Our Dairy Industry.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 23

Our Dairy Industry.

Tho following letters appeared in the Daily Times :—: — TO THE EDITOR. Bra,— ln your issue of to-day (tho 2nd) I observe a letter from Mr A. M'Kay on the above

question, and if you kindly give me space I will try to enlighten him on some points that seem to vex him. But before doing so, let me just say that he tells the truth in saying that his wife is one of the best butter-makers in the province, as I have, on many occasions at various shows, while acting as judge, picked out her butter and that of Mrs Thornton, Mrs Ferguson, and another lady, whose name I can't at present remember, as soon as I put my knife-tryer in their different exhibits, and felt it under the same. Now, it seems to me from the tone of his letter what vexes him is that such good private makers can't get such a ready sale and as good prices as the factory-made article. The fact is so, not only here, but in every other country that we see the market reports of, no matter what their climate may be, so that I would advise Mr M'Kay to do as Mr William Kirkland and Mr Walker Blackie, of the Taieri, have done — get the necessary plant and make it as the factories do, and I | am satisfied, from Mrs M'Kay's skill, no one will got better prices than they, aa the use of the separator immediately the milk is taken from the cow should have helped him to Bee wherein a good deal of the difference in prices comes in. And further as to his soul being vexed that even the New Zealand factories, with all their advantages as to climate, pasture, and stock, have to take a back seat when competing in the, London market with every other country. The reason is, as I have many times pointed out in Jrour columns, that all who handle and sell it oaf on this grand climate and don't take the care of it in every stage they are forced to do in Victoria, New South Wales, and America, on account of their very trying climates. In those countries and others they have made a science of it, and without a diploma from their colleges no one is allowed to have the charge of a factory, and it will have to be so here ere we can compete successfully in the world's markets. Refrigerators will ba necessary at all the factories here, as although our temperature here is low, still there is hardly a week passes that we have not one, two, or more days when the weather is thundery or there is sulphur in the atmosphere, and when that is so even lobsters are said to run into deep water, and to save our milk from it in Canada we used to deep set.it in water. This I urged on our friends here to ilo many years ago. However, the refrigerator no* takes the place of that. Classification ere shipment I have also recommended should ba done long ere we had any to export, but was opposed on all hands for the simple reason that they had no confidence in what they had to send away, and wanted the excuse to blame the ship, or somebody else, for its being bad when it got Home. However, I am pleased to see from the papers that our new expert, Mr Valentine, recommends that it should be done, and even the dummies now agree, so that Mr M'Kay may reckon that in four or five years more, when we have some skilled men in charge of the factories, New Zealand will take first place for that article in the world's market, as I have always said it should, and why I remained here, knowing that we could supply it wtea they were all in winter weather there, but I then expected we would ere this have been able to pass through the Isthmuß of Panama with it and all our other surplus productions. Although I have not referred to cheese in this your readers will quite understand that the same skill and care I maintain is necessary.

It is only a question of time now, I think. Mr M'Kay, wait ! They are slow here, but eventually they move. See! the Otago Central railway is creeping up. Meantime, you take my advice: Get the plant, and go in for top prices fcr any and everything you have to dispose of, as well as the butter. — I am, &0., Dunedin, June 2. W. D. Sutherland.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sik, — In your issue of Wednesday, the 6th, Mr W. D. Sutherland Bays, in reference to my letter on the above subject, that he will try to enlighten me on some points that seem to vex me. In this W. D. Sutherland has entirely failed. He saya, "I tell the truth in saying that Mrs M'Kay is one of the best buttermakers in the province." I did not say anything about my wife's qualifications as a buttermaker, and moreover it would be the last thing I should think of to laud either her skill or my own through the columns of your paper, believing more in the saying "that the proof of the pudding's in the preeing o't." Hia next point is that I seem vexed that private makers cannot get such a ready sale and as good prices as the factory-made article. Wrong again, Mr Sutherland, for I stated in my letter that I had a local market for all the butter I could produce, and I may now supplement that statement by Baying that I likewise get the highest price going .for butter and all other produce I have to dispose of. lam likewise aware of other private dairies having the same. Re his advice to do as Mr William Kirkland and Mr W. Blackie, of the Taieri, have done, what I know of these gentlemen they are both very enterprising men. The latter, with whom I am more intimate, gave the public ample proof at the winter show by the display of the products of his farm ; bu.t, as circumstances alter cases, it docs not follow that the Peninsula farmers should do as the Taieri farmers do, for the reason that the Peninsula as a whole is only adapted for dairy farming, whereas the Taieri is adapted more for agriculture, although they can combine dairying with it ; and as the area held or owned by each farmer is at the least four times larger than the farms on the Peninsula, it is to their profit to erect or use machinery, mainly for the saving of labour.

I think Mr W. D. Sutherland claims too much for the separator. I admit that it is a very useful article, and that factories could not do without it ; but I would ask him to lodk back with, me to the exhibition that was held in Dunedin four years ago, when the various separators were shown at work and butter was made and sold to the public; in fact, there was a run for what was then termed exhibition butter, but more through the novelty of the affair than the actual value of the article. There are many of the consumers of the exhibition butter that will agree with me when I say that it was very deficient in flavour, not having the nice nutty taste that is to be found in butter made under the old system ; likewise it was deScient in the grain — devoid of the toughness that is to be found in good dairy-made butter. But I will say this much in favour of the separator, that it extracts all tha cream from the milk, so that parties using it have quantity to their credit if they have not quality.

As I am afraid of taking up too much space in your paper I shall let the remainder of Mr Sutherland's letter go for what it is worth.

In conclusion, I should like to say a little in favour of the resolutions passed by the National Dairy Association of New Zealand. I was pleased to read the remarks made by Mr John Duncan, jun., in seconding the motion for the adoption of the report and balance sheet ; and likewise the recommendation of the committee appointed at the morning session to report with regard to the Dairy Industry Act, especially

clause No. 3, that butter collected from various makers and packed by anyone for export should be printed " Milled Butter." I believe in calling a spade a spade, and not an agricultural implement. — I am, &c, Archibald M'Kay. Sandymount, June 12.