TEMUKA DAIRY FACTORY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3585, 27 March 1886, Page 3

TEMUKA DAIRY FACTORY.

» Somo five year 3or more agg our farmer friends residing m the rich and fertile district of Temuka, seriously set their mind on establishing a dairy factory m their midst, and Being men who onco they put their hand to the plough do not look back, it was not long before a company was formed j the) necessary buildings being erected, and active operations commenced. The site chosen fronts on tho Middle Swamp road ; its area is about 20 acres, and distance from the business portion of tho town of Temuka about H miles. The building is ft two storey one with Btnall leantos on the southern and eastern sides. It is very substantially built of brick with concrete

foundations, and the rooms aro large, lofty and exceptionally well ventilated. The land, according to the figures contained m the !ast balance sheet, cost, including fencing and ditching, £551, anil the buildings, including dairy fittings, £2258 9s 7d. The first room that attracts attention, and the one m which the milk is supposed to come to hand m a puro unadulterated state is the EECBIVISQ EOOIT. Here during the early morning all is bustle and confusion, owing to the many farmers' carts all coming about the same hour with their daily Bupply of milk, the owners of which want to be attended to at one and the same time, so that they can get back home to their other farming pursuits. The scene, whilst it lasts, is certainly a gratifying one, and it is to. be hoped that m all the farming districts of the colony dairy factories will ever hold an important place. Tho milk after being taken from the farmers' cans is emptied into a very large receiving can, but before this is done, a " test glass " is introduced into each supplier's milk, about half-a-pint of the milk thereby taken from it, and the glass then locked away m a cool cupboard. This is done for the purpose of ascertaining the percentage of cream each man's milk contains, and on which payment is accordingly made by the Dairy Factory Company. The milk ia run out of the receiving cans into and over an ordinary refrigorator, and when the temperature of the milk has been reduced sufficiently, it is run off into vats m the ITAKINa BOOH. On entering, the delicious coolness of the atmosphere is at once apparent; also the scrupulous cleanliness of the whole of the utensiU and tho room generally. From the receiving room the milk, as stated above, runs into two large vats, the utmost capacity of which is each 450 gallons. At tho time of our reporter's visit these vats were about half full of liquid, m which the requisite quantity of rennet had been mixed. At this etago the liquid ia allowed to rest m a quiet state for I about an hour, and as each vat has a kind of falso bottom which contains over the whole surface a quantity of water, the stuff is kept at a very low temperature. After tho hour has elapsed a workman takes a curious looking implement called the " curd knife," and cuts the material which haß now become almost a solid but has not to be tuken out of the vat?, lengthwise, and afterwards crosswise. This breaks it up very fine, but it is not yet fine enough. To effect this an "agitator" is next used, which imploment liko tho curd knife, puts tho uninitiated very much m mind of a gridiron affixed to a long handle. The agitator is vigorously worked by the operator, and the material tossed about until it is reduced to small particles about the size of wheat. The material is then allowed to set for about twenty minutes ; the water is run off from the compartment below the vat ; steam is turned on to fill tho vacuum thus produced, and the material is then heated up to 98 degrees. While this is being done thi whey rises to tho surface, and tho stuff is etill left till it turns very nearly sour. Tho whey is then run off, and tho curd taken out of tho vats and placed m the cooler. Salt ia next mixed with the curd, and after this operation is performed tho material is taken into tho PEESS ROOM. In this room aro situate threo of Fraser's gang presses and hoops, the latter being of various sizes, according to tho shape and weight of the cheeses required. The presses aro very powerful, tho scrows being worked by a ratchet and lever, and the curd is pressed so severely that almost all moisture ib squeezed out of it. The curd is nex* taken out of the pres3 and put into " shapes," the necessary cloths, etc., being put round it, is once moro pressed, then put into the cheese loft. In this loft are to be teen cheeses of different Bizes and ages, froni those that iiro two months old and ready for market, down to thoso that have only left the makers' hands but a few hours. Tho shelves on which tho cheeses are placed are so made that they can be revolved at will, this arrangemont being necessary to ensure the cheeses setting ovenly. Bound the cheese loft aro steam pipes which aro used to keep up tho temperature, which on no account is allowed to fall below GG degrees. The cheese loft has rather a pleasant smell, and like tho other portions of the buildings has a very neat and clean appearance. MISCBIXANEOtTS. Tho other rooms of the factory are the " wash-out " and engine rooms. In the former each supplier, after handing m his milk ut the receiving room, takes his cans and ciciinsed them, a steam spray being used for this purpose. This operation keeps the enns swoet and effectually erases all particlos of milk or cream that may adhere to them. In the engine-house is a small pumping machine ; a fairly large horizontal boiler, and a small independent boiler, the water m which is heated by means of steam pipes. The supply of water is first-class, and the service is so well arranged that water is available at all points of the building. The Temuka Factory has now been at work Bomo four years, and is m very active operation during the season, which lasts from the beginniug of- October to the end of May following. This season the factory has been exceptionally well patronised, the daily average supply of milk reaching as high as 900 gallons— a much higher average than that of any previous year. The cheese from the factory is of first-class quality, and is now beiDg exported all over the colony as well as to Australia and the Old Country. Last year tho Bales totalled up some £3000, and it is confidently expected that this season's will realise a far higher sum. All well-wishers — and they are legion — sincerely trust it will, and that the industry will go on expanding until it becomes, as it surely ought, ono of the moat important m South Canterbury.