AMONG-OTAGO CHEESEMAKERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4290, 25 February 1901, Page 6

AMONG-OTAGO CHEESEMAKERS

WORK OP THE DAIRY COAIMISSIONER. Tho Dairy Commissioner, Air .1. A. Kinsol la, has just returned from a tour of inspection around the cheese factories of tho South Island. The principal reason tor Mr Kiusella's visit at the present season •f the year was to see how the makers wen working when contending; against the greatest difficulties of their business--the natural conditions of midsummer —and to see how they were following out his. instructions imparted at the classes of instruction held last winter at tho Wyndliam Dairy Factory, Otago. Some of the makers, when attending the classes, had expressed the hope that the Commissioner would visit them at a time when they had to meet difficulties in manufacture which were not present when working with winter milk, and to these men Mr Kiusella’s visit was heartily welcome. Before visiting the factories Atr Kiuseila inspected several shipments of cheese both at Dunedin and the Bluff, principally in order to acquaint himself with the defects noticeable in flavour and mechanical details. After a lengthy visit to the Otago and Southland factories, several davs being spent with some makers, the Commissioner found that tho average quality showed tin improvement over that of last year, though there was still a considerable advance to be made by makers, particularly in the direction of uniformity. Several of the smaller factories showed a wonderful improvement over their work o r previous seasons, and this was all the more noticeable with factories where tho instruction given at Wyndham, more particularly in connection with the preparation of pure cultures, had been carefully carried out. Air Kinsclla found that some makers were using starters—at times too old. and again carelessly prepared—which were doing move harm than good. It was. * gratifying to find that the most, notice- • able improvement was made by the .younger men iu the business, men wbo. with little experience, carried out tho Commissioner's -ilist ructions to the letter, both in regard to manufacturing details and in tho preparation of the starter. On the other hand Mr Kinsella noticed that the most serious mistakes were made by the older makers, men who had either refused to profit liv the instructions of the expert, or else had followed them iu a half-hearted manner.

A pleasant circumstance was that tho Commissioner did not come across a single case of a "pasty” cheese, a defect which was common in the Otago output of ! ast season.

Wifh reference to the starter question, Mr Kinsella is firmly convinced that (bo culture for preparing the starter—Die foundation of the starter proper—sho’ bl he prepared at a central point by a, properly qualified man, preferably the Government chemist, to be then distributed to the makers of tho colony. Mr Kinsella holds that if this system was followed it would be the means of seemuniformity in illo dairy produce of the colony. Owing to some complaints which hnvn been made in connection with “old season’s” butter (butter shipped to London at the beginning of a. .season but manufactured' during the previous season), Mr Kinsella made a point of meeting the directorates of several Otago factories, with a view to getting them to shin their butter directly after manufacture, instead of storing it during the winter months. The Commissioner claims that storing butter for four or five months and then shippin;' it to catch the spring market is one of the greatest evils of tho butter industry, because of the fact that the butter deteriorates during cold storage, to a greater or lesser extent An experiment in this connection was made last year. A line of butter which was stored as first grade on arrival at the cool stores from the factory was tried again when being shipped Homo, after being fivesmonths in. cold storage, when it was found to he stale and “tallowy,” with the result that it had to ba re-elasscd as second-grado. Mr Kinsella impressed the importance of immediate shipment upon the directors he met, also using the argument with them (bat. even supposing the butter (did not show any great; deterioration, when exposed for sale on the London counter it was vorv liable to go “off.’’ a fact which would tell greatly against the reputation of the brand with the London trade.

During his Southern visit the Dairy Commissioner succeeded in removing the dissatisfaction which has existed in certain quarters in Otago in regard to the method of checking the weights of cheese by the Government grader - , and which dissatisfaction was rather warmlv ventilated at the Dairying Conference held in Dunedin in Juno last. The president and secretary of the South Island Notional Dairy Association inspected the! system followed, by the grader and expressed themselves as quite satisfied. A number of makershad.also visited the grading stores, with the result that greater confidence Ims been inspired among certain, men who were formerly dissatisfied. It was ideasing to Mr Kineella to find that the work of the South Island graders was generally giving groat satisfaction.

Altogether Mr Kinselln’s inspection of South Island: choose factories—those on Banks Peninsula were inspected as well as those of Otago—should have a beneficial effect upon tha general character of South Island cheese, which has certainly been the effect of his work in that direction in the past.