THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. FRIDAY JULY 23, 1915. ACTIVITY IN DAIRYING.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 60, 23 July 1915, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS.

FRIDAY JULY 23, 1915. ACTIVITY IN DAIRYING.

" We nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice."

A better advertisement for the dairying industry ot the Lower Waikato, and incidentally to the pruved wortb of tbe lands for dairiyng purposes, could not be given than tbe keen tight that is now being waped by the New Zealand Dairy Association and the Waikato Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., in their bid for new suppliers f r next season, aod on tbe principle that competition is good for business butter-fat payments should be advantageously alfect-d thereby. In addition, two other organisations have also entered tbe rild in the Waiuku district, with schemes for the erection of cheese factories, namely the Waikato (.'o-operative Cheese Co., Ltd., and Messrs J. B. McEwen and Co, Ltd.

Apart from the competition that has arisen, it has been made evident that the system known as "Home Separation" is increasing iti favour amongst farmers, lo start with, it is fuund that calves thrive very much belter upon skim milk that is warm and fresh than they do on the cold ingredient coining from the creamery, which lias to be diluted with warm water in order to heat it bclorc it is fit t) give to the calve:-. Ihis is a very vital consideration, because the future quality of dairy cows depends on the treatment the young stock receive. It is claimed by certain experts that tbe majority of home separating machines do not extract the cream as elliciently as do the plants at the dairies, for the reason triat to achieve the b:st results the machine must be in perfect order, running the exact uumber of revolutions 'required, and bo on, which conditions are not always forthcoming on the farm. We have no doubt that there is a good deal of truth in this statement, but, on the other band, there is a counterbalancing factor. Under the ordinary creamery Fyalcm the night'B milk has to remain in the cans over night and although it may be stirred from time to time, cream forms arid fliatß on the surface. This cream is stirtcd up and mixed with the milk again aa much as possible. Obvnusly, it do;a not go back into the same condition us nefjrc, but remains in the form of little butterfat globules. Now when the sampler is placed in the milk ul the creamery these little globules do

not eoter the sample, lu», b ing | light and "greasy" are swirled away from tbe implement. As a consequence tbe sample taken tor testing purposes is the poorer to the extent of the extra amount of cream that would have been in tbe quantity taken for testing purposes if this milk bad not stood all night, thus allowing cream to form. It is well known that one of the watchwords of dairying is "cleanliness," and it has been suggested that home separated cream is not likely to be as clean as the factory article, but this view does rot stand analysis; in fact, the chances are that the home separation is the more cleanly method. An unclean dairyman may allow a certain amount of foreign matter to get into tbe milk, which ma t?r has lo be removed at the creamery, but if be is horns separating he will soon rind that foreign matter will quickly clog hia separator, and any di;t that may enter the cream can will spoil the cream, and cause it to be clased as second tirade at the

receiving depot—which means a reduction in price. That the quality of tt« cream is just as good as any other is proven by the fact that butter made from home separated cream passes just as high a Government grade as dees that which is made from butt'.r-fat extracted at the creameries.

An important point in connection with the question is that, by th° newer system, a great deal of cartege and the sequent wear and tear is avoided, but a still greater saving is that effected by doing away with the necessity for each larmer spending some hours each day going to and from tbe creamery.

In conclusion, it nißy be just as well to correct an entirely erroneous impression exitsing in the minds of some dairy farmers, to the effect that the New Zealand Dairy Association is opposid to home separation. The Association are quite agreeabla to tak3 home separated cream,' but, naturally enough, they do not want half of the suppliers in a given district to home separate, und the other half tj continue on tbe prevailing syst-.m, thus depreciating the relative value of the district creamery, and increasing the proportion of the running expenses to the amount of butter-tat extracted.