HOW SIBERIAN BUTTER IS PRODUCED

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1676, 13 April 1904, Page 63

HOW SIBERIAN BUTTER IS PRODUCED

The growth of the Siberian butter trade of late years lias been something altogether phenomenal. In that very unfavourable dim ate it lias proved to be, to some extent, the salvation of the small holder and farmer. Mr. 11, Cooke ircc-nt-ly, on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Intelligence to the Jooaird of Trade, made a journey to Siberia, and has given many particulars of this industry of almost mushroom growth. It appears that in 1898 the number of dairies in Siberia was 140, and tire export, quantity of butter 48,fti0cwc, but in the course of five years this trade has expanded to 2035 dailies l and 685,500 cwt of but tea 1 , a good proportion of which finds its way inco this country. It is interesting to oilserve, from the particulars given by Mr. Cooke, liow antiquated are the methods employed l and unsanitary the conditions under which butter is produced in Siberia. Some of the causes influencing the inferior make of butter are thus officially stated: (1) The dirty furnishing and setting iva of dairies. (2) The'want of technical knowledge on the part of owners and men, igemenaliy defective in working, packing, and despatching. (3) The regular equipment of dairies. According to these statements some, of the butter must be produced under very l filthy conditions, representing “a picture of the gross infraction of the elementary requirements of hygiene and of sanitation.” Quality up to a certain point counts, but so keen is competition among exporting houses there that it apparently, makes little difference to the maker. A' trifle of 8d to Is 4d per.cwt, according to quality, is little incentive to the peasant to produce better butter by overhauling his entire system of making and equipment. It is an interesting commentary upon this primitive butter industry .liat a few years ago, in some of the villages, the peasant attributed the bad harvest to the uncanny Danish separators, ..md drowned the separator si in the river 1 ; ut this superstition has been conquered, and new separators are almost universally used. One report says “That in summer the presence of a dairy is heralded at a considerable distance by the terrible smell. To diminish the foul odour, the owners in some cases have recourse to a mixture of carbolic acid, sprinkling floors, and walls with the same.” The growth of this industry us certainly remarkable, and'

from tlie 'British, f as -well as from tine public point orVicw, it is questi o liable" whether by tbe system of free imports they do not stand tbe don ole risk of not only importing butter, out importing disease with it made ag bo much, of it is, under conditions winch m this country would not be allowed to exist for & week.