SIZES OF CHESSETTS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 646, 22 September 1882, Page 2

SIZES OF CHESSETTS.

To the Editor.

Sin, —As the member who brought under the notice of the Farmers' Club the desirability of a general adoption of regulationsized chessetts, in the hope of some recognized system superseding the present entire want of classification, I must confess to being disappointed at the natuie of the report presented by the Committee appointed to consider the matter as g'ven in your last issue. The point? to be kept m view in effecting a reform are to lay down size<, (1) That in the making shall suit both lurue and small dairies; (2) That shall suit customers, i c., the retail de tiers, and (ii) That shad be convenient for packing in cases for export. My chief object in calling attention to the matter was, to see if a reduction could not Iv.i effected in the number of the diameters of chesseits, so that dei'ers might keep re— cogniz'al sizes of cases on hand with the ceriainly of being able at a moments noti'-e In make up an order without having first to sort the chesse, and then measure and get cases made. Since orders as a rule come to oand only a day or two before a steamer leaves, a dealer has either to k ep a larg> stock of cheese on hand, wnieli, (.win: to labour entailed, los in weight, &c. does not pay, or else to keep a lar.e Ok of cases ot all so af> to be Mire <>f casing up whatever sizes a farmer nay bring in. Unless a dealer pursue c" hr one of these expensive i-onn-es, he L likely to noAV and ."gain miss a steamer, and so lose a fortnight, which probably means inconvenience to the men-bant ordering the cheese, and a resolve on his part to give the preference to other ports, where in the event of one steamer being he can rely on one or two others following in the same week, without having to wait a fortnight. The loss of clients to Akaroa dealers means that orders fall into the hands of Christchurch merchants, and that local dairy farmers wil have lo be at the risk and expense of sending their produce to Lyttelton instead of selling it locally. To return to the sizes recommended by the committee : The stated weights are altogether short of wdiat the actual weights of such sized cheese would lie ; for example, a cheese of 12 inches diameter and 12 inches high would not weigh 351 bs, but 50lbs; and a 1-lin by 14in would be 851 bs, not. 55 ns, whilst the lb'in by 14iu would be a' out a cwt, instead of the modest 701 lis assigned to it. These extreme sizes might suit retailers in large English cities, wdiere h df-a-dozen cheese are sold from the counter in a day. but in tbe colony, which probably will still have to be looked upon as our market, 40lbs is generally considered the limit, with 56lbs certainly an outside size. Very large cheese, with only a limited demand, means loss on~ the counter, in retailing from its getting dry whilst in cut.

As the bust means of arriving, without loss of time, at the most suitable Bi'zes, I have interviewed local dealers, with the following result given in the order of their being called on :—

Mr Y-'iigioni thinks three sizes Avould do, and adds that small cheese have a double disadvantage ; iirst, they dry up quickly and become hard ; and secondly, when shipped loose run into considerably more freight—ail loose cheese being charged at per cheese for freight. He favors the following sizes:—lOfin by llin ; Ufin by 12in ; 12|in by I2in, which (a quarter of an inch being allowed in eac . sisw for swelling) woull give 11, 12 and 13in cheese.

Mr Daly thinks th -■ best siz; Avould be 12in by lOin, as in smaller cheese there is too large a proportion of lind. When tho milk falls short of the quantity required for making a cheese of this size, it would be better to make butter.

Mr J. Staples (of Messrs Garwood, and Co.'s) gives the following, ac being iri his r-xperience tho best, taking into consideration large and small dairies, and tho requirements of consumers :— No. Dia. Depth Weight 1 9iu lOin about 251b 2 lOin • lOin „ 3011) 3 llin lOin „ 35tb 4 12in lOin „ 45tt> 5 13in lOin „ 501b In this table the depths refer to the ches-

setts, whilst the weights relate to the cheese turned out. I will now add, to complete the li-t, the sizes recommended by Mr Webb, late of Proctor, Jones, ond Co., wdio are amon.st the largest dealers in the Colony, and as reported in the Mail of 4th July last :— No. Dia. Depth. Weight. 1 14in Bin 501b (a) 2 12in lOin 451b 3 12in 7in 351b 4 lOin 9in 301b 5 lOin sin 161b (6) (a) The most saleable size, in the market, (b) Thoroughly believes in this {■hallow (heese. as being by far the best wzfc for the diggings, and for cutting in stores; for, being shallow, n Mght weight <.jin be cut which has both t>p and bottom rind. From tbe foicgoing different opinions, I think a judicious f-eleition be made by a new committee, composed, say. equally of farmeis and dealers ; but if reference must be made to outsiders, a better nutbority, I think, could not he found than Mr Bowron, who is close at band, having lei turn! at Asbburton a few ■days iign. This would answer equally well, and would save the delay that would •ensue from wriling to London and other ■distant places, as decided on by the Club at their last meeting.—Veins eb- , W. 11. lIFNNING.