EARLY SPRING SUPPLIES.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 60, 18 December 1924, Page 4

EARLY SPRING SUPPLIES.

TO RAISE THE QUALITY. Drastic Action Proposed. Each season complaints emanate from the dairy factories regarding the inferior quality of the early springsupplies. It is a recognised fact that the grading of the early spring supplies is much below that for other portions of the season and it has been a problem how to deal with the inferior supplies. Often the cause of the inferior quality is caused by the strong spring grasses and often owing to there being a prevalence of mud at that time of the year, but in the opinion of the Morrinsville Dairy Company directors ff 'the farmers exercised more care with the milking of the cows just calved a great deal of the trouble would be obviated. From the appearance of the cream which came to the factory some of the suppliers were no doubt careless, and milked, along with the remainder of the herd, cows which had just calved, instead of milking them by hand. Perhaps the large numbers of cows which come in at the same time tempt the milkers to put them all through the machines, but the Morrinsville Dairy Company has decided to make an endeavour to stop this practice.

At a meeting of the directors this week it was unanimously agreed that in view of the raising- of the gradingpoints for butter and cheese, and also the possibility of compulsory cream grading, it should be made a penal offence for anyone to supply milk or cream to any dairy factory from any cow unless a reasonable time has elapsed after calving-. It was decided to send a copy of the resolution to the Dairy Division, Department of Agriculture, for their consideration.

It was an open question what should constitute “ a reasonable time ” after calving but it was realised that if the early spring supplies were to improve some action was necessary.