OUR DAIRIES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 604, 28 April 1882, Page 2

OUR DAIRIES.

No 13. Mb Duxbuby's at Robinson's Bay. There is not much better country on tlio Peninsu'a than that on some of the spurs running into Bobinson's Bay, and the old settlers there, even where their holdings are not very large, seem to be very comfortable, as their good houses and outbuildings and general air of prosperity attests. Up the valley at the point where the Old Okain's Bay road runs up the hill is the homestead of Mr Duxbury. He has been settled in the bay for some 20 years and has seen great changes. The land was originally all heavy bush, and the place was called Kakakai by the natives, because of the number of knkasthat used to feed on the pine berries there. There used to be an old Maori encampment close to the beach, but all traces except the shells of the fish that were once taken there have now disappeared, and where the great pines once stood a carpet of grass affords food tor some of the beat stocic on the Peninsula. It is true .some settlers, amongst them Mr Duxbury, have left patches of bush here and there, and they do not seem to lose anything by it, for though it may be an acre or two of pasture less, it is a splendid shelter fur the cattle in cold or stormy weather. It protects the springs and the heads of creeks, and is very ornamental. Mr Duxbury has a very comfortable house, good stables and sto.'kyard. and piggeries, etc. The fruit trees he has planted have done well, and he tells us his garden grows splendid vegetables. He has altogether some 60 acres of land, and on this he Icspa about 2'J cows besides young stock and horses. This year he is milking 18 cows, and has reared 7 calves. The stock are in splendid order, the youngsters especially doing great credit to their feeding. They have had two gallons of milk a day, and were fed on whey till a short time ago. The other calves Mr Duxbury killed when about a fortnight old, perhaps a few days over. Besides making rennet Mr Duxbury utilises the rest of the calf. He eats the veal, which he says is delicious, as the calves are very fat and the flesh white as snow, being only fed on milk. If there is 100 much meat for their own use, it is boiled and given to the fowls and pigs. Is not this is a much better plan than burying it? There aie only 4 or 5 pign kept, as Mr Duxbury believes in keeping them in top condition. Ho does not like whey fed bacon, and gives them plenty of sharps, potatoes and other good food before killing. The fowlhouse has been hewed out of the rock, and represents a good deal of labor, and so do bo me rocky paths at the back or! the house. The rennets are splendid in quality, and with one of them Mr Duxbury often makes over 50 cheeses. They are certainly beautifully sweet, and as good as can be, audit is quite true that if such rennet can be got Hansons extract need not be sent for, and so money be saved by the farmers. Mr Duxbury thinks that both that and the coloring matter might be well dispensed with. He is, however, certain that any impurity in the rennet is most detrimental to the cheese, and thinks a good deal is spoilt i:: that way. During the season Mr Duxbury makes something over 3 tons of cheese—one year he made as much as 3 tons 12 cwt—buthe will not overstock his ground as he believes any little advantage in the quality of milk gained by keeping more cows is more than compensated, for t.y his not loosing stock in the winter time. For these reasons ho considers a beast to two acres quite enough, as that is about what the land will carry all 1:1 io year round. The milk is all sot in pans. This is done because the is of American oak, and, being very rough and porous, it is difficult to prevent it concealing <=ome .small par- j ni"i f" ''■'"n i T a tendency '

to sour the milk. A totara tub is much better, and Mr Duxbury recommends every one to use that wood for this purpose. The new milk is always heated to rai«e the previous night's to the proper temperature, as it has less tendency to curdle, the cream being mixed in gradually, as it is more likely to get sour than the rest. It is set in ordinary weather at about 84 degrees, hut in cold is wanned as high as 90 degrees, never higher. About a quarter of an hour after setting the cream is stirred back, and then it has a rest for 50 or 60 minutes, as the case may bo. It must not | be allowed to get too bard, and when tried with the finger, if it leuves it freely, it is time to cut it. It is then broken up fine by hand, and after having stood 15 minutes, a part of the whey, which by this time is usually very green, is heated. It is then added to the curd. After two heatings the curd is brought to its maximum temperature of 100 degrees?. Much depends on the degree of acidity reached. If it is too great, the process of cooling it should be hastened, but this is only likely to be the case in N,W. weather. At other times, when it is sweet, delay it, for the whey should be unmistakeably sour when the last is taken off, and cheese made in that way will never puff. When the curd has had its last heating, it is drained very gently indeed. After having settled for some 15 minutes, the whey is passed through a fine strainer, that detains all the fine creamy particles, v;hich would otherwise be lost. No pressure is applied in the vat; it is merely heaped up in the centre and allowed to drain. When it is in the dripper a very small Weight is applied, and after half an hour's rest it is ground and salted, loz of salt being used for every 3|lb of curd. The temperature is reduced, if possible, to 60 degrees at this stage, but sometimes there ia a difficulty in doing this. All sorts of chessets are used in pressing. The cheese looks very well, and is stored in a capital airy room. Two tons have already been sold in (Jhristchurch this year by Mr Duxbury, by auction, and realised 5d per lb. The place is very creditably kept, the laborsaving arrangements being good, and the premises commodious ; and our reporter begs to thank Mrs Duxbury for her hospitality.