A Useful Invention

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 29, 22 August 1889, Page 2

A Useful Invention

On Tuesday, at Awahuri, and yesterday • at Feilding, public tests were made in the presence of about 200 gentlemen on each occasion, with Stevens and Mountfort's cold vacuum process for preserving fresh, butter, &o. These, and private tests extending over 12 months, show that unsalted butter keeps perfectly sweet duringthe year just ac in the case of tinned. meats. The process, a simple and inexpensive one, is entirely mechanical and can be nsel by any dairy farmer. ; Members of the House, and innny practical men are of opinio* that it will revolutionise the dairy industry of New Zealand; The process and samples ha,ve been'submitted to the Minister of Junyi&a by Mr Macarthur, member for Manawatu. The Government Analyst reports on a sample without salt, kept for three months, as being in perfect condition. Messrs Meadows, of London, and John Mellidxiy, of Sydney, experts, speak highly of the prospects of the process. The patentees ar» anxious that the process may be used under proper supervision and with capital at command, they are" therefore willing to - 4 dispose of their rights to a syndicate or " joint stock company' for ten thousand pounds, the greater portion of which they would invest in shares. To demonstrate the difference between fresh butter in vacuum and the same butter in ordinary package, one pound of Mr Dermer's butter (without salt) was diviled, one half being placed in vactl'im and the other half in an ordinary tin. . Atthe end of four months the first was in perfect condition whilst the other was simply putrid. Onr Campbelltown correspondent writes: —Considerable excitement was observed at the comment nei i of the stock sale at - Awahuri nboutabox of butter which Had been tinned up by some mysterious process. It was quite fresh after being stored away in kitchen cupboard for about four months,, Happy thonght for dairy farmers ; but tyhy don't they send their butter to London market, when they would be sure of obtaining first class price all the year round for really good butter.