THE BUTTER INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1890, 10 February 1888, Page 8

THE BUTTER INDUSTRY.

By Waeatah.

It is generally conceded thafc no country possesses greater natural advantages than New Zealand for the production of butter and cheese. Yet nothing can be more deplorable* than the present state of matters, bo far as the former product is concerned. It appears by Home rates that an even better xnarkefc exists there for good butter than for joautton, provided an article of similar excelent quality is placed before the consumer in Jirst-class condition. The annual imports of the United Kingdom exceed £13,000,0001 And, after comparing the market reports, I have concluded that an average of little short of Is per lb net can be obtained for such butter as can be made here when the requisite intelligence and skill is brought to bear on its production.

Now that cool chambers are available in the Home steamers there is nothing to prevent slightly salted butter being exported, the usual heavily cured article in kegs must be discarded, and the packages used should be those now manufactured in Auckland, which occupy much less space and reduce waste to a minimum. It would be thought that, -with the prices quoted in the Home market, merchants would not be slow in buying up the large quantities offering at from 3d to 6d per lb in the local markets ; but, unfortunately, the fact is too well understood that the ordinary article is such wretched stuff as hardly to deserve the name of butter, and is barely eatable by the time it reaches the grocers' counters, let alone fit for export even to the neighbouring colonies.

The immediate and pressing question, however, is how this first-class article is to be produced. It must be perfectly obvious that the present conditions under which the great bulk of New Zealand butter is made will not do so, and I wish to point out what- 1 believe to be some of the idefects, and to suggest a few remedies. It is not possible, however, in a limited article to do full justice to a subject that is probably o£ greater importance to the colony than the whole range of current politics, as the full development of this industry means profitable occupation of a healthy and pleasant nature to thousands of industrious families, and as a natural consequence an increase in the value of land. In fact, ifc appears to me that herein lies a simple remedy for the depression, if we have but the enterprise and genius to avail ourselves of it. It cannot be too often reiterated that the principal factor required is the production of an article of the very first quality. ' This probably can only be effected under the factory system, where alone sufficient quantities of a -uniform character could be made, and where it would be possible to have the necessary refrigerating appliances, as ifc is doubtless by keeping the product at a low temperature until ifc reaches the consumer that the most successful results are to be obtained. Neither factories nor priyate individuals can, however, make sound butter if the milk is not thoroughly pure and free from taint ; and I purpose showing how lamentably defective the ordinary conditions are even in the initial stageajvith the vast majority of present producers. In the first place, the cowbyres are in most instances little short of disgraceful. How mrely are clean sheds and yards seen; and contiguous to these how frequently will be fuund piggeries, &c, to that t-i'j milk when w;inn, and consequently in a favourable condition for being affected

by odours, is exposed to the taint of an impure atmosphere. The uncleanly state of the cow is often quite in keeping with that of the byres, and in many instances attributable to the dirty state of the latter, whereas, if perfect results are expected, the byres and animals must be clean, and, in all cases before milking, the udder and milkers' hands should be washed. How rarely these details are attended to, those who are best acquainted with the majority of dairies well know.

The special defect, however, which I wish to call attention to in this article is the use of the ordinary open milk pail, which, of course, permits all loose hairs and dnst, not to mention other abominations, to become mixed with the milk, and which no after straining can entirely remedy. The vessel here sketched acts both as a seat for the milker and as a bucket, with the further advantages that no dirt can get to the milk (there being a brass strainer about 2in in diameter at the neck of the funnell), neither is the milk exposed to the air, consequently its natural temperature is maintained for some time, which is a great advantage, especially where cheese is made.

The milker not having to hold a vessel between the knees is also at greater liberty when milking, and the risk of upsetting milk from kicking or other causes is reduced to almost nil. By the adoption of these vessels a great step in cleanliness as well as convenience will be gained, and step by step in almost every detail like improvements should be effected by those who can bring an active interest, not to say enthusiasm, to bear on the matter.

Nature has given us an almost perfect climate for the production of cattle and grass, and we also have the great advantage of the Home winter market for our summer produce. With these immense ad-wantages to our hands is ifc creditable to us as a community that the intelligence and skill necessary for the perfect manufacture of an article of consumption of illimitable demand has not been brought to bear on a source of national wealth hardly second to that of wool and grain growing 1 If the Americans with a climate inferior to ours are able to compete successfully in the London market with Home producers of Cheddar cheese and Dorset butter mainly by their greater perfection in manufacture, surely New Zealand, and especially young New Zealand—should bestir themselves instead of idly bewailing the bad times and glutted markets. Before these results can be obtained a great amount of prejudice and ignorance must be overcome, and probably more has to be unlearned than taught, but I hope the Witness "will lead a crusade against present defective methods and manipulation, and not; leave the subject till the export of butter and cheese on a gigantic scale is an established fact.

Sir Robert Stout, in his instructive oration at the Christmas breaking-np of the Boys' High School, dwelt in enthusiastic terms on the charm and advantages of a country life, and I venture to think that the dairy industry and cognate subjects afford a more satisfactory scope for the energies of many of the youths leaving the higher educational establishments of the country year by year than by increasing the already overcrowded professions and clerkships of our sufficiently large cities.

If ifc were possible to induce Canon Bagot to pay New Zealand a visit with one of his peripatetic dairy schools I feel sure that the farming community would so quickly realise how behindhand they were in such matters, that butter factories would spring -up from one end of the colony to the other, and that the " Golden Butter " boom of New Zealand would quickly exceed the silver boom of our neighbours. Mr J. O. Brown, of Lawrence, when recently in the Home Country, made, I believe, most exhaustive inquiries into the conditions of the butter trade, as well as that of other New Zealand products. If his attention weie called to the matter he would no doubt state what the prospects of the Home market are, and give some valuable information on the subject.