AUCKLAND WINTER EXHIBITION

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 518, 27 May 1909, Page 8

AUCKLAND WINTER EXHIBITION

A VERY ''INTERESTING ADDRESS. 1 HOW DANISH BUTTER IS MADE. ;■-.-' IBi T"'-*oiurn.-srKciA!„ coitiii<sro>iD|NT.i . '■3 . - Auckland, May, 26. ■'. .. Yesterday the Auckland Metropolitan WinI; ter. Exhibition i was. attended by ovor; 10,000 people, including school children, making a .-record-of over for' tho two days] which' .easily eclipsos all previous attendance totals of any show: of tho kind in'tho Dominion. For. tho two days the gate receipts amounted to.just on.£4 So. .. .-'.",.. :-'■;.-. : '.'■■-:'.' The' Minister Pleased. j ' "It is a splendid show, and I'was highly .delighted:with it," said the Minister for Agriculture (Hon. T. . Mackenzie).'.: "The dairy,products are'grand, and I was very pleased with, the root .crops, though there: stems: to. be to run to neck in'' *ome cases. I was also greatlv struck-with' the turnips grown in tho Taupo district, but it would-bo more-interes-ting if an explanation of _ how. the land was treated were 'at.tached. In regard to the Department of Agriculture's: court, the -Minister said that the fine exhibition there'should be a sufficient answer to : thoso who advocated that the State farms should be' subdivided) and offered for salo.; ■'■'~." . -, ;.'' ; ■•-... .;-■'/ , - V "I see every display- of this kind in the Dominion," said a Wellington visitor, "and I have seen nothing that approaches this. It is.a magnificent exhibition, and Auckland has' every reason to be proud of it. I was positively astonished. I. expected to see something good, but nothing liko the wonderful display staged. The district courts in themselves form a fine exhibition; and nothing' like them has ever been seen in the Dominion before." .-- Dairy Commissioner's Address. ■■■'■"•.'.,' Yesterday afternoon Auckland dairy factory, managers and buttermnkers attended in large nuinbers at the grading rooms at thoFarmers' Freezing Company's works to hear an address by Mr. D. Cuddie, Dairy Commissioner. Mr. Cuddie commenced'by'pointing out the lessons that were to-be- -.learned' through comparison with- Danish 'methods.'.' in Denmark tho .majority of tho farmers owned their ,own land,-only about'one-fif-teenth being on leasehold, and one of,tho most instructive chapters in the history of agricultural progress was the riso of tho dairying industry in Denmark.- One of the first things, that struck a "visitor was the close settlement. The whole country looked like, one .extended village. Tho conditions under which milking ,was carried on wero superior to those in" Now' Zealand. Tho utmost attoutiou'rito uotails was objorvotl,. and< at I

least 75 per cent, of tho dairy farmors' cooled tho milk during summer when dairying commenced. fho cattle were originally of a poor stamp, but to-day Denmark had ono of tho most useful breeds of dairy cows in tho world, obtained by most careful selection and, breeding. There were nearly 11,000 farmers owning 190,000 cows.- They had tho milk-regu-larly tested 'for' butter-fat, ■- and tho testing associations had improved tho yield of tho cows by 10001b. of milk per cow per annum, or 401b. of butter per cow. Ho believed that' tho timo. was not far distant when testing associations would bo formed in New Zealand., If tho Government could sco its way to allow him to undertake this'woik ho would ,be only .too glad to do so. Ho had mado a • recommendation, and hoped to sco somothiug i ,defiriite;in the future; ■v There';was no homo, separation .in Denmark,, and few creameries. The great bulk of tho'produce—something liko £11,000,000 wortlr per annum—was made in tho dairy : .factories. ■ 'In point of equipment tho factories in Denmark woro not ahead of New Zealand, except in pasteurising' plant, and , the great reason why Danish butter was ahead was becauso of pasteurisation. About 20' factories in New Zealand had established pasteurising plant, and ho hoped to see many moro very shortly. -Tho-Danish people were just a little bit ahead of Now Zealand in tho making of butter. . Limo was used most extensively, and ho strongly recommended a freer use of it in New Zealand. No special secret "starter" was used for cream. The Danish people had no trouble with the starter, simply .observing scrupulous cleanliness.' Th'ero was a tendency, in New. Zealand- to ripen, cream at too low .a temperature:. As a general principle the temperature should.bo.between 63 and 65 degrees. ■ There wero about 45 co-operative dairy companies belonging to one association in Donmark, and sending all the butter, to the one grading depot. Tlwresult was a groat uniformity in tho butter. The system would not bo practicable in NowZealand,' but tho' point' to bo learned : Vas that the keeping quality of the butter was being.continually tested. This was-a matter that Now Zealand dairy factories should takemp. .'. In answer to tho chairman (Mr. J. Gray) ; .Mr. Cuddio said that there was not a dairy factory in Denmark which was not compelled by law to pasteurise both the cream and the skimmed milk, exhaust steam being used for the skimmed milk and direct steam,for tho • cream. ; Thei pasteurisation of tho.,skimmed, milk-was'enforced so as to : lessen the risk of spreading tuberculosis, and tho results were certainly satisfactory. ..; 'V :.-' ■',/.' ;