CHEESE QUALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1931, Page 13

CHEESE QUALITY.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—After having carefully read. the letter written by a correspondent who signs himself “Commonsense,” I am puzzled to find where he gets his 'name. Firstly, he mentions the test or trial at Lowgarth as being unnecessary. Well, perhaps so, for an industry that is upwards of 30 or 40 years in existence should be past the experimental stage. Nevertheless no matter how much we know we can always be learning. Secondly, that' the butterfat system of payment for milk for cheesemaking is the only correct one. As we cannot make a cheese from butterfat alone, the other raw material required should be paid for according to its true value. And he also says that New Zealand’s besr. quality cheese »s made in the autumn months. If this is so, why do many factories consider it much better in future to make butter during these months unless prices were very much in favour of cheese, owing entirely to tests being too bigh? “Commonsense” goes on to show that cheese made from high-testing milk has won at many shows in New Zealand. Anyone would think we sold the bulk of our cheese in New Zealand, which is not so, and therefore these wins at shows several thousand miles from our market are of no value. So I would suggest to “Commonsense” that he wipe the dust or sleep from his eyes and look further afield. Cheese which won at the London dairy show, beating even our most serious competitor, Canada, was made in the South Island from loxy-testing milk. As this show is held right at the door of our market I certainly think a win like this is of more value. I do not want “Commonsense” to think I am up against the high-testing cow, for I am not tied to any breed; nevertheless, his estimate of the producing powers of the low-testing breeds shows he is lacking in knowledge in that direction. And if high-testing milk is such a wonderful advantage to the cheese industry, why was that stupid, costly farce, standardising, introduced?—l am, etc., CHEESE SUPPLIER.