THE ART OF BUTTER-MAKING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3846, 16 December 1936, Page 22 (Supplement)

THE ART OF BUTTER-MAKING

An Informative Address Describes the Intricate Process

Recently, the senior scholars of Te Rau-a-moa school were given an enjoyable outing by members of the school committee. They were conveyed to Te Awamutu by car, where they first paid a visit of inspection to the factory of Te Awamutu 00-op Dairy Co. Ltd. Subsequently they went to the office of “The Counrier,” where they saw the printing machinery in action. They finished an enjoyable afternoon at the local picture show. The secretary-manager of the local dairy company (Mr A. J. Sinclair) takes considerable interest in these visits from school-children, especially members of the senior classes, and the youthful visitors from Te Rau-a-moa no doubt thought the day had started well, when Mr Sinclair took them to the board room and handed out light refreshments. He then gave them an outline of all they would see in the factory, and handed each scholar a copy of his remarks so that these could be studied at leisure. As the methods described by Mi’ Sinclair are in general use in all up-to-date factories in New Zealand, we append a copy of his remarks, as these are of general interest to members of the farming community. Mr Sinclair said: I. THE RECEIVING STAGE. First of all, you will be taken to the receiving stage, where you will see the cream coming in from the farms by motor lorry. At this point you should notice that the cream goes through three processes: (1) It is weighed; (2) it is graded: and (3) it it sampled. Notice the quick but accurate method of weighing on ths latest type of cream-weighing scale. The large dial is graduated to 1 lbs.', and every supplier’s cream must be weighed to the nearest 1 lb. While the cream can is on the scale you will observe that it is graded by an employee who must hold a certificate from the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture that Jie is a competent grader. Every can of cream has to be tasted. The man on this factory stage has to taste over 500 cans of cream every day, and he will get quite annoyed if you ask him if he likes cream on his porridge! He must grade the cream into one of three qualities finest grade, first grade, or second grade, and the supplier gets different payments for each quality. For instance the Company is paying this month the following rates for cream supplied in November: Is per lb. butterfat for finest quality: Hid per lb. for finestgrade; and lOid per lb for secondgrade. And 90 per cent, of the cream received at this factory is finest grade, and the balance, about 10 per cent, is first grade. The quantity of second-grade cream received is so small that it does not average onequarter of 1 per cent. (0.25 per cent.) When a supplier is having difficulty with the grade of his cream, a Government Dairy Farm Instructor will visit the farm to assist him. The Government of New Zealand has assisted the dairying industry in many way, because it is essential that only the highest grade of butter should be marketed in Great Britain owing to the keen competition from other but-ter-making countries, such as Denmark, Australia, and Argentina. But we have still to deal with the third process to which the cream is subjected on the receiving-stage—-namely, the sampling. You will see a factory employee with a metal stirrer in one (hand, and a small bottle in the other. After he stirs the cream vigorously, he takes a small sample and places it in a bottle numbered to correspond with the supplier’s cream can. This is done every morning for ten days, when these small bottles are taken to the test room, and tested for butterfat content. The cream is kept sweet during these ten days by the addition of a minute quantity of preservative in the form of potassium-bichro-mate, usually termed “bichromate of potash.” 11. TEST-ROOM. You will next visit the test-room adjoining the factory stage, where the craam samples are tested for butterfat content at the end of every ten-day period. The percentage of butterfat in each supplier’s cream is ascertained with the aid of a machine known as the “Babcock Tester,” driven by a small steam turbine. This method is in almost universal use throughout the world wherever dairy factories operate. It was invented io the year 1890 by Dr S. M. Babcock, an American chemist, who refused to take out any patent for his machine, but made a gift of the patent to the dairying world. The principle of the Babcock test is probably known to you. Briefly, it is based on the fact that, when sulphuric acid is added to cream, the acid will not affect the fat, but burns up oi- “breaks down”, the other constituents of the cream. To get results quickly, the mixture of acid and cream is subjected to centrifugal force in the Babcock machine. The mixture is first placed in specially constructed test bottles, possessing long necks, with graduations, so that the amount of butterfat in eacli sample can be accurately read. 11 should be noted that a good cream from the point of view of the factory and of the supplier is one that contains about 40 per cent, butterfat. 111. PASTEURISING THE CREAM. The reason hotter made in a factory keeps fresh much longer than butter made on a farm is that the cream is subjected to pasteurisation. This name is derived from that of an eminent French scientist. Professor Louis Pasteur, who made the discovery in the years 1860-64 that, if wines were heated to a certain temperature (158 deg. F.), and cooled

again, fermentation would stop. You will observe in the factory that, after the cream has been weighed, graded and sampled, it is tipped into receiving vats, the cans being put through a mechanical can-washer in readiness for their return to the farm. From the receiving vats, the cream runs by gravitation to a pasteurising machine, where the cream is heated to about 200 degs. F. In this same machine, the cream is placed under vacuum with the object of removing objectionable odours or taints caused when the cows are fed on rich clover pastures, or on turnips. The machine which does this combined work (known as pasteurising and deodorising) is called the “Murray Vacreator”. It is the latest form of pasteurisation, and has been on the market only a’few years, but is becoming widely known. It is the invention of a New Zealand dairy chemist, Mr L. Lamont Murray, of Auckland. IV.—COOLING THE CREAM. Cream must be cooled as quickly as possible after pasturising, and this is done in a few seconds by pumping the cream through a machine known as the “A.P.V. water and brine cooler,” so called because it is made by the Aluminium Plant and Vessel Company of London. This is also a new method, and the machine in this factory was the first to be installed in New Zealand. The old method of cooling cream in a dairy factory was to allow it to run over large-surface coolers. When the cream enters the A.P.V. machine the temperature is about 200 degs. F., and when it levaes the machine the temperature is about 45 degs. F. This rapid cooling is done partly by water and partly by a brine solution. The brine 'Solution is made from calcium chloride, and can be brought down to a temperature of 28 degs. to 30 degs. F. Not every dairy factory, however, has a brine cooler, and most factories rely entirely on mechanical refrigeration for cooling. You will see in this factory a 6-ton National refrigerating machine made by Jas. J. Niven and Company, Ltd., a well-known New Zealand engineering firm. (You should note with satisfaction that most of the machinery used in a modern dairy factory is made by New Zealand ’firms.) This refrigerating machine produces cold temperatures by the use of ammonia, in the form of a gas under great pressure. When the cream leaves the cooler it is pumped into large holding vats, which are directly connected with the refrigerating machine, so that the cream may be kept at a low temperature even in the hottest weather.

V.—CHURNING. Next morning the cream is pumped into large churns which can make one ton of butter (40 boxes) in one operation. These churns, which are made by a Christchurch firm named Andersons, Ltd., revolve rapidly for about forty-five minutes. The concussion to which the cream is subjected in the churn causes the fat globules in the cream to unite. You will observe that each churn is fitted in front with a small “ spy-glass ” to enable the but-ter-maker to see when the churning process has been completed. The butter first appears in the form of small granules, and it is at this stage that a small quantity of salt (which must not exceed 2 per cent) is added. A few additional revolutions of the churn cause the butter to coalesce, and it is now ready for packing. Before the butter can be packed, however, a test has to be made on very fine scales to make certain that it does not contain more than 16 per cent of water, which is the limit allowed by law. The percentage of moisture is determined by evaporating the moisture from a small piece of the butter. The butter is placed in an aluminium cup, and is heated over a spirit lamp. By taking the weight of the butter on a very fine scale before and after the process, the quantity of the water is determined. Every churning of butter is tested at the grade store by Government officials for moisture and salt, and if the butter contains more than 16 per cent moisture it is sent back to the factory for re-working. When the butter is taken from the churn it is placed on the butter tables, and then taken to the buter-packer. This machine (made by Mullan and Noy, engineers, Hamilton) forces out the butter in large cubes, and cuts off 56 lbs of butter with the greatest accuracy. The butter is then placed in wired boxes, and goes into the factory cool-room (which is also connected with the refrigerating machine) to be railed to the Auckland grade stores on the following day. GARDEN SURROUNDINGS. The committee and visitors were greatly impressed by the tidy appearance of the grounds surrounding- the factory. The lawns are kept well mowed, and the gardens, now a blaze of colour, give evidence of the care and attention bestowed upon them. The effect is really pleasing to the eye, and proves that the factory manager and staff take a personal pride in maintaining a neat and picturesque appearance, for which voluntary work they deserve much credit. THE SCHOLARS’ VIEWPOINT. In writing a letter of appreciation to Mr Sinclair, the secretary of the School Committee states that it may interest him to know that “ the child-

ren preferred this visit even to the pictures ! ” Enclosed also is an essay by a pupil in Form 11. on “ The Trip to Te Awamutu.” It is as follows: “ How excited we were ! We were going to see the well-known picture ‘ Show Boat ’ and to visit the Te Awamutu Dairy Factory and the printing works. The day before we left the school was filled .with eager excitement. That night everyone went early to bed. What a glorious day we had chosen for the trip! Soon we were speeding along the dusty highway towards Te Awamutu. After an hour’s travelling we arrived at our destination. “ We were welcomed at the factory by Mr Sinclair, who supplied us with morning tea, which we very much appreciated. After morning tea Mr Sinclair supplied us with typed descriptions of the factory. These were explained to us by Mr Sinclair in his office, as there was too much noise in the factory. First of al! we saw the cream coming in from the farms by motor lorry. The cream was weighed, graded, and sampled. The cream was tipped out, and was later pumped into two huge churns which make one ton of butter in each churning. It takes about forty-five minutes to chum the butter. About eight tons of butter are made a day. When the butter is taken from the churns it is placed on the butter tables, and then it is taken to the butter packer. This machine forces out the butter into large blocks of fifty-six pounds. The butter was placed in wired butter*boxes, and then put into the coolroom, and on the following day it is railed to Auckland to be graded, and then it is sent to the ports of Liverpool, Glasgow, London, and Manchester. “ When we had been through the factory we were farewelled by Mr Sinclair. After a brief luncheon interval we paid a hurried visit to the printing works. We were shown the raw paper cylinders which had come from British Columbia, Canada, which is the home of paper manufacture, and the melting machine and the linotype machine. How strange it was to see the paper being printed and folded by machinery. “ As the time went on we left for the picture theatre. When we arrived at the theatre we saw the supporting pictures, one being deep-sea fishing off the coast of New South Wales. Soon the main picture began. What a thrill it was to see the coloured people of America on the shores of the River Mississippi. These men were carrying bales of cotton on their shoulders, and then rolling the bales on to the boats. Never had I seen any man with such emotion sing as Paul Robeson did. He sang the wellknown song, ‘ 01’ Man River.’ How sad the men looked as they carried the bales, but when they heard Paul Robeson sing it seemed to put new life into them, arid they all joined in on the chorus. “ When the picture was over we did our final shopping. We then divided into parties and left for home after we had spent a most enjoyable day.”