Farm Notes.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4362, 19 January 1909, Page 4

Farm Notes.

I Zealand Dairy Produce.

Hfr (Continued.) have received from the Depart Hut of Agriculture a report by the ■airy Comnrisnnef (Mr- D Cuddie) on ■a rec* nt visit to Great Britain in eonHction with the inspection of butter and ■eese on the Home markets. The E’nniisnoner also paid a visit to DenErk. ■At the present juncture anything Iff ctiog the Dairying industry is of Khs derable importance to this. Km >re especially those on the land. In Beaming of New Zealand Creamery Hitter, Mr Cuddie goes on to say : - m A VISIT TO DENMARK I —Milk Supply— Wn E conditions under which milk is produced and handled in Denmark are Somewhat different from those preBailing in New Zealand. The dairy Httle ate housed for seven months in He year, and the premises are, generally speaking, kept fairly clean— H fact, some of those visited were Ileeptionally well cared for in this pepect. ■ Owing to the absence of cattle. Moving in and out of the cowsheds, > He surroundings- are much cleaner Kan the yards in this country. Stone Rr concrete floors are in general use, ■tier, most of the herds being small, |he owners can devote more attention mo their cows than the larger New Z island dairy-farmer. * The cattle being hand-fed and kept indoors are very quiet, and the use of ihe objectionable leg rope, which soils the hands of the milkers, and which is liable to contaminate the milk, is avoided. When the udders and links of the cows become soiled with manure washing is resorted to, and many of the cows are groomed daily. The up-to-date Danish farmer seems U> have solved the question of keeping bis cows thoroughly clean while they are housed. During the summer the cows are milked in the fields, where the conditions are idei.l for the production of clean milk.. The cooling of milk is general throughout the country in summer, but not in printer.. Coolers are used extensively, but most of the milk is cooled by 'setting the cans in water. Where water is scarce on the farm it is first used for cooling the milk, and then hmn into a trough for watering the mock.

When examining the milk delivered at the factories (there are no skimming stations in Denmark) I found that the flavour was better than that of the milk usually delivered from the majority of the farms in New Zealand. The only form of milk-inspcction m existence in Denmark is that undertaken by the farmers themselves. In some districts they have what may be called milk-judging associations, composed of a number of dairy companies, who employ a competent man. to visit the different factories -belonging to the association for the purpose of inspecting the milk on the weighing platform along with the manager of the factory. The officer has power to reject any milk which does not come up to the standard of quality required. I happened to be at a dairy factory during the visit of one of these inspectors, and he appeared to exercise great care in the examination of the milk, and to strengthen the position of the man in charge of the factory in carrying out his duties to his "employers. Twenty of these milk- judging associations are in active operation in different parts of the country, and it is claimed that the results have proved very satisfactory to those concerned. The Government subsidises the associations to the extent of paying an equal amount to that subscribed by the members, but will not contribute more than an equal share of the cost. —Dairy Factories— To anyone connected with dairying the numerous butter-factories in Denmark are full of interest. The buildings are usually of brick, with tiled or cement floors, and, although many of them are not of modern design, they are well suited fof the manufacture of good butter. Modern buildings are, however, to be seen in some districts, and those which have been erected during recent years are well planned and substantially built. The first thing which strikes a visitor is the clean and tidy appearance ot the surroundings at most of the factories. Through the liberal use of whitewash the interior walls apd ceilings are kept white and pleasing to the eye. Lime or lime-water is also used in abundance in connection with the cleaning of the churns, butter workers, and practically the whole

of the utensils which come into con-

tact with the milk, cream, or butter. S—lts sweetening effect is fully appreciated by the butter-makers. The application of lime in the factories and around the drains, or whereever it is thought necessary, is one of the i;; striking features of the factory dairying. In the older factories the plant 7. and utensils that have been in use : -for many years are maintained in a wholesome condition by the constant use of lime. |§ In the matter of equipment the i! ’ factories are not ahead of those in tiilew Zealand, except as regards the of pasteurising machinery tP which is to be seen in every factory, v - Csually three pasteurisers are in use -one for heating the milk before one for pasteurising thef and the third for treating the gpfkjm.miHc'in the same way. (ferJ : ]Economy along is 111 -'Sfudied-in every of work; best-managed factories?': the exhaust steam fronVttfe W** enj&nes is parsed through an oil-trap^ m ■.

| and afterwards used for pasteurising . j the skim-milk or cream and heating ' water; even the condensed water from these machines is saved and pumped back into the boiler in order to save fuel. Waste or leakage of any kind is prevented in order to reduce the cost of manufacture, and thereby increase the profits to the dairy company. At some of the factories a rack, or drip-stand, is provided for draining the milk cans after the milk has been emptied into the weigh-qhns, so that nothing is lost. Trays' are placed, under the stand, and the milk saved in this way at one of the factories visited was equal to 2lb. of butter-fat per day, which at i/- per lb. would represent a saving of 10s per annum. The factories handle almost the same quantity of milk daily all the year round. It is in small things of this nature that the Danes are in advance of the dairy in New Zealand ; but I did not find that the actual making of the butter was better carried out or better understood than it is in this countrv. By strict attention to cleanliness, and by taking great care in all sanitary arrangements, first-class butter is being made in some factories which would be quite out of date in New Zealand, both as regards the buildings and their equipment. (To be continued).