DECADENCE OF THE DAIRY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 981, 11 June 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

DECADENCE OF THE DAIRY.

If there is one branch of farming in which greater ignorance or greater carelessness is displayed than in any other, it is in the manufacture of dairy produce. Not only is tnis the case in this district, or even in this Colony, for the same state of things appears to prevail in all English-speaking countries. From England, America, and Australia come complaints of the large amount of bad butter and poor cneese that find their way into the markets. The introduction of machinery capable of performing nearly every operation in the making of butter seems to have increased the proportion of bad butter instead of lessening it. Dairymen or those entrusted with the manipulation of cream seem to have arrived at the conclusion that with excellent machinery at their disposal nothing can be easier than the manufacture of butter. They seem to entertain the same opinion as the Yankee photographer in the play, who exclaims, My apparatus can't lie." But unfortunately the " apparatus" does lie, and chat very considerably, in regard to the butter it in the majority of cases turns_ out. This is not owing to any defect in the machinery, but is attributable to the neglect of the operators, who rely too much upon their implements and too little on their own sense of what is right and what is not. Butter-making—-that is the making of butter fit for the table —is not such an easily performed operation as most dairymen would appear to believe. It is a delicate operation, requiring to be performed by skilful hands, guided by intelligence and accompanied by patience. ; The work of churning and working butter is too frequently entrusted to persons possessing no practical knowledge of the task'they are called upon to. perform. It is looked upon as an insignificant part of the farm work, to be performed at leisure and by anyone. Herein lies the mistake, and to this carelessness ii attributable the fact that fully ninety per cent, of the butter sent into the market is barely fit for use. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and if those who make butter for the market -would only give this fact its proper amount of attention, we might then' hope that good butter would form the rule, and not the exception. Though good fresh butter is a rarity, the most noticeable failure is in regard" to salt butter. It is true that a very large amount ■of this commodity is not made in this district; but it is also true that nearly the whole of the quantity that is made is unfit for use. No matter how scarce the

supply .of fresh butter may be it is almost impossible to obtain salt butter fit _to act as a substitute for the fresh article. Let anyone who doubts this statement go the rounds of the dealers' shops in Oaraaru and endeavor to obtain a supply of salt butter of really good quality, and he will speedily come Ito the conclusion that there is no exaggeration in the.statement we have made ; and this, too, in the centre of a district essentially agricultural— a distiict which might with every show of reason be expected to possess the reputation of being one of the best butter producing portions of the | Colony. We have here everything favorable to the manufacture of good butter and cheese: a genial and temperate climate, good pastures, and abundance of fine stock. The fact is that by far too little attention is given | to butter-making. Farmers, we fear, do not look upon it with favor. They are apt to view it as an operation that cannot lead by any possibility to the acquisition of wealth, unmindful of the undoubted fact that the making of butter for market is an occupation that never fails to be attended with some amount of profit. The same fact holds good with regard to cheese. It is, indeed, really astonishing that in a district, nearly one-half of the residents in which are agriculturists, cheese has to be imported to supply the requirements of the population. Now, if oui farmers would devote a proper amount of attention to the preparation of all kinds of dairy produce and cured meats, a large revenue might be ob-

could always be obtained for butter, cheese, hams, bacon, and eggs, and that the profits derivable from these articles would often tend to lessen the losses suffered by farmers through a bad grain season or the low prices that at times rule for cereals. Why, at this very time, butter is selling at the Cape of Good Hooe at five shillings a pound, and, we are informed, is scarcely obtainable at that high figure. Had our

farmers given attention to the manufacture of this very desirable commodity the past spring and summer, what profits they might have obtained from a shipment of butter to that unfortunate colony ! But butter for export must be good, otherwise its manufacture had better be left alone. It would be of no use to attempt to force ill-made, rank, and almost valueless grease upon foreign markets. If we wish to establish a profitable and lasting trade in dairy produce, we must first secure a reputation for the sale of a really firstclass article, and that reputation being once obtained and maintained we would easily command a good market. There is another thing to be considered in connection with this subject, and one of very great importance. A trade in dairy produce is one that can be carried on all the year round with the consequent continual obtainment of ready money—a consideration of the utmost importance to farmers struggling under heavy liabilities, often forced to mortgage their year's grain crops directly the seed has been sown. Let every farmer possessed of good grazing ground and the requisite stock try the experiment, and we feel sure that he will find the result highly satisfactory. Let him bear in mind that not alone will he reap the advantages derivable from, the sale of his dairy produce. Every cow he keeps will assist in enriching his land by the amount of soil food she produces. She will assist him in maintaining the fertility of the soil, and help him to pursue a proper system of rotation cropping, while the cost of her maintenance will be small as compared with the returns she will give. We commend the matter to the attention of our struggling farmers, but above all we would say: Make good butter or make it not at all. You cannot hope to obtain a profit unless the article produced is really good. Failure in the manufacture of butter can only lead to loss and annoyance.