The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, APRIL 2, 1883. BUTTER AND CHEESE.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1016, 2 April 1883, Page 2

The Patea Mail. Established 1875. MONDAY, APRIL 2, 1883. BUTTER AND CHEESE.

The Colonial Treasurer does not intend to conßne himself during bis southern tour to addressing meetings upon National Insurance and kindred subjects. He has nn eye for. anything practical, and we read that during his visit to Ashburton, he inspected the premises of the newly formed Woollen Manufacturing Company, and also those of the Cheese and Baiter Factory Company. With regard to the former he expressed the pleasure it gave him to see the woollen industry started in Ashburton. The various industries established had been the means of pushing the town on, nijd he was much surprised to see the progress that had been made since he visited Ashburton in 1877. Cpncerniug the Cheese and

Butter Factory the Major said that the Governraest would do all they could to further the establishment of the cheese factory industry, as they fully recognised the importance ol such factories as he had come to inspect. Ho stated that the Government had taken Mr Bowron into their employ, and, with the view of securing his practical advice and assistance, it was intended to recommend Parliament to give him a permanent appointment. Making a Government official of Mr Bowron was, we think, a proper and practical step. He has had very large experience in the cheesemaking business at Home, and the success attendant upon the Flemington factory is a sufficient confirmation of his skill. No doubt there will be many claims upon his services for advice in starting the industry, and probably, it will, in a great measure, be a case of “ first come first served.” It would, therefore, be a fitting time for our farmers to make a move if ; they have any intention of establishing a factory in this district. In doing so they would be conferring an enormous benefit upon themselves. We regard success as ceitaiu, because if such can be attained upon the parched plains of Canterbury, surely there is no room for doubt when we have such a superior grazing country. There are now three factories in active operation, one at Tc Awamntu, the Ashburton one, and one at Edeudale in Southland, and each has lodged a claim for the bonus , of £SOO offered by the Government for the first fifty tons manufactured and sold in a foreign market. Those interested, says a contemporary, will watch the contest with great interest, for the reason that we shall have tested the different systems of cheese-making adopted by the different factories. The cheese manufactured at Ashburton is made on the English principle, which seems to be a combination of the English and American. These cheeses are for the most part large, weighing from 401b to 801b, and are allowed to remain in the presses for two or three days. In this the system diffe.s from the American, which is carried out in its entirety at Edcndale. The latter factory draws its supply of milk principally from cows belonging to the company, of which there are at present some 230 milking. The total quantity of milk converted into cheese is 560 gallons, and of that quantity only about 150 gallons are brought to the factory by the surrounding farmers. -The small quantity of milk supplied by outsiders points to the that the farmers in the district are slow to avail themselves of advantages, especially when those advantages are presented in a new form. In Canterbury they have been quicker to recognise the value of the Factory, and some of the farmers there draw very handsome sums for the month’s supply of milk. We hope that farmers in this district will awake to the fact that there is “money” in the cheese industry. They . have every natural advantage, a splendid country, railway communication about to be -estirblistred7~BTnl-n--po rth andy_ for_ sh i •>- meut. The rest lies in their own bands.