night to absorb all the bad odours. No, "Farmer Hill," the only time graders are likely to disagree is on border-line cream. My astonishment in the case I quoted was caused by the extreme sensitiveness of taste and smell of two men working on a well developed system. In regard to figure's quoted by " Disgusted," "received 65 per cent finest cream ... 95 per cent finest butter," it sometimes happens (especially in the early spring), the other way about. I think now that both "Farmer Bill" and "Disgusted" will admit that we must have a system of grading if only to keep up tlie quality of our produce. If there was an instrument that could do this work and cut out the human element you can rest assured that the dairy companies would have had it in use before now; but until such is invented 1 am afraid dairy farmers and cream graders will have to put up with the present system whether thev like it or not. I think we have given cream grading a prett.v fair spin now and 1 don't expect to write further on this subject, as it seems mostly to be going over old trround. In conclusion, please remember that most cream graders are not bad chaps, and will do their best to help anyone to locate trouble, and this, of course, applies to dairy instructors. KX-C'TtKAM GRADEH.