SCIENTIFIC MILK GRADING

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1930, Page 7

SCIENTIFIC MILK GRADING

hawera laboratory work tangible -benefits /.secured. IMPORTANT ■ LESSONS TAUGHT.: . The pioneer work done by. the.dairy federation ’e laboratory in introducing the grading:of milk,by the microscope to the commercial side of • the New. Zealand- dairy industry was now ü be 4f| n ? fruit,- according to the report submitted, by Mr. P. O. Veale to the, Federation of Taranaki Co-operative Dairy Factories at Hawera yesterday. Four companies had employed thfe system during the 1929-30' season, arid were ' continuing with’ it. Tangible benefits Had been secured in greater uniforinity of working, m the ’factory, ./freedom ■ from ■ serious troubles* or faults, and; in most cases improved gliding points for . the cheese. One factory had made, .a season’s . trial of substituting, the grading of for the pasteurisation of milk. In other words it was adopting prevention instead of cure. The “out-turn” <?f its cheese in London would doubtless be followed with much interest for some time to come. Its example was qn object lesson to all, and would, he trusted, be copied, by others. ■ , - Two important lessons were being taught to the dairy industry as a result of the experience obtained in grading thousands of milk sampled. The first was that a good cowshed was not an invariable criterion of good milk, and that bad milk bacteriologically might occasionally or even frequently be produced from sheds where, at first glance, everything appeared to be in first-class order. Extended search, however, would invariably, reveal some forgotten or neglected portion of equipment, or some ! error in handling, to account-for tha ' presence of the germs in the milk.

OCCASIONAL FALL FROM GRACE.

The seCOfid lesson was that, even the best supplierß KaidL occasional falls from grace; sometimes from causes outside their control and knowledge, and that to achieve finest grade invariably wOuia require special -knowledge and care far beyond the ordinary. It was no reflection upon the accuracy of a grading system because a supplier was found finest grade on one occasion arid second eradfe on another. 6 Air' Veale would emphasise upon, every' critic of milk grading that “seeing "is, believifig,” arid that , when germs were-seen in a’milk sample there was some fault to accOtiht for their, presence, notwithstanding the previous good reputation' of the supplier; and the apparent cleanliness of his shed and all its appointments. Unfortunately some suppliers took the result of milk grading in the wrong spirit. and were inclined t - critibise the scientific validity of the test when their milk was be second -grade. They stated that they hid; complied with every, instruction to improve their ; sheds and fiurirouiidin|B and scouted thA nbtion that their m# coufd' ! be otherwise th an. finest grade. Yet although farm dairy instruction had been established in iriany districts for years/ crehm- grading was still found expedient, arid bad cream had at times been' produced when to the g-lance shed appointments were of the very best. In fact, all their experience showed that the material aS produced must fob graded, and not the place from which it came. If that wAs not admitted they might as well, in all conhistehby. grade their gutter, and cheese for export on the look and general appointments Of the factory, and neglect entirely how the materials had been hhndlbdaiidtreated.

spread of grading DOCTRINE.

■ To be Buceeeeful when 'applied to industry, eciehbe must not run too far in advance of the general state of pub- , lie education, otherwise its findings were received with incredulity: instead of with confidence. He had sufficient faith in the -intelligence and education of .he Tifanahi to believe that milk ■wading would' eventually be universally, acknowledged as a necessity in the national quest after quality. Many factory, managers wete , already inde.Tjehdently grading their own suppliers by the' methylene blue test, thus showing the Spread of the doctrine. Instances could be quoted whbre even the bitterest critics of milk grading had reversed their opinions and acknowledged the validity of the test after their misapprehensions had been cleared away, a full explanation of the test made and a personal visit made io their farms in order to discover .the hitherto unknown cause of their fault. All that was. now required was to impress .upon suppliers of milk that universal; grading was :to be regarded as an . assistance towards better financial returns, for all parties, and not a mere police-like supervision for the-'purpose of catching arid . penalising offenders. Thb. milk grader shb'iild be regarded as *. doctor, diagnosing an ailmfent, and not as a detective tracking a criminal. Let* the helpful < aspect of the system be given : its' duh prominence ■■ and the Opposition would .disappear, concluded Mr.vyehle, '■'■ •• ’ ■’■