THE DONALD ESTATE BUTTER FACTORY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 5

THE DONALD ESTATE BUTTER FACTORY.

(See Illustrations elsewhere in this issue.) The Tarureka Butter Factory, situated at I Featherston, in South Wairarapa, is an inj stitution, the sight of which is calculated to gladden the heart cf the scientific dairyman, the commercial man whose interests are connected with the dairying industry, , and, indeed, of anyone who realises th^ vast and ever-increasing importance of dairying to New Zealand. Such a comment, however, needs explanation. A dairy factory is not always a paiticularly pleasant sight, when, like some dairy farms, it is conducted on principles that are far from sanitary and scientific. But the Donald Estate Butter Factory is a pleasure to inspect. It cannot be found fault with, for the able manager, Mr A. Donald, following in the footsteps of his father, the late Mr Jas. Donald, ba-s taken care that all that labour and science can accomplish in" his ptirsuit should be attained. Moreover, the factory is as prosj perous as it is well conducted, and it is ! more than probable that the prosperity of the institution is the natural outcome of the excellence of its management. The- history of the Tarureka Factory is most interesting, not only on account of the lapid growth of the concern, but al?o as showing that "small beginnings have large endings," where the beginning is properly made. In 1888 the late Mr Jas. Donald erected the factory — or, rather, a factory — for the present building is twice the size of the original one erected. The separator was only of 90 gallons' capacity, and the milk supply was that of 200 cows. Mr Don- ! aid employed no more than three hands, who, however, succeeded in doing all the necessary work. A fair idea of how .the business has grown may be gauged, from the fact that there are now two 400-g.illon separators in use, one of Hall's No. 4 refrigerators, and all the latest impiovemcnts and appliances necessary for the manufacture of butter on up-to-date principles. Among the appHances may be mentioned testing machine, steriliser, churn capable of turning out 6001b of butter per diem, turning lathe, and 12 horse-power engine. The separating, ' churning, butter-testing, and refrigerating are all done by steam power, by which means, also, the turning lathe, circular saws, pumps, and corn grinders are worked. The corn is ground and the pigs ajid calves are fed upon it, and show by their condition the advisability of care being taken in the matter of feeding young stock. To dwell minutely on the various appliances used in the factory would, perhaps, make this account | wearisome reading, but one may remark that Mr Donald, the manager, set an example j that many dairymen might follow with profit. The calves and pigs benefit considerably by the corn being ground for them. All tho woodwork is done on the premise", butter boxes being made, firewood cut up, and any other work of like character that the engineers have to do. The skim milk is j put through the refrigerator, mixed v.ith I ground corn, and is then p^eecl on a truck, a tram line, about half a mile _in length, being laid down, ocid connecting with the factory and piggeries. Of cour.-p better food for pigs it would ho hard to find. Bacon-curer3 say the fat of p gs fed on whey is too "oily,' and that faimers requiic to give their pigs more coin. Hovv mi eh coin do some farmers gi\e their pigs' Nine hundred pigs thrive on the right <=nrt of sustenance on the Donald c-txte, and 3^early 700 "porkers" are turned off ' Mr Donald has a great deal of &tcck, and it is noteworthy that it is all bred by himself. He possesses some splendid specimens of horses, cattle, and pigs. Of the two former classes of stock, mention will be made hereafter. As regards the quality of the pigs, it would be difficult to find anything better in New Zealand. The chief specimens are representatives of the Berkshire breed, which is a veiy popular one in the Wairarapa. As has been observed, the pigs thrive splendidly on the food provided for them, but theio is another reason for the healthiness of their condition, and that is the scrupulously clean state in which the piggery, yards, and drainage works are kept. The calves are also fed on milk and corn, and in the feeding arrangements several unique ideas are brought to bear, which have the effect of saving time and familiarising the calves with "the bail." At feeding time some 40 calves come into the shed, where there is a small bail for each calf, anrl put their heads through to eat the food, placed within the bail. When all tho calves have "fallen to" a man pulls a string, which has the effect of closing all the bails. To re-open the bails the string is again pulled. The milk of 600 cows produces a great deal of butter, no less than a ton and a-half being sold weekly in pound pats ; while the remainder is sent Home. The butter from the Donald Estate is always graded "first class" by the Government grader — a fact that epeaks volumes in praise of its excellence. The manufacturing of th» butter is under

I the direct supervision of Miip Donald, who I attended the Inglewcod Dairy School for } borne time, and with great profit, as is evidenced from her capacity to fill such a responsible position as thai of supervising the making of "first-class" butter. Miss Donald is as enthusiastic as she is capable in the discharge of her responsibilities. Five hands are now employed in the factory, and the i labour on the farms is done on a co-opera-i tivp principle, all engaged being interested ( directly by the welfare of the concern. The cows have their "run" on four of the farms belonging to the estate, and on each farm there resides a family, who do the work by contiact, the estate finding all the necessary utensils, implements, brakes, and horses for the woik. The farms are well tilled, splendi 1 crops of hay, turnips, mangels, peas, barley, beans, and pumpkins being grown a.s fodder for the cattle. The amount of labour done on the farms is, of course, considprable, and is as much as 50 hands can successfully cope with. The choice dairy herd kept on the estate is from the best milking strains, and is always maintained in "the pink of condition,"' verifying the old farmer's axiom that "the way to a cow's udder is through her stomach." The cows are handled very kindly — a method of treatment that must tend to increase their yield of milk. The Government veterinarian recently tested the herd by means of the tuberculin teat, and the few "doubtful" members discovered were promptly destroyed. Therefore all the butter manufactured is made from the milk of tested cows, a measure for the benefit of the public health that all dairy companies might inaugurate with advantage. Mr Donald is the possessor ot much fine horseflesh. In draughts, hunter*, and hacks he has won many prizes at various agricultural shows. The estate is managed by Mr Allan Donald for the tiustees, auO m vipw of what has already been vviitten about the institution, it is scarcely nece^.-ary to remark that he manages very capably. Oi>]y those who have the responsibilities of kindred businesses on their hands can fair I}judge1 }- judge the energy, foiesight, and knowledge that are requited on the part of the manager. When paying the estate a vi-..t I found tho local inspector of stock (Mr T. C. WpljL) making one of his periodical visits to the estate at Mr Donald's special reques., and that is about three times a month. TLe inspector expressed the utmost satisfaction at the manner in which the concern wa-* beirg conducted, and informed me that his duty was the pleasant one of praising whene\ er he visited the estate. Ho emphasised the sanitary principles, the backbone of success in dairying, observed in the conduct of ti.e factory and all connected with it.