INSPECTION OF BUTTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8861, 19 July 1890, Page 4

INSPECTION OF BUTTER.

TO THE EDITOB.

Sib,—your correspondent "J. P. R," of the 16th mat., questions the advantages to be derived by either the maker or shipper of butter in its being inspected and classified before or after its arrival in markets beyond sea. At the same time, from the kindly way in whioh he refers to me and the interest I have always taken iv the matter, he puts a lot of questions for me to answer, which leads me to infer that be is open to conviction; and, feeling satisfied that I can not only get him and your many other; readers to agree with me, I will answer him lolly on all the points if you will grant me theßpaoe, as it was my intention to submit to the Chamber of Commerce at their ne&tj meeting something on the same lines when discussing this question of the inspection of butter.' Butter, according to Voelcker and others, consists mainly of several fats. Mixed with these fats are about 30 per cent, of oleine and about 2 per cent.of odoriferous oils. The peculiar flavour and odour of butter are owing to the presence of these peculiar oils— namely, butterine, caproine, and capryliue,—and as it usually comes to the table, we find from 16 to 18 per cent, of water, 2 per cent, of salt, and variable quantities Of caseine shells. Now,note: the presence of these mean rancid butter. Remove them entirely, and we have nothing but pure butter fat to deal with as an export; ' left hehind. Caseine, on exposure to the air in a moist state, or to a warm temperature, changes into a ferment, fatty matter of butter—becomes "glycerine," " butyrio acid," " caproic acid," acd " caprylic acid," ■ Now the maker with a knowledge of these facts, and' that the butter made by them is to undergo inspection and classification, and that they will only receive pay Recording to results; the Buyer before inspection takes all risks, and gets the inspecting and classification done, after which he is in this position, that he can write or wire Home or to any other foreign market offering first, second, or third class butter at a price, the buyer knowing that he will be safe in jetting each line as quoted delivered— never hesitates to buy from Canada, Hoiand, or Ireland. But the trouble with as is our distance from those markets, and the time given for the mischief I have pointed out going on, your correspondents urge. ; Now this brings us to a matter that I specially urged the Chamber of Commerce to see to— namely, the cool chambers provided. The shipping companies I know never could be persuaded to see their necessity from the first; and I know from what I saw in two < ships itbat'. I specially visited, the goods might just as well be in the hold, or in a basket say, so far as being protected from the effects of heat or the fumes from other cargo, ' ' You will remember when at the first meeting re the freezing of mutton, in reply to a question asked me—viz., how long would we or could we keep meat or other things in a frozen state,—my replyjwas, It is merely a question of the interest of your money how long you keep them. Keep up the freeze and nothing can go wrong with it. The same rule applies to batter and cheese. These we don't freeze, but we reduce; the temperature so much, and keep it so, that no change can possibly take place from the. time it is Bhipped until that temperature is altered again; The same "rule applies in this case'as in the case of mutton or. other meats. Keep the temperature low and even, and the butter or cheese will arrive" and keep in the sames condition it leaves here, even if the voyage takes four months instead of 50 days. This fact being known, and acted on by shippers and makers here, you can understand how easy it is for the agent at Home to place it to arrive as Boon, as he has advices of its shipment and classification. When, as things are now, no buyer will touch it until he sees and overhauls every paokßge, no matter how good it may be. Another .reason,'. I may give is that if classified, and the same; confidence in its proper treatment in the cool chamber as is how obtained in the cape of mutton, greater advances will be obtainable against the shipments. The inspector at the different ports would provide himself with good cool premises to keep it for shipment after inspection; a charge being made to make the department self-supporting. Parties desiring to ship would forward it direct to the inspector, who would keep all in- store ready for each Bhip leaving here, Oamaru, and Timaru. Premises at each place, with a receiver at each; but the one inspector could do all these, Invercargill included, until full confidence, as resulted in the case of shipping mutton, took place, and the trade extending as that has done, and I hope to see this do yet. No use blaming the country, the pasture, the stock, or even the distance, now. Make it good, put it np properly, and see that its shipment is as carefully attended to as that of mutton. We should make all those other countries take a back seat in the output of dairy produce as in that of mutton. I think I have touched on all points mentioned by your correspondent, and hope to have his support in this matter.—l am, &c., . Dunedin, July 18. W. D. Suthebland.. For removing dandruff Ayer's Hair Vigor lirs no equal. It restores faded and gray hair to its original colour, stimulates the growth of the hair, and gives it a beautiful, glossy, and silken appearauce. The spirited way in which the ladies of fashionable Paris gave a lesson the other day to a fair stranger from the far South would really do credit to the celebrated femmes d'esprit of the First Empire. The young stranger, who is " fort millionaire," appeared at a dance sparkling in magnificent diamonds. At the next dance the Parisian ladies, unwilling to be outshone, had decked themselves in all their jewellery; but a day after they were again eclipsed by the nnheard-of wealth of precious stones worn by the South American lady. At the fourth party the latter came in once again, glittering like a starry night; but, to her intense mortification, none of the Parisian ladies wore diamond?, but had as their only ornament the most graceful arrangements of fresh Sowar?, which were universally voted to be infinitely superior to the " stones."