NATIONAL DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 6

NATIONAL DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

At the meeting of the southern division of the National Dairy Association, held • at Invereargiil last week, several matters of importance to the dairy-farmers of j the South Island were discussed. Such i conferences, at which dairy-factory ( managers meet to exchange ideas, are j of the greatest benefit, and this most • recent meeting will, we feel sure, be I productive of good. It was unfortunate that the secretary (Mr J. R. Scott) was unable to attend owing to the steamer in ; •which he wets proceeding to the Bluff | being delayed by thick fog on the coast, f but as all the arrangements had been J completed beforehand it was not found ■ necessary to adjourn the meeting on • this account. The delegates met first at : fche Bluff to witness the grading of cheese ; by the Government graders. It is a 1 pity that not as many cheese-maters as j could have conveniently attended the ! demonstration were present, for a good : deal might be learned from closely ' watching the graders at work, particularly when the principles upon which [ the points are awarded is explained. ; Cheese-makers would see for themselves wherein their product differs from that [ of other factories, and take home with j them salutary lessons for future guidance. But the most important thing 1 brought forward at Invereargiil was the ' qnestion of undesirable flavours in ' cheese, contributed to largely by feeding cows on turnips- Mr Singleton, one of the Government graders, gave the dairy- ; men present aojae very sensible advice * on the matter. He pointed out that the firs* shipments from the Bluff this season were distinctly deteriorated ji quality by a turnipy flavour, which, he added, had been rather much in evidence in all of the shipments. While there was a considerable Australian demand

for Mew Zealand tiheese the turnipy flavour did not count for quite so much as it does now that we have to rely solely upon the markets of the United Kingdom for our dairy produce export trade. The British consumer is more fastidious, and unless some concerted effort is made to get rid of the objectionable flavours our product will certainly not maintain first place in our principal market. Recently complaints have been made, :n the north as well as in the south, that the improvement in the manufacture of cheese has not kept pace with the advance in the quality cf our butter; and the reason is not far to seek. Mr Thornton, in a report laid before the Invereargiil conference, said : ' Being grader in the south for the past

few years, when Australian, shipments have passed through my hands with turnipy flavours I have passed some through as first grade to a market that, in most cases-, the better the stink the better they like it, as I saw for myself when on a visit a few months ago to Australia." We cannot here stay to inquire into that peculiar trait in the Australian character which Mr Thornton so forcibly points out, but there can be little doubt that some New Zealand cheeseinakers, whilst sure- of an outlet in Australia for such of their product as would not suit the consumer in the United Kingdom, have uot aimed at bringing the whole of their output up to tho highest standard of perfection, with the result that in these cases deterioration has gradually set in. In one sense, therefore, it is a fortunate thing for the reputation of the colony that not only has the Australian demand ceased, but there seems small chance of its returning, and therefore our export trade will now be practically confined to the United Kingdom. And if in the English markets New Zealand cheese is to compete with the best Canadian we cannot afford to neglect any precautions which experience has shown will ensure the preservation of the right flavour to suit the English palate. Akhough the turnip is not repcusible for all the unpleasant" flavours in cheese, it appears to be the head and front of tho offending. The chief difficulty in dealing with this matter seemed to be, in the opinion of most of the dairymen present, that it is impossible to abandon the turnip altogether. The President (Mr Milne) said that he had found it a good plan to give the cows some turnips and then straw, but on no account to allow them to stop at the turnips until milking time. Eventually it was decided to suggest to the execu-

live that directors cf factories be written to asking them to advise managers not to accept milk from suppliers ■who graze their cows in turnip ppddocks. From the general tenor of the meeting we gather that in addition to eire in controlling the feed of the cows, which is, of course, the initial reform, there is need of extra oversight all along the line if the cheese-making industry is to be maintained at a high standard. This 'oversight should include the periodical inspection of dairies, the erection, of suitable factories, the proper payment and instruction of managers, and the rejection of all milk not up to a certain standard. Then there is the question of the better building of the cheese cases and their handling whilst in transit to the steamer, for it sometimes happens that much of the care bestowed upon the manufacture of the cheese is largely negatived by damage through crushing ; and in other ways. Reading between the lines of the report of this conference it would seem that, whilst the graders and other officials connected with the dairying division are doing their utmost to keep things on the right lines*, the i industry is m danger of degenerating owing to the absence of the right man at the head of affairs, who would detect the weak spots in organisation and management, and speedily proceed to rectify them. Naturally our hopes are • centred in the expected return cf Mr j Kinsella, for it is practically recognised | that since his departure from the colony | dairying matters have been at a standj still. "When other countries are straining every nerve to capture British trade New Zealand cannot afford to rest on her oars, and the sooner Mr Kinsella ; resumes his duties as Dairy Commissioner the better it will be for the future of our dairy export trade. Meanwhile the dairy-farmers may do their part by solving the problem of how to feed their ; cows on turnips without allowing the j milk to deteriorate.