THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2603, 3 February 1904, Page 9

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Mr W. A. Thornton, Government Grader, had prepared a short papei on the cheese industry to be read by the secretary, Mr J. R. Scott, at the meeting of the South Island Dairy Association on Monday. .Mr Scott was a "passenger by the s.s. Victoria, which was delayed by a fog, and did not arrive till Tuesday, so that Mr Scott was unable to take any pait m the proceedings. The paper is of considerable interest to those connected with the cheese industry, and -we have obtained it for publication. Mr Thornton wrote as follows: —

"A matter of importance connected with our cheese industry I wish to place before you is with regard to the fall make. No doubt meet of you aro aware that for seveial years past large quantities of our cheese have been bought and shipped to the Commonwealth, especially after the shipments ceased to Great Britain. T am of opinion tbat we shall not see that trade again, in large quantities for some time to come. The chief point 1 wish to place before you is the wholesale feeding of turnips to cows in winter time by farmers in the south. I am not suggesting anything to overcome this matter, not being a practical farmer, but I learn on good authority that other feeding matter can be used to counter-balanco the strong turnipy flavours. It eeems to me that we have to look to the British markets for our oiitputs, and it behoves one and all to make a strong effoit to see that we turn out a really fireL-clasis article, with clpan flavours. Tho factories of the south, 1 understand, this season — and as I know myself — havo gieatly improved in quality, and if gome measure is .not taken to overcome the feeding of turnips wholesale to cows in the winter, I am very much afraid that our good factories' names will fall. Being grader in the couth for -the past few -ears, when. Australian

shipments havo passed through my hands with tufiupy na\ ours, I iia\o passed tome through a firet-g.'acle market ■'"hat, in mo'it cases, would indicate that the better the stink the better they like it, as I saw for mysoif when on a visit a few months ago to Australia. But it means this: thyt as soon as we- receive cheeso tainted with turnip?, yen can rely on it being second grade for the. British market."