15

EL—29

season the most trying for cheese-manufacture New Zealand has experienced for decades. Quality of cheese has therefore shown some falling-off in the majeir portion of the cheesemaking districts. Canterbury Province evidences some improvement as the result of the extension of the practice of pasteurizing the milk for cheesemaking purposes. While lack of uniformity was prominent amongst the defects, too much openness in body and shortness in texture were of more frequent occurrence than hitherto. " Slimy " milk was in some districts difficult to contend with, but experience tends to indicate that this trouble can, in a great measure, be rectified by proper cleansing methods of the: utensils on the dairy farm. Coloured cheese were in some cases defective in colour. This trouble does not appear to be due to inferior colouring, and the cause is being sought for in the milk-supply. The Officer in Charge of the Bacteriological Laboratory at Wallacevilh' is at present, working on the matter. Paraffin-waxing of cheese : A number of years ago the Dairy Division made a trial shipment of cheese coated with paraffin-wax. The use of the wax e>n the cheese, after the rind, has dried out properly, prevents much of the loss of moisture which usually accompanies the curing and further holding of the cheese. That experiment was in some respects disappointing. Since then many cheesemanufacturing dairy companies have installed plants for pasteurizing the: milk prior to the making of the cheese. This pasteurizing of the milk causes the cheese to retain its keeping-qualities for a longer period. It also permits of the manufacture of a cheese containing more water without interfering unduly with the keeping-qualities, and this softer cheese is more desired by the consumer in the United Kingdom. The manufacture of a cheese containing a higher water content has, however', tended to increase the percentage of shrinkage:. The Dairy Division therefore arranged another trial shipment of paraffined cheese this season, in order that the saving in shrinkage: might be noted, and a report obtained regarding the acceptability of the wax-coated cheese in the: cheese trade of London. The; London report has not yet been received. Casein content of milk for cheesemaking : with the co-operation of several dairy companies and the: Agricultural Chemist, experiments were commenced this season with two practical tests for ascertaining the casein content of milk for cheesemaking, with the object of obtaining data which, in conjunction with the known fat content of the milk, and the moisture: content of the cheese, will tend to establish the yield of cheese obtainable from the milk supplied to dairy factories. Results obtained so far indicate that the object in view may be realized. An account of the experiments will be published in due course.

Quantities of Butter and Cheese forwarded to Grading-stores for Grading.

Value op Exports. Prices of dairy-produce for the year under review have on the whole bee:n satisfactory, as is indicated by the Customs statistics of the values of exports. Including butter, cheese, drieel milk, casein, condensed milk, and milk-sugar, a total value of £18,567,474 was reached, as compared, with £16,207,053 for these products during the previous year. Casein. The manufacture of casein has evidenced a considerable increase. New uses for casein are being brought forward ; the advantages attained by its use are causing it to be availed of, in the stead of other commodities, for a number of purposes in various industries. The quality is understood to be giving satisfaction. The major portion graded for shipment has been lactic casein. This variety has been improved considerably in quality during recent years, while rennet casein manufactured in New Zealand has in a number of instances been said to equal the best in the world. Farm-dairy Instruction. . The work of instruction respecting the milking and care of milk and cream on the dairy farm appears to be growing in popularity. The tendency for dairy-farmers to regard the Farm-dairy

Year II 123-24. Year 1922-23. Port. — Butter. Cheese. Butter. Cheese, Auckland Gisborne New Plymouth Patea Wanganui .. Wellington . . Lyttelton Timaru Dunedin Bluff Cwt. 554,337 17,273 99,496 27,868 75,008 182,441 47,026 11,303 34.964 18,471 Cwt. 203,091 257,534 302,728 26,421 341,770 35,097 14,661 42,584 203,879 Cwt. 707,146 19,045 132,303 58,371 41,815 252,429 54,079 12,301 38,397 27,250 Cwt. 168,127 188,927 238,166 19,416 312,350 28,673 11,358 43,426 190,886 Totals 1,168,187 1,427,765 1,343,146 1,201,329