THE FARM.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 139, 31 January 1916, Page 1

THE FARM.

Cheese arid Buttermaking Compared.

In a leading article in the current issue of the "N Z. Dairyman" the Editor says: The fact that cheese has reached the wonderful price of 9Ad on the London market has again drawn the attention of many factories to the necessity of having the dual plant. It has long been our opinion that every butter factory should also have a cheese plant. Tne recent boom in price of the latter product has confirmed us in this opinion. Let us take the relative values of the two commodities at the highest prices yet reached. One , hundred pounds of butter-fat made into cheese at 88s is worth - 10 5 10 One huudred pounds of butter-fat made into butter at l-15s is worth 7 'J 10 Difference iu favour of cheese - - • 210 0 To-day we have before us the High Commissioner's cabled market report of the Bth inst. Iu this the prices of cheese and butter respectively are given thus : Cheese - - 03s per cvvt. Butter - - 116s per cwt.

Now, 100 lbs. of butter-fat made into cheese will give 200 lbs cheese, which at lOd per pound equals £lO 10s 8d ; 100 lbs. of butter-fat made into butter equals 110 lbs., which at 14os equals £7 2s , leaving a difference in the value of 100 lbs. of but-ter-fat, made into cheese and butter respectively, of £3 16s 01 in favour of cheese. From this has to be deducted the difference in the value of the by-products, which is a matter for the dairyman to decide for himself. The difference in the two byproducts is that in the one case (the skim milk) there is about threo pounds of casein ; while in the other-by-product (whey) this ingriedient is missing. There is this further advantage, too, in favour of cheeso. There will be no other cheese than ours on the English market until well into May, and what does come at first will be only what is known in the trade as fodder,cheese, which is never first class. Our cheese for the next few months will be improving in quality each week. There is every indication that for the remainder of this season cheese will be more profitable by far than butter, and those factories that have dual plants will be wise to continue with the manufacture of cheese until the end of the season. In another ten or twelve weeks ihe English spring will be well advanced, and as this will mean a large addition to the supply of butter for the London market, it seems highly improbable that the present price of 145s per cwt will be maintained. There is another aspect of the butter business which must be viewed with some alarm. The high price of butter caused by the warhas made a similar rise in the price of margarine, which is now being sold in England at prices as high as lid and 10d per pound. If this compound were sold for really is, le3s harm would be done " the bona fide producer of pure butter. This can only have one effect on the butter trade, viz., to reduce the number »f consumers, and this must be followed by a reduction in the price.