Milk Factories.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 2, 9 May 1885, Page 2

Milk Factories.

(To the Editor of the New Zealand Times?)

Sift,' — Though. l :am not surprised, lam indeed sorry to hear that the Kan-re Butter and Cheese Factory m M annwotu failed. The fact is, that Mr Bowron took a heavy responsibility when he advised the making of butter instead of cheese ; and, as I have for years worked to introduce the factory system, I hope you will remember that it was only under specially favourablecircumstances that I recommended the making of butter knowing the great practical difficulties. Please look up m" Modern Dairy Implements," pag es 33-34, and yon will see my idea. Those conditions were far from being fulfilled at the Karere Factory. Ido not write this as v sort of " didn't 1 tell you so," but rather as an encouragement to the farmers m the Wellington bush country. There is no need to give it up. It took years and years to get the system m working order m this country ; and, after having visited hundreds of factories here I still maintain that if the New Zealand farmers only will put three-quarters of the work and " push" into it, they still have the " boss" hand over their American cousins m New Zealand's splendid grass and climate. lam informed they used from 311bs to 361bs of milk to lib of butter. This seems to indicate that either the patrons adulterated the milk, or the separator was not run at its full speed. On my farm at Bunnythorpe I used 301bs to 321bs with common tin pans (401bs deepsetting) ; with a separator the same milk should only have used 251 b to 261bs. It takes a longtime for a section to learn to care, as they ought, for the milk, if keeping butter is to be made; and it would open some of ray New Zealand friends' eyes if they knew how strict the Bording condensing factory (Elgin, Illinois) it, m receiving milks. Indeed, I never saw anything so completely "clean" as that factory. What is good for the goose is good for the gander ; and if care must be taken for condensing milk, why not for but-ter-making? No, as a rule, let the bush districts. commence with cheesemaking, let them not keep too closely to old-fashioned English methods ; on the other hand, let them not copy roo closely the American fashionsheds for factories and one man to do two men's work, selling curd instead of cheese— let them seek the golden middle-way, which eveu now a laro-e number of Americans are doing ; fet the farmers remember that if milk is low, cattle and sheep are lower, too ; let them remember that, though the wages are high and the land cheaper m Amerioa, the farmers work ninoa longer and pay the penalty of living m a high "protected" country! manufactories are protected, not the tanners (baring wool). I say ifc again and again, co-operative dairying is the salvation of small farmers, and a stay for the large laud-owners! Is it so very hard to get up at Eve and milk eight or ten cows ? I think not, if a good covered yard js provided. — Yours, &c, i? J. H. MONRAD. Little Falls, New York, . April 2, 1885.