The Butter Business.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 41, 20 September 1890, Page 2

The Butter Business.

~- ♦— — — - - ■ ' There was a good attendance at the B.M. Courthouse -lust night to hear the address of Mr John Savers, Government Dairy" Instructor, on the subject of cheese arid butter factories. Mr F. Y.-Lethbridge, the Mayor, presided, and 'briefly intro-, duced Mr Sawers. The speaker dwelt at some length on the advantages of the factory system, and pointed out that NewZealand possessed advantages for the sue* cessful pursuit of dairy fanning unequalled or unsurpassed by any country in the world. Even Denmark, from which th» best butter in the English market is exported, feared New Zealand as a possible rival in the near future. New Zealand ■;■ as a dairy country was the paradise of the earth. In reply to questions he said he considered the Makino an excellent spot for the conduct of a factory, but he described the building and appliances of the old factory as a monument of ignorant and extravagant; mismanagement. It would coat about £500 to put up and furnish a working factory to put through 1206 to 1400 gallons ctf milk with the- necessary! appliances. By the federation of factories an uniformity of products was secured, and large concessions obtained from the " shipping and insurance companies, and the selling agent in England. Young men were being trained in the factories in the South Island to become competent managers of factories, who expect to be paid at per pound for the material, manufac- ' tured. It was not advisable that the milk should be carried more than four or five miles to the factory. The average "earnings of a cow should be .£8 for the season of say eight months. The best foods for milch cows, with the ordinary grazing, were crushed oats, bran, and sweet hay. These had the effect of getting good firm butter with fine texture, and consequently added to its keeping qualities. He did not think the Government ' would- send round a man to teach farmers how to make butter of a uniform sample,- even if he were paid "for it. He then described : at length the system adopted by the Dnnedin Butter Company, which received they' material after churning in a granulated form, to be worked up and packed for export. » ' * "■ > : Mr Haybittle, in proposing a hearty vote of thanks to. Mr Sawers, said he thought the butter company was the best suited for this district, because :■ unless) ■! something of the kind was^ione the farmers would have a 'poor prospect of getting, good prices in the season now at hand. Another thing, it was unfair to expect, storekeepers to keep yiip the prices unless the butter-makers would do sointjthing themselves to improve the qnaKty of their' : produce. • ; . ".■_■ . Mr Befcemeyer 'seconded and the proposition was carried with acclamation.;. : i Mr Sawers responded and a yote (ofthanks to the chairman closed the proceedings. Several farmers interviewed Mr Sawers this morning prior to his departure for Wanganui, and it is very probable some practical steps will be taken to further* the dairy industry here.