DAIRY FACTORIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2770, 9 August 1883, Page 8

DAIRY FACTORIES.

MB BOWBON'S LKCrr/BE AT GEBAXPINE. On Friday evening, Mr Bowron, >who is employed by Government to promote tbo establishment of butter and cheese factories throughout the oountry, gave a lecture on "Dairy Farming" m the Oddfellows' Hall, Geraldine. Tho room was fairly well filled, a good many farmers being present, also several ladies. The chair was taken by Mr W. U. Slack, who said he had great pleasure m presiding on the occision, not only bocauso tho led ure they wero about to heur would be an interesting ono, but also because tbe subject of it was of great importance to tho district. At a meeting held a short timo ago to discuss the question, the member for the district, Mr Postlelhwaite, was asked if possible to obtain the Government permission for Mr Bowron to come down and eivo a lecture on dairy farming, and tho result of his application was that the gentleman was present that evening. They would all agree with him that the thanks of the meoting wero due to Mr Fostlethwaite for his services m this matter. (Hear, bear.) He understood that aomo farmers were dubious about tho succoss of the proposed dairy factory. Ho trusted these persons were present, m order that they might hear the matter fully explained. Trade m tbe district was very dull, and it was the duty of everyone to try and improve it. Every farmer should help to establish the local dairy factory, and if they went hand m hand there was no doubt of its success. This unity of action did not alway c characterise the dealings of farmers, ho was sorry to say. ■ On the contrary, it wns as if some five farmers whoae lands adjoined were harassed by the sparrows. Four of these agreed to buy pouioned wheat to destroy tho pests, but the fifth — reasoning eelfishlj — relied on the efforts of his four neighbors to be protected froTi damage. He hoped that the fifth farmer would have few disciple;, and that everyone m the district would joint to make their undertaking a success. He would now introduce the lecturer, Mr Bowron.

Mr Bowron and his vieit at this time was due to the efforts of Mr Poetbthwnile, who sought him out m Wellington and then uand his inQuenco to got him to como down here. Since his last visit he had travelled over a good deal of the colony and seen many wonderful things. He had beon mtich struck with the natural wealth of the country. Of the mineral wealth he knew but little, though he had had ample proof of its existence. He had no idea of mining, and little experience m it. Once, however, he had some slight experience of it whioh was quite sufficient to convince him of its precarious nature. There was, however, other wealth than that contained m the bowels of the earth, m the broad plains, fertile valleys and hillsides of the country. In every blade of grass there was gold. Gold mines were liable to become exhausted and unremunerative ; but it was not so with the soil, whioh if properly treated yielded a greater return than even the richest quartz. He was about to speak on the subject of dairy produce. He had travelled through every country where oheeae is made, to buy for the Home markets, and for maDy years he had devoted himself to

' cheese making. »"d wa* therefore thoroughly conversant wiih the subject. He had tr.iv< lied nnd obtained information m England, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland and America, mid could siy with trulh that not one of thoeo countries wu« co well adapted fnrcheeßeinaking as Now Zealand, the climate here bi'ing so will suited for the industry. In England there waß grass for only six months m the year, m tome parts of the country for only four months. Of America the same might be slid. Here, however, grass crew for nino months. Thi» would at once show the wonderful advantages New Zealand possessed compared with those countries. There cheese could be made for six months only, whilst m Now Zealand it could bo made for nine. The question, Will cheeße-mnking pay ? was one oftrn asked. When he came out hero ho saw several specimen* of cheese, and out of fire only met with two good ones. He asked himself tho question. Is it the land that is at fault p And had to come to the conclusion thut that could not be the caso, bb some of tho cheeses were bb good »t the best Somersetshire. No, it. was not the land hut the manufacture of tho cheese that nils lit, fault. He had hud a good deal to do with the Aehburton ohpeßO factory, and w»" therefore anxious to learn something of the quality of the cheese mado there. In his travels he met with v Sydney merchant who assured him that the cbcess mado at Abliburton waß na Rood or better than that made at any other placo. At another house where Athburton rhecsa was set on the counter, ho was informed that cvory ono B'iid it. was gnod. In Auckland it was m demand. All this confirmed his first impression that as good Cheddar oheei-o could be mado hero as m Enghmd, and as good American cheese bb m America or England. It wob not a question for him to decido whether cheese should bo made hero on tho English or the American principle. That was a question for tho shareholders of any company. Both wore gsnd, nnd both paid. In tho North Island ho came m contact with a gentleman who had 1100 cows on \\U estate. On his asking the question, How do you milk such a number? The gentleman pointed to the calres running with tho cows ; and m answer to an inquiry as to the price of culve*, ho mid they fetched from a guinea to2sj. Those cows therefore only gave a return of 25s m twelve months. He said to this gentleman, Why not have a cheeso factory and make every cow earn, not 25?, but £12 or £11, and that gentleman was building a factory, and many others m tho North Island wcro doing the same. The estimates of the quantity of milk a cow would give m a year varied a good deal. Ho knew ono gontloman who owned 20 cows and sent his milk into London, who got 740 gnllons of milk from one cow m tho twelve months. In America it was said a row should givo from 660 to 700 gallons m tho year. His own opinion was that a cow should average two gallons a day »t least for 40 weeks, but numbers of people maintained that a cow should do more. Two callous a day would bo equal to 5 cwt of checßO m tho time. In America it was said a cow would produce milk sufflciect to make 6 cwt of chcete m the year. His own cows m Englmd did not average 5 cwt, because he kept pedigree cow* and took some of tho milk for tho calves ; but his neighbors' oows averaged 5 cwt, and somo G cwt. He knew one man who kopt 40 very ordinary cows, orrory one of whi?h gave 5 cwt of cheese, which ho sold nt 70* n ewt. Assuming (hat 5 cwt of t'lmoae was made from tho milk of ono row, and that this cheese could ho joM at 6id per Ib, he did not think- tlisit to > high a price to oilcuUto upon j Rlieoiu whs higher than that now. In ono store* h» knew clirese was selling at 7ld, and very inferior stuff it was. In Wellington tho price was 10d, lid and Is per lb. Bupposini; the 5 cv\t of clieese could bo sold at 6}d per lb, that wjnU give £15 a year from one cow. The prica of ono pound of oherao was a small sum, but £15 a year per cow wai not a bod r. turn. If a faotory wero started the price to he given to the farmer' for his milk could bo ngreed upon. If the shareholders were farmers, they would get the full profit from their milk m their dividonds Supposing that "id per gallon was given for milk, and each cow gave 560 gallons, tho factory would pay £9 6s for the milk. He knew a man who rented 50 acres of land, who kopt cows and sold his milk to a dairy factory. In two months he received two cheques amounting to £60. That turn paid hi* rent and left a good balanco brides. He, therefore, had his fnrm fro* of rent for ten months. lie cuuld assure them thai this was a fact. If a dairy factory paid the farmer £9 6s for his milk from one cow (by a cow, he mutt be understood to mean a lull grjwn cow, not a heifer, cay a cow fivo or six years old) they would have a good profit left, seeing that at tho calculation mado the milk would produce £15 worth of cheese. This was a good profit, and made a dairy factory better than an oil well, which might run dry j — better than a gold mine. Indeed, it .was a gold mine. The £5 11) was not tbo whole profit, either ; for, besides that thoro would bo tho profit from tho pigs, for pigs must be kept m order to make use of the waste products, whey, &c. Pigs fed on tho whey would realiso a profit of 30s each. In England, it was said that every cow would feed two pigs. It was a wellknown fact that nothing made bettor pork and bacon than whey and barley meal. A factory of 600 cows would, at any rate, feed 600 pigs, not all at once, but by fattening a certaiu number and selling them off to mnko room for others. 600 pigs would realize at tho very lowe»t £900, at 30s por head proflf. The profits to tho dairy factory thoroforo would be £5 14s per cow, and £900 for pigs. Waa not that worth going iv for ? It had been said, If we all start dairy factories, where xhall we find a market ? In Australia, where they could mako cheese only a few months m tho year, tho population was rapidly increasing, and a market could be found there. The ABhburton factory sent somo there, and got 8d and 9d por Ibfor it, and if tha cheeses had been smaller, lOd or Is could have been obtained. There, was a great outlet m Australia, and India, the Pacific Wands and England were open to receive lar^e quantities. For the first six weeks m each season they should make small cheeses, cay from 12 to 2.01 b each, for the Homo and Australian markets. The weather would perhaps bo cold, and therefore these cheeses should be plaoed to ripen m a small room artificially heated. At the end of six weeks tlio cheeses could be sent away, as at first thoy would not be so goad. They should be careful never to allow the milk from a newly calved cow to be put m with the milk to go to the factory, at least not for seven or eight days, as such milk would cause the cheese to bo uneound. From what he bad said, it would appear that, cheese, made either on the English or American principle, would pay better than fattening bullocks, possibly better than sheep, though m England nothing paid so well as sheep. In England he had bought lambs at £1 each, sold the wool for 6s 6d, and m nine months sold the sheep for 50s or 51s, without ppeoiat feeding. He had next to say a few words about buttor. Grumblers will say, "If we all go m for making cheese, what shall we do for butter, and how will we rear our cnlvei ? " His own practice at Home was to feed the calf for the first month on milk ; afterwards with a little linseed or porridge. Calves would do well on this diet and thrive. He kept 150 cows at ono farm and GO at another, and bis plan always succeeded. If they went m for making butler, and suppose they got 660 gallons of milk from a cow m a year, this would give 5 owt of cheese or 2001 b of butter. If the butter could bo Bold at le, this would give £10. He named Is per lb because he thought butter would settle down to a regular price of not less than Is per lb. Taking the calf and the pig fed from the cow into account, it would be seen that there waa not much difference between tbe returns from a butter and a cheese faotory. The great advantage New Zealand bad over the Old Country was that m the latter they had to feed tbo cows on hay, etc., for a great part of the year, whereas m New Zealand there was no necessity to do this. There could be no doubt, however, that it would be most advantageous if farmers would make a little hay for the winter months, since the cow could not givo milk unless she was kept m good condition. There were many points ho had not touched upon m his remarks, bub a pamphlet on dairy factories was being printed by the Government, and would be ready for distribution m a few days. This pamphlet would contain plans, estimates and statistics of all kinds relating to dairying at i supply much further information. In a butter factory a difficulty oropped up as to

what was to he done with tbe skim milk. Of c •ui'nt" a few calves or pigs could be kept, but skim-railk cheese was not quod. Tbe plan of separating tho cream from the warm milk was now being practised by the Aylesbury Compiny, and 100 gallons of milk per hour could be treated m this way. Tho milk being put m, the cream pu»eed out at one sido and the skim milk at the other. A great storm of indignation was raised m London a few years ago on account of tho Americans (co it was said) putting pork fat into their s'iim-milk cheese, to supply the place of cream. He went over to America to enquire, into it, and a gontleman was good enough to explain to him the whole procets. A certain amount of cream was taken from tho new milk and its place supplied by the kidney fat of the bullock. On asking bow the; managed to make tbe fat mix with the milk, he was shown a vory ingenious machine m which a cylinder covered with innumerable small hair-like wire*, revolved m a chamber and caused the fat to mix. The cheeee made m thiß way waa very good. Ho had bjen 46 yoara m the trade and could not have told it from a cheese which m the trade was called half-and half, or one m which some ekim-milk was used. It was a good passable cheese, and tho manufacturer had more ordorg than he could supply. The lecturer then referred at some length to the disadvantages of tho truck system or the system of barter. He then read extracts from two letters which ho bad lately received from Rnglasd from two friends m the cheese trade, which would give iouio idea of the murket. Tlioy were a« follows : — " We have been expecting your New Z;aland cheeses. (He had s>iid he would «ond 100 tons.) What a pity, wo could have done with any quantity, and obt lined good pi-icea." "No cheeses by British King. If they had come wo oould have sold 100 tons at from 74s to 84i per cirt. We have never had so bare a mirket." The great advantage of shipping cheese. Homo would arife from the fact that our winter was their summer, and cheese from New Zealand would nrrive at Home at a time when the Homo market was bare of cheese — that is, m the months of April, May, and June. Ho really thought the people of New Zealand would bo to blame if they did not avail tbonnelvej of so good an opening. No matter how much cheese or but'er they could make, there was room for all. He would lay a plan of a factory upon tho table, a plan of a factory for 800 cowf. Of course they could bo made any rie, for from 100 to 800 cows, and could bo erected at a ccst of about £3 per cow. The prioe list and schedule were taken at Wellington prices. Tho plan was drawn by a Government surveyor, who hud allowed for every contingency, and would undertake the work at a cost of £3 per cow anywhere; but be thought they may tafely say that the work could be done at £2 10s per cow. Mr Bowron then resumed hi) seat, which was tho signal for loud and continued applausj from the audience. Mr Coltman aslod Mr Bowron whether he had m hit travels met with a dairy at work m which the machinery m vie was made m the colony. In reply, Mr Bowron said he had seen three, a email one at Ore) town, another m Taranaki, and a third one. From Mrßowron's remarks it would appear that there was no reason why tbe machinery oould not be mado hero, providod good material and a good model were obtained. He had also seen the Edendalo Factory at work. Mr Shiers : Have you teen the Ashburton factory at work, and what is your opinion of tbe machinery ? Mr Bowron : Yes. The vati and praises aro at good as any that ein be got. He bsd obtained some of the plant. They were made at Tarporlej m Cheshire. The presses had taken several first piizes. In reply to the question, Are you aware whether we can get a competent manager m the colony ? Mr Bowron said that was a question often a«ked. He was of opinion it would be necessary to go Home and get out ten or a dozen men at first. These would be able to instruct other*, but m the meantime the supply of managers must either be drawn from Home, or from America if the American principle were adopted. It would alto be nt 11 to get out four or five Wiltshire bacon curers. In r*ply to Mr Coltman, Mr Bowron said vaU at Christchuroh cost 30«, at Tarporley 15s, and that the horizontal press would be needed if American cheese was to be made. The perpendicular press would be used m the manufacture of Cheddar cheese. The American plant was the cheaper. In reply to Mr Shiers ho said he had Been factories built of timber m the North Island. Indeed, it was necessary that the cheete room should be of wood. He liked wood for eonttruotion. Mr Firth's factory wat of concrete. The tenders for this factory of 600 cows were— wood £600, concrete £660. He had no interest m the matter, except tbat he frit certain the thing would parMr Mundell aiked what distance would Mr Bowron consider the maximum from which milk should be brought. Mr Bowron said he thought milk should not be taken more than four miloe, and it •hould all be m the factory by ten o'clook. Ir, would not do, either, to put cold and warm milk together j it would get sour. He alia described the method m which the milk was tested. Mr Bhiers : Do jou think there ia the slightest possibility of our getting a suitable manager m the colony ? Mr Bowron : There are men who could make ohreeo on a small toale well, but tbo chances are ten to one whether »uoh a person would bo able to manage the ateam appliances and work a larga factory. Mr Mundell : What are* of land would you conaider nectary ? Also, is a running stream a necessity ? Mr Bowron : The area of land would depend greatly on the number of cows ; five or ten acres might do, but the more room for the pigs the better. It is a matter of detail. The Aahburton Company have ten acres, and they are sorry they did not get tbe whole paddock. A stream of water was not of great importance, as they must have a well. Their Bret point to consider would be how many cowa they thought would supply the dairy, and the probable increase. If 600 oowa, tbe cost of machinery and buildings, but not including the land, could be set down at tbe rate of £2 10a per cow. Mr Ooltman hoped thoeo present would take note of the lait statement, as it had been eaid that it would coat very much more than £1600, the cost estimated at the outlet. It would seem that £3 per oow was the ontaide cost. In reply to another query, Mr Bowron said that for the first six weeka it was beet to make only Bmall cheeaea, aay from 12 to 20 or 30 lb«, and get these quickly turned into money. The oheoae for tbe London market ahould be from 70 to 80 lbe, or from 66 to 84 lbs. These, by last mail advices, would realiao 9d per lb. At the oloae of tbe aeacon, alao, the cheeeo would nob be bo good, as the grass was not ao goed. The quality of the milk, too, differed considerably, from 8 per cent to 12, 13 and 16 per cent. Mr Coltman proposed, and Mr Maslin seconded— " That, a hearty vote of thanks b» given to Mr Bowron for his leoture." Thia waa carried with acclamation, as waa olbo a vote of thanks to the chair, proposed by Dr Fisb.