“ WAIKATO FLAVOUR ”

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4231, 15 January 1940, Page 4

“ WAIKATO FLAVOUR ”

CAUSE OF LOWERED BUTTER GRADE. SOME VARIATION SHOWN Though there has been a particularly good season for hay making, and crops have been unusually heavy, dairymen Rave not been having it all their own way in the past couple of months, for butter fat production has fallen appreciably,. especially in* the past throe weeks, and dairy fftttory officials report a general lowering of the .grade of butter sent forward for export. Lower grading, however; has v not been the experience of J ies, for in some instances grading has actually shown *an improvement. It is said that any drop id grade cannot be attributed to grading methods, as there has hcen no change in the system. A prominent dairy company manager said that some companies were experiencing a bad season in regard to grading. It was difficult ;to account for the difference th the grading of the butter from some factories as there had been no change in management and no known change in other factors. Different seasons brought different problems, and it was probable that a new problem had arisen this season. Many cows had come into profit this season in poor condition because of the hard winter they had experienced, said an officer of the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture at Hamilton, who explained that as a consequence any feed flavours would probably be more pronounced. There had been no change in the system of grading, and uniformity had always been the aim of the whole staff. The factory manager of one company said that the season, as far as grading was concerned, was one of the worst experienced by the company. Feed flavour was probably the cause, as cress had been very .promin. ent in the pastures in the company’s area, while there had been more clover than usual. . * *