Dairying Matters.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 225, 23 March 1895, Page 2

Dairying Matters.

LECTURE AT CHELTENHAM. j While at Hunterville two or three weeks ago Mr E. C Templer, Secretary of the Cheltenham Dairy Comi pany, met Mr McEwen, Canadian dairy expert, who has been in the colony for the past four months, and I who is under a twelve-months' engagement with ths New Zealand Government, the result of an inter 1 view being that Mr McEwen promised I to deliver a lecture at Cheltenham, which he did last evening. The weather during the day being wet and oold, and continuing inclement in the evening, only about twenty five or thirty persons attended at the schoolhouse, where the lecture was given. Although a number of those in the locality thought the weather too unpropitious to attend, yet Mr F. H. Haselden, of Huuterville, rode over to hear the address. Mr F. Spencer was voted to the chair, and, in a few remarks, introduced the speaker. 3Wr McEweu expressed his pleasure at being present to address the people of Cheltenham, whose fame had become known abroad, which he was very glad to see. Going at once to the subject of his address he considered the care of milk was the most important poiut in dairying. He wuuld look upon the Cheltenham people as having made the first step, but it was necessary that the rudimentar\' principles should be learnt first. If they (the New Zealanders) are to compete with American and European products a national uni. formity in quality must be aimed at. In New Zealand there were natural advantages over other countries, »>ut this was counter-balanced bj r distance from the British market. Owing to these conditions they should realise the necessity for going in for new methods. Relatively speaking, New Zealand was a little behind, Denmark leading in scientific principles. He believed the people here could, owing to their natural advautages, excel Canada in the production of butter and cheese, as they had bad winters to contend with in the latter couutry. People there can produce milk and make money out of it, and he did not see why the people of New Zealand should not do the same. Uniformity in quality, cheapness of production, and care of the milk from the cow, must be obtained to be successful. The duty of the producer is the care of the cow, the eai'oof milk and delivery to managers of factories in good quality and then they could produce the finest quality of butter or cheese. It was difficult to answer v/hich was the better paying, butter or cheese, the factories in Canada doin^ equally well whether making the former or latter. They made cheese in Canada from the first of May to the first of November, and butter for the remainder of the year. When winter dairying was first proposed it was laughed at, but it was eventually proved that where the people will provide winter feed, .they can feed the cows as cheap in winter as in summer. They (the Canadians) made ensilage out of western corn, which produced from fifteen to twenty tous to the acre, costing from 5s to 6s a ton to make the ensilage. They had one dairy farmer, who owned 50 aoros of land, with ten cows giving 201bs of' milk daily after they had been in milk eight or ten months, and the actual cost per day for each cow was 4kl. The comparative value of whey and slum milk was Bjd for the former, and 7Ad for the latter per lOOlbs. It was a mistake to think that whey or skim milk should be allowed to go sour before feeding, for it then contained no milk sugar, the feeding value being lost. This has actually been proved. One of the greatest faults here in making butter was the want of uniformity. He had seen some fine butter in New Zealand, but fche quality even from the same factory varied sometimes. He believed some of the suppliers did not recognise the necessity for delivering milk at the factory in good condition. He had been asked which was the best class of cows, but it was very doubtful if there was a best. The more carefully handled and fed the j t better will the result be. The force of blood is recognised in Canada and when a good grade is obtained it is kept for breeding. The better the cow the more nerves she has, the Jersey being the finest breed. The more they get to the milking strain greater care should be taken. He believed they should go in for stabling cows in New Zealand for a short period in the winter if they are to milk them with, profit. If a man does not become an enthusiast in dairying it would be better for him to leave it alone. Every man should take a pride in his part of the business. The care of milk was simple, cleanliness being very essential. People should milk with dry hands for if they don't a mixture will be obtained which it is impossible for science to remedy. The first essential in the care of milk vras a thorough jeration, for animal odours must be got rid of the first thing after milking. Setting milk in cold water is not a good plan as the cream will immediately commence to rise and the animal matter cannot escape. For butter, milk should be both cooled and aerated. Particular care should be taken as to what cows eat because weeds give a smell to the butter. It was found that if cows were given about four ounces of salt per day there would be a better result, and he would recommend farmers to try it. Winter feeding would be a simple matter. He thought western corn would thrive better here than in Canada, and give a return of froua',2o to 2<" tons to the acre, which would feed five or six cows for two or three months. Experiments have shown that it would thrive best when planted in thin rows not less than three feet apart. If the cows are starved in winter they would take some time to pick up in the spring, with a consequent loss. There was a little difference between handing milk for butter and cheese, he advising against cooling for the latter. It had been found that if people would only osrate a better result would be obtained. Sweet milk waa not always wanted for cheese. For butter both aerating and cooling was necessary. Cows should be handled with all possible care and kindness, and a dog never used in driving, for it touched the farmers' pockets and did not pay. This had been proved by a practical test. The recent Dairy Aot made it compulsory to use an foratov, but he thought this would be a difficult thing to enforce, and the proper persons to see that the milk was delivered in good order were the factory managers, who had influenco with the suppliers. If the milk oontained gas it would take more pounds to make a pound of cheese and if managers docked, say, s lbs off every lOOlbs of milk, or sent it home, more care -would be taken. It was necessary that the water supplied to milking cows should be good, as 87 per cent of milk was water and 13 per cent solids, so that they could realise the result. It had been found that it was n,ot fair fep pay for milk according to wpighj, ami experiments proved tho Bajbcock system of testing was fair and simple ' It had been tested iv Canada and all the dairy Statcs,wJJcrc there waa not one authority who would question the correctness. It was accurate, simple, and reliable, and, if carried on properly, there should be no valid reason for, complaint. People

nov-'i thought of blaming themselves for any variance in testing. Under the most advantageous circumstances milk will not only vary in herds from day to day, bat in individual cows. At the World's Fair at Chicago a breed contest was held to see which was the best breed for butter and cheese, and tests varied from one- half to one per cent from one day to another. If this was so with stable-ted cows, with the best possible care it was not at all surprising that tests from cows in the open air should vary. In testing they (in Canada) take a sample of milk from each supplier every morning, testing once a week, by which means they get a fair test. These experiments indicate a conclusion, and he would advise them to follow the system. To build up a successful business, any lack of confidence must be eliminated, especially in a co-operative company. He hoped that dairy schools would be instituted in the colony, which could be attended by managers and their assistants for about six weeks during winter, when a more uniform quality of butter would be obtained. Having expressed his willingness to answer questions, he concluded his address. I In reply to Mr Spencer, he said that in May, which would be equal to the first spring month here, the result from one of their best cheese factories was 65 cents, the lowest paid, and 81 cents the highest, per 1001 b ; in June, 65 was the lowest and 82 the highest ; in July, 68 was the lowest and 80 the highest ; August, 57 the lowest and 80 the highest. Sixty-five cents would be a little less than 2s lOd per 1001 b and 81 cents about 3s 5d per 1001 b. As it gets towards the fall it would go as high as 90 cents, which would be about 4M for 111 bof milk. Pigs were sold live weight at per lb, weighed off the scales, but they should not be fed for twelve hours previous. The axwage price for pork in Canada was 2id a pound, or a little better. They fed pigs at the factories, and found they must be kept clean and dry and well fed. They did not thrive in paddocks as well as in sheds. In reply to Mr Templer, Mr McEwen said it was almost invariable that a cow's quality of milk increased from one month to another with a falling oH in quantity. In reply to Mr W. Mills, he said it had been proved that they must combine quantity and quality. The quality was only one item in the calculation. A gallon of milk was an unknown quantity and it was advisable to pay for the fat in it. On the motion of Mr Bruce, seconded by Mr A. Paine, it was re?olved, That this meeting accord Mr McEwen a hearty vote of thanks for his able, instructive, and interesting address. Mi* McEwan thanked the meeting for the vote nnd the usual compliment to the chairman closed the meeting.