Dairymen's Problems.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 June 1910, Page 4

Dairymen's Problems.

PASTEURISATION OF MILK. ' AX EXPERT'S ADVICE. At the meeting of It,lie National Dairy Association, held int Palmerston North this week, Mr ,J. Murlay, secretary to the Factory Manager s Association, read a paper on the iinteresting subject of "Pasteurisation." After a reference to tflie great, importance of the subject, Mr -Murray said that the system of pasteurisatioiv in the dominion, for cream for butter making, and skim milk for feeding pigs and calves, was still in its experimental stage. Denmark, our greatest competitor, had adopted pasteurisation to prevent the spread of tuberculosis a.tid we bad as great a reason to adopt a similar course for the stampingout of this dread disease. Denmark owed her leading -.position in great measure in being aible to place upon lt>lie market a butter even, in flavour, colour and texture, and factory managers here were concerned in l the system as being of the greatest importance for the improvement or otherwise of products of their labour. Tt was well to have a. high goal .in view, but unifoHtunatoly there were drawbacks which were not easily to be overcome. They had to deal with cows on which a varying percentage were more or less diseased; the milking conveniences in a large number of cases left much to be desired; lack of (■'lran liimws of those aiboiit the cows (lid not conduce to the production of pure, sound milk: 'the cans nroyided greater or less facilities for the introduction of infectious germ* T1 ie ne-w order of machine milking, instead of giving a better milk in J the majority of cases gave the oppo- < <-ite result Cnot that the machines were mediamieally the cause of these drawbacks, but rather that their care and cleaning were anything -but satisfactory in the hands el a large number of the milk patrons; and, lastly, the increase of home-separated cream necessarily h"lt a wider range for deterioration in quality owing to the number of patrons whose quantity of cream, being of small dimension, was more subject to the effects of bad surroundings. This, with the foregoing evils in the production of milk, forced them to the necessity of adopting means to overcome their effects on the subsequent product, butter, and also in the lesser degree 'to return the skim milk immune from in-

fectious agencies. Til the course of some further re-

marks, Mr 'Murray said it was far better not to pasteurise at all than to let the temperature run too low. Care should be taken, however, that a temperature of IGO dogrecs was not exceeded. Dealing with the cost of pasteurising the paper proceeds: "Although by pasteurising 'there is undoubtedly an additional cost 111 manufacture, this can be reduced to a large extent by utilising exhaust steam supplemented by direct steam. All site-am and chilled water pipes should be lagged. Whore exhaust steam, and water in sufficient quantity not artificially cooled are used the cost is only the interest and upkeep of plant; but where direct steam and part or all of the water is artificially cooled tlite cost will nofl exceed from .02 to .03 of a penny per lb of commercial butter or about Is to os per to." In the course of an ensuing discussion, Mr Cuddie. Dairy Commissioner, remarked that considerable advance lvad been made during the past three years in the matter of pri'steurisation of milk; and at the present time no fewer than 53 factories were working upon that basis. Difficulties bad been experienced at first by some of the factories, but 'these had been overcome. The department had been making a_ special effort to get the system introduced. He would, however, direct attention to the f-ac't that pasteurisation was not a cureall, and if factories ran away with the idea it would do more harm than gocd. Care had to be oliservod in other directions. Replying to Mr Colils (Taurnn-

£.•)), Mr Onddiesaid the pasteurisation of skim milk had been before Lis dopnrfanent during tlio past two years, but it presented a more difficult problem tbnu tliat of defiling u'iili whey, because it bad to be dont in t(!u>_ morninfi. wliou other work lvn.s ,iroina; on, and in many instances 'tbe bnilor power was eosequf^iitly

insiittuiiont. _ I lie department, lie said, irns doing its best to lielp the fn fillers along. Mr Murray said that, his rvtvn experience proved pasteurisation ol skim miilk to be sound, find farmers did not know what they were missin<r by not, adopting the svsrem. C. Dnlil. a visitor from Lon-fb-ii, who bas bad-, practical experience in the handling of butter in the Hnitiish markets, spoke strongly as to tbe feeling of buyers in tbo Xorfcb of England and Scotland in favour of t pasteurised butter- He held no brief for or against pasteurisation, but tbe moetin? mirdit bp nWmwtt.

f i" the result of his experience In fin ikl!iii.cc butter during tille post sca- .. .son. There were certain sanrpies pasteurised and certain cithers not so treated, and lie found that so far as s tlie North of England and Scotland t were concerned there was ia predilection in favour of the pasteurised ar--5 tide. Tn makinig their selection l'oi the North of England most of the j agents picked the pasteurised butltei in preference to the non-pasteurised ! niul the former stood out in the market against the latter. The . cause of this preference he attributed to its similarity to the Danish 'witter. In dealing wiltli butter supplies ifro'm the colonies lie had had difficulty to prevent friction on tile pait of agenits who were eager to J procure the pasteurised article, and lie had had to deal out the .pasteurised butter in small quantities. One agent remarked that the Australian butter was good enough, but in, the middle of the Northi of England there was the greatest difficulty in getting buyers to leave the Danish butter for Australian or New ZewiiniKl. J hey wero very oonserva*e of England, remarked Mr Dal.l, and were 'onJv beginning to wake up and to accept

wie pasteurised bii'tltar from the coloii'ies. Oik' personal frienid of his ], 0 , . ? n 'letter spoke ihiglhly of the colonial product, but :he tod had 1° UP ~d e' '!H n" j n ifc < 'is while f " <us excoHent at first it did not tlnT'l lo Vr senftlomam remarked til nit lie did not know "what pasteuriMntuon is, b,i,t. tho .buyers swore by t. The speaker concluded by obWio b"t ei thalt fetched the top i>r,ce. •Mi \\ lckcs said there could do no tu° opinions on the subject ot paste unsaitnoni of milk. Ho -was sneni ;'"- v "'tereslted in this mhtter as upon hum devolved the health of piss and cnititlle, and lie oould assure ~ St lexle?'1 exle ?' rf a ' they kneiW it, would be an „ ' t,|le Pasteurisation of skim milk "'"" H ™>Me tihe farmers to Silt ?' °f Hk> <,is e»> ofu c.tdnq; piffs a,-nid calves. Tlie temperatii're shoidd not be less than, 176 a° S /' of bac,i • , epfc , i in , the m.att(ter of whey vlr„h: would be -injured by } £ temperature of I GO. Tn Ithntcnso °i ol7i, ' g P rooess hitrW ® l )e ef l'! llval enfc to the Tlf lf. ,? e l 7 . n T >o, ; atu fo in its efficacy. IT .from various parts of tho country as to (the feeding of P>&s and calves on pasteurised' milk showed mmt satisfactory resS J. '. r,p - et loss to the formers of d'ise^sfiTT' 1 ! year 0n co "' n ' t ot diseased stock was £38,000 • ami hss easy to es.

A motion was carried to the effect that it- be a .recommendation to factories to adopt the pasteurjsa/tion of nil milk.

A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr Murray and the departmental officials present.