MOISTURE IN BUTTER

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2102, 10 June 1907, Page 1

MOISTURE IN BUTTER

WATER AT TENPENCE PER POUND. NEW ZEALAND METHODS. The question of moisture in butter says the Auckland Weekly News, Is of tlio greatest importance to every dairy country, and particularly to New Zealand. Mr. Samuel Lowe, of Messrs Weddel and Co., London, touched upon this mattor in an interview with a Weekly Nows reporter during his visit to Auckland some time back. Mr. Lowe said, in this connection : “Here we have the kernel of that great difference in method which separates our New Zealand butter-making from the Danish.”

Some time ago we published a series of articles, by our contributor .•“Denmark,” on this moisture question, pointing out the fallacy from every point of view of making our butter too dry. In those articles we dealt with the causes and conditions affecting the quantity of moisture in butter from an expert point of view, and it is gratifying to seo that Mr. Lowe, who is recognised to be one of the leading commercial authorities interested in the dairy produce business, is able from a commercial point of view to express opinions which directly support our contentions. Mr. Lowe, who is in a position to know the pulse of the British consumers we are catering for, says in the interview quoted “that the hard fact is that the consumers prefer the moisture.” To our mind that should be quite enough argument for us to stop sending too dry butter, and to

manufacture and send butter containing more moisture. Any business man knows the difference in pushing an article which is preferred to one, no matter how good, which is not sought after by the public. The great secret in success is to supply consumers with what they require and not with what we wish them to take. According to the views of our Dairy Commissioner, about three-fourths of our butter, is bought for the purpose of being used for blending, and his views are backed up by commercial experts who visit tour colony from time to time. Dairymen are just as anxious as most other people to obtain the largest returns for their labor. Still, it seems, they can afford to allow business firms at Home to handle their butter to great advantage by adding the difference of moisture between that which the butter contains and what it ought to contain, both from a legal point of view and from that of pleasing our customers, the British public. It might be of interest to make a few calculations to see what is approximately the amount of money which we at present are putting into the pockets of the “blender” and the “faker.” The amount of butter which was shipped to Great Britain last year was 314,105Jcwt. The average amount of moisture in this butter was about 10 per cent instead of 15; or, in other words, there was a shrinkage of 5 per cent in weight in comparison to what there might have been. This is a shortage old i18,479.9cwt. If we estimate tlio average price for New Zealand butter during last season at lOd per lb, it means a loss of revenue to the colony of some £86,238.4. Is it any wonder that our butter is sought after by the blenders and fakirs? especially as the latter would most likely not stop at the 15 per cent moisture, but would add another 2 or 3 per cent, bringing the value up to over £IOO,OOO. However, we will only consider the sum of £86,238.4, which sum, if properly invested in experimental stations, dairy schools, and other knowledge-producing sources, would no doubt enable us to get a few shillings out of the 9s or 10s per cwt which Danish butter secures in advance of New Zealand in the British market.

It is a good plan to make comparisons between what we arc receiving for our produce and what we might obtain.' It stimulates us to see that there is something to strive for. For this purpose we will show in figures what it would mean to the colony rf we had secured the same price for our butter as the Danes did. The average difference in prices between Danish and New Zealand butter was, according to official quotations, for tlio past season 9s per cwt. New Zealand’s output was 314,155.5 cwt butter, containing 10 per cent moisture, cquallliug 31,415.55 cwt. By subtracting the moisture from the butter, 314,155.5—31,415.55, wc get 282,739.950 wt butter-fat.

In Donmark this 282,739.95 cwt represents 85 per cent of the product. The product should therefore equal 332,635.2 cwt, and we get by subtraction 332,630.2 —314,155.5, which equals 18,479 cwt increase. New Zealand’s return was 314,155.5 cwt, which at 93 l-3s equals £1,466,,059; bn the Danish basis the return equals 332,631.2 cwt, which at 102 l-3s equal £1,701,983.7. The difference is therefore £235,924.7, or, in other words, the colony would have secured dose upon an additional quarter of a million pounds sterling. It is very easy to be misunderstood on the moisture question. We have been asked if we would like to see free moisture in our butter, to which we can only answer, “Certainly not 1” The skill in butter-making in this connection is to make butter containing as much mosture as possible within the limit of the maximum of 16 per cent wtliout showing free moisture. This is quite possible, as it is a well-known fact that some butter contains even up to 18 per cent moisture without showing it, while other butters with only 9 or 10

per cent moisture show a great deal of free moisture. The moisture question in regard to butter is of so much importance to the • colony that _ we anticipate it will be one of the very first problems which w ill be taken up for investigation by the experimental station.

In mentioning experimental stations we must express our gratification at the proposed establishmenl

of this important factor for the furtherance of our dairy industry. The Government could certainly not have passed better Bills than those dealing with the experimental stations and dairying schools for the successful expansion of what is rapidly becoming and which will some day become,

the principal agricultural industry of this colony.

Comparing our present portion in the world’s market with that of other dairy countries which have far better facilities in regard to dairy educatio it is marvellous that we have been a bio to obtain such a high position, and it augurs well for what we may expect when we get the opportunities for spreading more dairy education amongst our factory managers and dairy farmers.