CONDENSED MILK.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 268, 30 May 1888, Page 7

CONDENSED MILK.

That there is a steadily iucre<iMn\ r <lcmaml for condensed milk in the world's marUots. and that <hose who have invested their capital in the business of milk condensing have found it piofitnble, Is attested b\ the extiaordmuiy increase of Into years in the number ot faetoiies on the Continent of Euiope and recently c\ en in lieland. In England the subject is attracting much attention, and' the importance of the process as affording- means to fanners in remote localities of maikotms milk profitably is pg generally leco^nised that the Council of the l\o\al Agricultural Society of England 'offer a valuable prize for the bt?*t appaiatus foi condensing milk to be exhibited at the approaching agricultural show. Tiie sippaiatu?, it is understood, is to be appl calle to dairy farm re]uiiements, and feais exist tint no suitable device foi the purpose will be forthcoming. C<mdensui£ mi lie is effected by the evaporation of its contained water, and the pan adopted in carrying out the process involves somewhat ebboiite appliances and steam power. Whatever success may ultimately attend the effoits of the l\o\al, seviral companies ai.d 'factories have been projected in the meantime. At some of the premliminaiy meetings held for the puipose ot funning as^iti.uioiH. much reliable infoimation was submitted, and which in an abbreuated foim, will enabb farmers here to judge of the feasibility of establishing the industry | in their own interests. x \t a meeting of the landowners and farmers hold at Colchester, I'Nsex. in January last, to consider a proposal to establish, in Colchester or its imme-hat > neighbourhood, an industry in connection with the manufacture and supply of condensed milk, Major Howard explained the scheme. He stated that it was contemplated to include the making of butter and condensing milk ; the former not nearly so important, but ? merely subsidery to the latter. The grounds for t.nnkin? that t\\U was an industry at present undeveloped weie :-— 1. That all the existing companies were Swiss, Norwegian or other foieign ones, and that on>- compam had formed branches which pro\ed (fiist) that it could be made in Englan 1 just as well a« elsewhere: that anvsuppo-e I prejudice aga.nst Iln^li^ii indk was inuuinaiy, as English milk in a condense! form was actually Ik-mult at the pie-ent <hiy as foreign made milk. "J. '1 .ie \eiy successful finar.ci.il ie-u't aii-iui; fiom tin 1 enterpn-e. the £lv ?hai 's of m e\i-t nir company ivmg w<>i:ii n<> If— than £.")0 or the eii outs. It wa- not. ho'H". er. 1 lit? In l t t pom*- ti it- I'l'iii ii no 1 them ") much. The pu'< W -j>" t m Mi.{ n^'unl Colchester enabled Mm to ?n that a cttu t would be mvle li tlie taimeisof the distiiit would unleitawe th.> »upplv <.f mil< nrcessaiy for the purpose. It •\\n= (■'stiiiiAte.l that 240 l Lr^''on-: f >f milk would b- 5 rn[uiifd J.i ly. a\h"U^h per haps not m«'ie than I 1'"')I 1 '"') gallons at starting Could ti,e faun* r> ii'idertako thf-nr'ply? It meant s On i" 1.J5'».«»'»0 or L 40,000 =ptnt amon^ t 1 en annually, besides the amount -p-'nt in the town for 1 aboil), l in tan <ndln x making, estimated Li?<>i>u to L:"sut>U. They would natunllr ask what tiie price* would be, Fiom enqniiies made in all directions it n.b ascertained that some farmers were getting 10 1 per gallon foi ruilk, some 9J, some sd, and some Win less, and Major Howard stated "he thought it probable, without absolutely binJing himself to pi ice, that 9<i pei gallon could be pai-t by the company."' The scheme was received with much favour, several farmers expressing the opinion, that if the com; am would taki the milk as the cows supplied it- -meaning presumably, take delivery on the farm — it could be supplied at 8d per gallon. The arguments i \ Lvour of the factory system for condt using milk are that efficient apparatus can be procured, thai the sugar added to the milk — usually about 40 per cent. — can be bought in quantity cheap, as can the materials for tins, boxes, &c. It can be stated that unsweetened condensed milk ia regularly prepared and sold, but the risk of the article spoiling is considerable. Assuming for the sake of argument that an apparatus wi'l be invented and worked on a farm at a cost consistent with economy, still an association would have a great advantage- over a colonial fanner, inasmuch as the corporate body would be in a position to choose the best markets for consignments. Difficulties are frequently experienced in connection with the supplies of milk to condensing factories, and of which Mr Borden, the inventor of the process, had an eaily experience. Under certain circum=tance.s and conditions the milk could be readily handled, and gave no trouble in. its manipulation. It was found, however, that the milk might be easily vroiked one day, and on the next would refuse to be controlled under ordinary treatment. "Writing on the subject of milk-condensing factories, Piofessor Willnid sajs : "Dirty milk, milk foul with the dnppings of the stable, cannot be condensed into .i clean favoured j)rodu°t. The success of the condensing factory depends entirely on the ability to put a fine -flavoured perfect article into the market. The milk must | be uniformly good. An inferior con densed milk is more readily detected than an infeiior aiticlc of cheese." Mr "Willard proceeds to warn those who | propose to enter upon condensed milk maniil.ittnie tliafc moio than oidin«r) difficulties he before them, mainly to be attnbuted to the uncleanly handling of mills'. The impoitance of cleanliness 'tils.! > v i!--' .- fn>i <i tv many to be an

absurd fastidious neatm «•? became apparent to Mr Bordou at an out lv st.ii»c of investigations. H> therofoic instituted a sot of rules for the government of the fanners who supplied his factories \a it ! 1 milk, and as he bought only sucii milk as would pass the flo.se scrutiny of an expei t he was able after a time to enforce the, observance of his printed regulations unions dairymen, In reference to such fungi as ate introduced into milk from without, and which originate in putrid matter. Professor Wili.ml says : ll Their whole influence is harmful in a high degree. It is one of the most commonly observed facts of nature (hat milk is especially snsooptable to the influence of emiinutions fiom putrid matter, or is liable to become tainted, as it is more generally put— winch are but other ways of saying that the germs of fungi that are continually thrown off purifying matter find iti the milk a place where they can grow and multiply ; and so insidious are these influences, so readily can these minute germs make their way anywhere and everywhere, that if the air containing them in unusual quantities is inhaled by the rows, the milk will be infected before it leaves the bag. 11 These observations £0 to prove that to procure good, clean, healthy milk, whether for butter and cheese-making or for condensing, imposes an education and observance of detail on suppliers of milk which do not generally obtain.