THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. INTERESTING STATISTICS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 296, 5 September 1888, Page 2

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

INTERESTING STATISTICS.

The inquiries made by the Agent- General amongst experts disclose some very interesting facts concerning the dairy farming Indus* try in this country. The extent of the trade in dairy products ia much greater than is commonly believed. In the five years between January Ist, 1883, and December 3ls(-, 1887, nearly 621,200 tons of butter, and 456,200 tons of cheese, of the aggregate value of more than 80 millions sterling have been importel into the United Kingdom. Last year the import was 139,400 tons of butter of the value of .£11,887,000 and 91,700 tons of cheese of the value of £4,500,000. The average for the five years was more than 124,000 tons of butter and bntterine, and 91,000 of cheese, maL ing together an import of upwards of 215,000 tons,- of the aggregate value of 16,230,000 per annum. For the last three years, 1885 to ISB7, the greater part of the imported butter has come from Denmark and Franco. In 1887, oufc of a total import of 1,515,0000wt; M 903,000cwt. were from thoso two countries, while Germany and Holland sent 321,000cwt. and Canada 32,000cwfc. Of butterine the largest quantify comes from Holland, 1,170,000cwt. out of 1,273,000 being imported from the country in 1887. The largest import of cheese is from Canada and the United States, 1,391,000cwfc. coming in 1887 out of a total of 1,834,000cwfc. Canada during the same year sent us 631,00cwt. and Holland 362,000cwfe. Europe, it appears, produces 051,000 tons of butter annually, and eonsumoa 681,000 tons. The United States and Canada produce 404,000 tons and consume 374,000 tons, leaving 30,000 tons for export. The production of butter in tho United Kingdom is only 90,000 tons, while tho consumption exceedß 205,000 tons, so that each yt.ar. more than 115,000 tons have to bo imported. In 1860 only 840,000cwt. of butter were imported, and 583,000cwt. of cheese, or less than a third of what wa3 imported in 1887. England is now by far the largest consumer of butter in Europe, and for all practical purposes, so far

as supply from Now Zealand is concerned, the matket may be considered unlimited. Tho Normandy butter is most in fashion in England, at present, owing to a number of causes that combine to give it peculiar excellence. The climate on that part of the co asfe is mild, and it is, benefited, ke England and Ireland, with the Gulf Stream and its sofb winds and moisture. Normandy butter is made for tho most parfc ac tho farms with an unrivalled exactness and minuteness of atten-< tion to every detail, added to a remarkably good quality of milk. The Danish systems and. improvements are seldom seen on Normandy and Brifcany farms. Cheap labour, with incessant carefulness and patient work by tho dairymaids and peasants combine to produce results which at present cannot be matched in Great Britain. The secret of this success is that a butter of exactly the samo colour, flavour, and texture is turned out in great quantities, and can bo depended upon for ever-constant uniformity all the year round. Opinions differ as to its actual superiority to English and Irish butters, many experts holding it to be intrinsically inferior. But it is to a great extent mixed up by powerful butter workcra at the large factories, and blended into tho uniform character that constitutes its great feature. A single house in London pays to a single Normandy factory more than L 30,000 a month. Professor Long sums up the advantages of Normandy as a dairy country in the words, " the system in Normandy is not only simple, but perfect." It is said the Normandy butter does not possess what is called the " nutty flavour" of the best homo-«naade kinds, but tho London market does not care for that. The one thing it wants is always to get tho samo flavour, colour, and texture, and that is tho great point in the Normandy butter. The great success at dairy industry in Denmark is attributed by the experts to the excellence of the technical education given in that country, and to tho way in which it is carried to the farmers' doors. Fho years ago the export of Danish butter amounted to between 80 and 90 thousand barrels. This has now nearly doubled, whilst the export of cheese has trebled, having grown from 200,000 to 600,0001bs j and the increase is said to ho duo to the co-operative system of dairying and tho spread of technical teaching. Denmark is permeated with agricultural and dairy farming schools, and its superiority as the model State in dairy farming has been achieved by the constant co-operation of. science and practice. Tlie butter manufacture in Denmark is chiefly done on the " creamer ■< ica " system — large creameries having been established, to which farmers sell all their cream. In Sweden there are many Government travelling teachers. If a dairymaid wants to improve herself, the travelling teacher goes to the farm, and tells her what to do, and shows the farmer how to produce the richest milk. The instruction in the Swe 'ish Dr.iry Corteges includes the methods of fanning, vaiieties of pasture, dairy management, and the characteristics of good butter and cheese. Practical work ig done in weighing and cooling milk, setting cream, separating milk, and testing ; and the Government pays a number of girls to learn how to turn out their produce in tho best way. The result has been that Swedish trade in butter has grown from a large excess of import over expoit into an excess of export over import of more that 8,000,000 kilos. In cheese, however, there is still an excess of import over export of nearly 500,000 kilos. In Germany there are a dozen agricultural colleges with largo grants of from £3000 lo £5000 a-\ei.rfiom tho Stato, sixteen schools w.th grants up to £1250 a-yi ar, and Lhiry-* two fiirm sehoo's with sin. til giants. la Fiance there are four Colleges, and moie that 50 othoi» RflirvnU, tJio 00.1 of the pxiuUiptU institution being £10,000 a year. In Uel gium, the chief State Agiicultuial School costs £1500 a year. In Italy, technical instruction m dairying is most carefully given, each season being utilised for differ* nb kinds of cheese. In neiuly all these countne-j wherever dairvmg ia at all possible, it fcrais part of the technical instruction provided. In Ciinula, ih<s cheese is neaiiy all mado in factories. It i» now claimed to be at the head of Amercan cheese in the marked of tho world, and it is getting a very firm hold on the Engl sh market. In a consular report this year some astonishing figures are given showing the magnitude of the dairy industry in tho prairie Slates of America. In the seven States of lowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska thero aie nearly fivo million milch cows. lowa alono pioduccd last year 86 milliou lbs of butter, and Minnesota 40 million lbs. Chicago alone received in 1887 128 million lbs of butter and 40 milUc n lbs of cheese. But the supply of butter will soon bo unequal to tho demand within tho United States, and so far as New Zealand butter is concerned, the competition of neither the States nor Canada need be feared, only about 52,000 cwts, having come thenco to the English market during 1887. In cheese, on the other hand, 760,000 cwts. came in last; year from tho States, aud 630,000 cwts. fiom Canada, so that hero the competition is for-* rnidable* The experts insist with niuoh iteration that the real reason why the foreigner^ beating the English farmer out of his own market so far as butter is concerned, is that the foreign butter, even if it is not of such high quality a 3 the finest English, or Irish, can be and is sent over in immense quantities of perfectly uniform quality, whereas every dairy farmer in England makes his butter of a different flavour, colour, and texture. The fashionable colour in the London market now ia primrose yellow, and butter of other shades, whether lighter or darker, is not saleable. Going away from London tho taato differs. In London it must tasto quite freah, but as one goes north it has to bo aalter and salter, until what, is in demand there could hardly be sold in London at all. Another Doint in which the foreigner excels is in meeting the leasons, providing for the natural falling off in winter and excess in summer, and sending his butler to the English market of exactly the Bame quality, colour, flavour, and texture all the year lound. If it were not for Danish butter, the public, during the winter months, would have to tako almost entirely to butterine. If, therefore, tho New Zealand dairy farmer wants to competo with the foreigner in the London market, ho must do as the foreigner lias done — east away all tho old dairying traditions, and simply set himself to malte (ho butter that pleases the public taste for the momeut. As often as the public ta9to changes, ho must change with it, and adapt himself to the wants and demands of tho hour. But above all things he must, in ordt r lo succeed at all, do what is done in Scandinavia, and bring science to his door, since the former will not come to science, and have specialists to teach him in his own dair) what to do. Again, tho foreigner excels in his form of package. Custom aud fashion give the preference in the London market to sm<ill boxes, holding 241b in 12 lumps of 21b each. Not only is uniformity of package required, but especially uniformity in tare of tho package. Dutch casks, for instance, can always be depended upon for regularity in 161b tare. A. good butter package is tho Canadian cask, holding 1121b, or 561b to 1001b firkins, or 281b baskets, as now introduced by tho French. The plan of packing butler in tins for oxporfe ia increasing fast, nnd is thought highly of. In Denmaik it is done in 2, 4, and 61b tins, suitahla for consumption in small families, and there is a growing demand for it in tlvia form.