NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13484, 26 July 1907, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

IS IT DETERIORATING?

UNSATISFACTORY TESTS IN

ENGLAND.

In a letter to the Feilding Star, Mr W. W. Corpe, buttermaker, late of Makino, thus expresses' himself on Ne;v Zealand butter as he found it at Home : —

The first I sampled was anything out clean in flavour, and a long way too much moisture showed on the iron. This was, the merchant informed 'me, a lot of butter they had purchased, being; marked by tb^e Government grader as first grade, without sampling, and they had been badly taken in. I sampled three different dates of this make and found it all the same, and I have no hesitation in saying this should have been graded second class. This boi3 a well-known brand, which I am not going to name unless requested to d» so. I believe the cause of its bad ila Tour is due to dirty milking or homo separation and excess of moisture. Another brand I sampled was better in flavour and texture, but not firstclass, and the merchant informed ire this brand had been very fine until .thi^ year, but now had an excess of moisture, which, to my mind, was the cause of its inferior flavour. I have sampled a good deal of butter in retail shops. One r lot I sampled at Ealing, markevj "Hawera," was excellent, and giving great satisfaction, being dry and of good texture.

I am much afraid, sir, that as Ne*v Zealand butter had such a good name in previous years for its dryness, showing an average of about 10 per cent of moisture, the managers* both of cooperative and private factories, thinking a larger overrun could do the butter no harm, have not worked out the moisture as heretofore, and the graders are getting more easy in this respect. For, whilst somfc of the factories ate still excellent, a large number are c<n the down grade. I desire to sound a note of warning in time. It would l.c regrettable for the dairy people to liva in a fool's paradise; for Siberia butter is increasing enormously both in quantity and quality. I sampled some first grade Siberian butter in London. It was very fino both in flavour and texture. This but ter is put up in 1001 b. casks, a practice which is objectionable; no doubt tlm will soon be altered.

I am much afraid that unjess Ne-* Zealand is more careful as to moisture, clean milking, - and home separation our butter will be wiped out of existence.

New Zealand cheese is well holding its own, and for the most part is good, although some think if it was not quite so hard it would be better liked. Canadian cheese is shipped newer, and I a-2i of opinion that if New Zealand cheese were not kept so 'long at the factories it would arrive in the Old Country ~n a better condition, as it is a soft, moist, sdapy cheese which is liked the best. It is thought that cheese has a bettor future before it than butter, and I believe if the factories were to make cheese as well as butter it would bt> safer and more profitable. ■;