DAIRYING DEVELOPMENT

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4366, 25 May 1901, Page 2

DAIRYING DEVELOPMENT

fO-OPERATIVE HALOS FACTORIES

Men - that Victoria, writes J. B. Dow in the ‘‘Bcador,’ in addition u; supplying its ov.'ii requirements, inis rcachoil an export trade of BB.VJ'J.OOO worth ot bailor pir annum, together with a rapidly increasing output, tile time has juiiy ar-j rived -when attention must Le given to the starting of a business that in ail dairying countries is .second in importance only to the butter trade itself. Valuable as ike dairying industry is to Victoria at present, the profits can be greatly augmented by the establishment of an export trade in'bacon and pork. The natural adjunct, of -the dairy easiness is the pig industry,, and an export trade is required to do for it what has already been done in connection with butter, the prices and quality cf which were as irregular bcfor P the dairying development took place as arc at present those of bacon and pork. The making of butter in co-operative factories by means of machinery, instead of the old time individual hand system, lias raised the quality of Victorian made butter to its present high standard, while the export trade has regulated prices, and those are the factors needed to raise the other industry to a similar position. Victoria does not take second place to any ether country in the world in all the preliminary requirements, with respect to excellence of breeding iii the pigs, favourable climatic surroundings and clicapness of pig food production. All that is wanted now is to get to work on the lilies that have been proved so .successful in the other progressive dairying countries ot the world. * MACHINERY MADE BACON. In the first place, it has to bo noted that the old system of breeding short, stumpy, over-tat pigs, and making a hard, salt class of bacon is now out cf date, and has given place to the production of an altogether different class of article. Bong sided, quick maturing and not too fat pigs are now raised by sucli Presses as the Tamworth and white Yorkshire on the Berkshire, and by means of machinery the manufacture of bacon is now being handled in the same way that the formerly “inferior Victorian butter has been displaced by tho superior quality now produced in tho factories. This,, machinery system, which is now used 'almost exclusively “throughout Denmark and Canada, wlylo also rapidly takplace of the old methods in Great Britain, makes tho manufacture of a first class article more certain than is even possible in connection with machinery made butter, “while the working is considerably more simple. Tho process is based upon the fact that the gases present in a newly killed “pig hasten decomposition; and that exposure to the air of a curing house, before curing under the old method can be completed, entails such risk of contamination from germs as cannot be entirely banished, even by the most perfect system of ventilation. All -gases are therefore first extracted from the meat by means of a vacuum, and thorough and even impregnation effected by pressure before the sides “are allowed to come into contact with tho air. This is managed by means of a cylinder in the machine, 1 closed at one end, and fitted with a movable shield at the open extremity. This shield Has to stand a pressure equal to 700 tons on a surface of Oft "in diameter. Tho sides to be cured are placed on wooden trays, that slide into iron frames fixed on trollies, which are loaded outside "the cylinder, and run on rails leading to the inside of tho machine. The size cf machine mostly in use measures 25 feet in length by 6 feet in diameter, and contains trollies carrying 30 sides each, so that 150 sides arc cured at a time. The opening of a valve connected with , tho hottom of tho cylinder draws up the brine by vacuum action -from a tank underneath, and the pressure is then applied. The whole time occupied is seven hours tp each charge. In addition to its rapidity, a leading feature of the process consists in tho fact that after the gases have been extracted the tissues of the meat are left in a perfect condition “for receiving “tho brine, which the even pressure forces uniformly into all parts cf the sides, while tho meat retains all its natural juices, as is shown by the superfluous brims “flowing hack into its tank quite clear. Thus it is that the flavour is mild, tho colour bright, aud the meat tender, as compared with corning under the “old process, in addition to there being a gain of fully 4 per cent, in the weight; while, as to- keeping, the moat is found to bo "perfectly sound and sweet after six months’ exposure to the atmosphere. THE FACTORY SYSTEM. . On this point Captain W. B. Pleasants, of Victoria, who lias just returned from a representative mission, on behalf of the associated butter factories of that State, informs “The Leader” that in Denmark the farmers originally sold their pigs to large dealers, who controlled the trade, and became wealthy, whilst the sellers of the pigs made a- bare living. They were then induced to work on co-opcra-tive lines. No shares wore taken, out tho farmers borrowed £IOOO from tho bank on guarantees, “the money to be expended in plant. They also borrowed up to £ISOO for working capital, the debt afterwards being gradually and systematically reduced. The whole Danish business is now done by factories, which number 52. Results of two factories are herewith given, as examples : —After paying a full price to themselves for the pigs, one, during the past year, has divided £7OOO in profits, and the other £2700. These co-opcrativo factories elect a committee to “grade” the brands, and otherwise attend to the marketing. I think our butter factory system of raising the required capital in shares is much preferable, as it would bind the suppliers of pigs tc tho concern, and cause them to take an interest in its affairs. For a Victorian factory a capital of at least £3OOO would bo required, although the plant would bo simpler and cheaper than at a large butter factory, and there would be no receiving station to equip. Still a refrigerator would bo neco.say to enable them to cope with summer weather conditions. As in the case of a butter factory, of course tho first great necessity is a proper and satisfactory supply. Given tins there must be a good margin of profit.” EXPORT PROSPECTS. Taking into account the fact that Denmark exports £6,000,000 worth of butter annually, and has .32 bacon factories, it may bo inferred that Victoria, in proportion to her last year’s export ot £1.500,000 worth of butter, should already have room for about thirteen. The imports of bacon, pork and hams into Great Britain last year amounted to a total in value cf £16,009,000 worth, and how to obtain a ‘share of this vast trade is described in a report cf one of tho most factories in England, which appears in tho ‘‘Mark-lane Express” “oy the incoming mail. ‘‘The secret of" this factory’s success,” it _ is stated, “is simply that it makes what its customers require, that it, tender, juicy meat, but also lean. I have said that English factory bacon eannrt be boater, in quality, but Denmark and Canada can beat us 'in leanness, avid here lies the difficulty of the bacon cure;- wh.o has to buy fat pigs and make loan bacon. Tha public are the masters in this matter, and the sooner those who’rear amt fatten pigs -realise this fact the better it will be for their interests, ns it is manifest that if an excess of fat is net what the public require it cannot pay to* make it. In the production of high dess pork, bacon and hams there is a good

field for onfcrpri.se. The demand for the be-'. v;ua;ry cl bacon and hams exceeds tile supply. Tile prices that arc paid by consumers for ilns quality are sufficient to amply remunerate the breeder, the feeder, the cure:- and Lie retail tradesman.’’ 'liiou. again, when the question of export pros pee’ * 1“ discussed it is of interest (,■ note {bar Great Britain's annual-impanalien n: !, 16.006.000 worth of bacon, pork am! hams includes transhipments to South Africa, Chinn. Japan, Java, the Straits Sortiements and tile Philippine Blands, all of which arc markets that specially belong ro Australia by reason of their proximity.