CHEESE.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 647, 26 September 1882, Page 2

CHEESE.

To the Editor

Sir—Although only a novice in cheese matters, yet I trust it will not i c thought presumption if I offer a few remarks as the result of my little bit of experience. There is no room to say much about chesaet's, us (his matter has heen so well discussed i>y the professionals, and is as good as settled ; yet >i de d more ink will have to be used before the f'-inne r s will throw away their old chessetts lo suit the new notions, especially when we bear in mind that our cheese has never been rejected on account of its size. The same cannot be said of ils quality, from some of the dairies about. N > one can deny but that the bulk of our cheese is good, yet there are many qualities, some being a lot heller than oihers. 1 think if the question of quality was a lilte more discussed, and the \v;»y to make it a Jit He more uniform, it would be of much more value to all hands than so much time being given as to its size. Another thing of importance is a brand or distinctive mark. Our cheese makers are doing themselves a ;,]_ justice by not putting their names on their oh' j 93e. Wh .t is the use of some striving their hardest, with head as well as hands, that they may make the bet marketable cheese, if that cheese is mixed up with the produce of others who don't care how they make it, so long as it holds together? We know very well this has been the case in the past—good and bad lias all gone together, one to help the other off. T\ie only way lo remedy this, and that justice may be done to the careful ones, is for each one to either put his name in full, or have a cleat distinctive™ uk. This will cause a greater spirit of. emulation, and will eventually shut ont any who will not put their ••brains" info their cheese; and miserly cheese will felch a miserly price. I saw one shop in O.imaru. a few daysago, which had only one man's cheese in it, and that was Akaroa cheese with a name on it. The owner told me le did not want any other, as what he had was good, and his customers liked it, and that he first saw it at the Exhibition, and having tasted it, he wrote at once to the person whose name was on it, and has since sold no other. I also saw a quantity in Tim.iru with the same brand ; they wc;e tall loaf cheeses, cf about 201b wvight. I thought I would tell this to our people when I came home. If the manufacturers of oilier wares think it necessary, to go to all i!>e expense in advertising and getting up such showy labels on their wares, so that they may be seen by all the world, does it not seem reasonable th t if our cheese is worth having, it is worth a good mark or brand ? And having bought a little bacon experience at a dear pri'e, I cannot help saying a word losome of our Peninsula bacon curers, especially as there are so many lactones now in the Colony. And they do get it up tastily ; none of your hams with the tails on, or bacon fresh from the pickle tub, with a few pounds of salt banging to. I saw some iiacon in Christchurch and Dunedin that looked so ni ethat you could eat it without cooking-, and the hams looked as if they hid been cut with omstroke of the knife; no scragey ends hanging about ; ail clean of uniform color, arid "Oil my!" wasn't it streaky when cut. Any cut and tine will not do in ihese advanced limes. The Colony is improving in every way. and although we ourseives are shut out from the world, yet our products have to go out and compete with the produce got up with all the new improvements of modern times, and it behoves us to keep our " weather eye ')pen,' : or we shall deserve the title given us by that " villainous " writer in the LylteMon Times the other d ty, who said we make " uncertain cheese and villainous wines." I trust the remarks I have made will be taken in the spirit in which I have given them, cert .inly not with a desire to "appear in print," but for the lasting benefit of the district in which I live.—

Yours, etc.,

11. B