BUTTER FOR EXPORT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1350, 30 January 1912, Page 8

BUTTER FOR EXPORT.

THE CONTINENTAL MARKETS,

In a recent interview, Mr. J. R. Scott, secretary of tlio South Island Dairy Association, is alleged to have given it as his opinion, speaking on the question of the pasteurisation of milk, that this practice was only a palliative, and that a scrubbing brush was still, as ever, a more valuable dairy implement than any ; other, meaning that cleanliness was the first consideration, and beat pasteurisation. (This extract,- according to a southern paper, was "forwarded to a gentleman holding a responsible." position in a well-known Loudon firm of cheese and butter buyers, who now replies. The writer in question, writing under date December 8, says ho cannot understand Mr. Scott's position with regard to pasteurisation as continues as under ■ Effcct of Pasteurisation. "Do you knoTr that i if. we could eitract tho milk from the udder of a cow without allowing any air to get access to it that milk would keep sweet for ever, would never go sour, but would keep in the same sweet condition as when in tho udder. What pasteurisation does .is to practically put milk in the same condition os it was in .the cow's udder while excluded from ail'. The teat: of a cow" is a splendid incubator,. and when the milk,at. the .end of. a teat comes, in contact with the air it. becomes impregnated. with bacteria .which work their way up tho teat' until the wholo of the milk'is full, of bacteria. Directly, the milk gets into the. milking pail and thence onwards, all the time.it is exposed to the atmosphere it is being loaded more and more ivith the bacteria which are ever' present in the air. Pasteurisation simply destroys all. living organisms in tho milk; both good and bad; that is, if properly pasteurised. Pasteurisation, having destroyed all living organisms, leaves the milk ready to be fermented with pure lactic acid. - Unsalted Butter for the Continent, "You appear to have absorbed the popular belief in New Zealand that unsalted New Zealand butter finds its ivay to the Continent and' comfe' back. i'after blended with oleo,, to' be ; sold in this country as margarine, .1; can assure you that I havo never known manufacturers to buy unsalted butter, and the reason is that this unsalted butter has Dot a strong enough pure butter flavour, which is required by the blender when adding the butter to neutral fat to give it a butter flavour. It is salt butter that finds its' way into margarine, and not unsalted. Margarine is mostly made .of neutral fats, without any flavour whatever, and the butter flavour is obtained by mixing good butter with it. Shortage of Butter. ■ "It; may,', interest yon to - know , that never has .the. Continent of Europe, so. far oa my experience goes, experienced such a drought as it has this year, and the shortage of butter in consequence is enormous. When it became apparent to us that the supplies of butter- in Europe would be so short this winter, we, sent a special traveller over to Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Holland, and Belgium, -and got into touch -with the largest arid best firms.,there, -and pointed out to; them' ,that we could • supply - their-; wants from : 3Sew Zealand, which ships, a most perfect unsalted - butter which is almost unknown for table use on the Continent. It is salted that is so largely used. Tho result has been that fully 3000 tons of New Zealand unsalted are going this season to tho. Continent. It may interest you still to know that this New Zealand butter,.is. making top .prices' : in Germany as -well' -as' in France, Italy, Belgium, and Holland. I Foot and Mouth Disease.. ■'■"In addition to the drought', on the Continent they have had foot'and mouth : disease to contend against. In Germany it is rampant, and tho last official roport -which I received from-that po'untry about a month ago states that 35,000 herds are affected with that disease. In .Normanby, in France, it is estimated that no more than 20 per cent, of the cows will be m a healthy condition to bear calves next summer. This disease is also strong all over Belgium and Holland,/and even in Denmark it is to,bo found. Continental Buyers Delighted, "Wo did all wo could to persuade the New .Zealand' factories to . ship their butter and .cheese on season, 3 aiid- -Itfeel 'dojjfijie'ftj; '.' .'tliat' they' will' bitterly ' regret that they .-havo I not taken,ofl'r advice. I do riot think I shall' live to see such a chance again, because the present position has been unparalleled in the last 40 or 50 year's/and I do not expect it will come .again for another 40 or 50 years. .. . "Wo cau assure you that our- clients in Germaiiy, France, Italy, .etc., . are delighted irith'yiur New.Zealand butters,, and have no'doubt that the result will bo a Continental trade in .some countries in years to' come. Germany ,alone imports 50,000 tons of butter yearly."