NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 295, 8 May 1911, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND BUTTER.

THE QUALITY OF THIS SEASON'S

MAKE. (By D. Cuddie in the "Agricultural Journal.") Complaints have been made in trade circles in regard to ''fishincs.s" in New Zealand butter this season. They are being advertised abroad, especially in the Australian press. Few specific complaints, however, have been made to this division. On the contrary, I have received communications from the Home market to the effect that brands, the quality of which was unsatisfactory for several years past, have this season, by reason of the adoption of pasteurization, proved of greatly improved quality, and have, owing to a pale color, due to the use of the combined churn, been most satisfactory to the trade in general. This has fully borne out th 6 opinion formed at this end as to the season's quality in general. VALUE OF PASTEURIZATION.

I have periodically visited the gradingstores in order to note the effect of the general adoption of pasteurization, and to me it has been palpable that it has had the effect predicted when factories were first urged to take up this means of overcoming flavor-defects. The opinion of the graders agrees with my own. Individual members of the grading staff have reported that some of the best butter that has ever left this country has been.exported this year. It may be well at this juncture to mention why this division advocated pasteurization so strongly in recent seasons. When I was in London in the height, of the butter season of 1907-8 I found, during the three months I spent in investigating the marketing of New Zealand dairy produce, that "fishiness" was very prevalent in many brands of our butter. It was this experience that convinced me of the urgent necessity of pasteurization. It is significant that practically nothing was heard in New Zealand of this unsatisfactory defect at, that time, though merchants at Home freely stated that "fishiness" was never more general. That season, however, the market was particularly buoyant—it was the season when our butter soared to 150s, whereas this season the market has been weak and disappointing. Then any quality changed hands without criticism. To-(lay, with an improved product, criticism is apparently common. It is one of the peculiarities' of the London butter market, by the way, that "iishincss" develops with singular rapidity when the demand is jweak. Of course, it has to be remember|ed that on a strong market the butter jm'oves| off'raipidly, and any weakness has 'little' time to develop to a bad stage, whereas'on a Weak market the tendency is to hold stocks, and this frequently at 'an'unfavorable temperature, with the natiii'al result, that any weakness lias every I Opportunity of becoming more pronounc- ' en. There is little doubt that some of j tbe butters found fault with have been | for several weeks on the market, and consequently under ordinary circum- : stances would not be improved in qual-; ity. Unfortunately, the ultimate pur-j chasers, from whom complaints are most-1 ly received,-are not aware of the age of the butter. NECESSITY OF-DATE-STAMPING, This opens up the important question .g£, yje .datetstaimping of export butter-lffix<-ftt jy't.'finly as a protection to hhc shipper and the purchaser, but to the Opponents of a com-ipkira'-syateirn of state grading seize ;*Pl>ll-. t?)fl somplaints now being circulated against our butter as an effective .alignment against, the system. A datestamp, ,as ,part of .the ordinary gradeTtiarjc, would prevent this. Of course, ilatiirstamping would be opposed by a • ifirtnifl;..section of* the trade, but while J&iWQUjd hf 1 inconvenient to them in a/r- - it would be an obvious .Wlynn.tage ;to the final'purchaser. From .'jSVery •|J(>i«t'.of view'l am convinced that .it the reputation of oHr ybU/ttpßv/ind.'be of great benefit to the .lindujifcrj'. w>n \ : ° CRITICISM. ,' , If is. rattier significant that while so ',;mpc,h ; cjTtfclsrn of our butter is bejng :,jndnla'esViJiot)hing but praise ishcard of 1 ,o;ir quef.sq,, and this while the quality of ..qui' biltt'ci-/has; speaking generally, never ,been so, satisfactory on leaving the do.mjnjoni AvUfireas; the quality of our cheese has not displayed the same general ad- . : jvan<:(), jfl. though a number of exhibited a. distinct •■ im- . ..praygment,.;..\ -■ ~.. '

A WfP»NBB& IN BUTTER QUALITY. TOiile saying this much it is not denied that several brands of New Zealnad. butter have this season shown signs of what may be terrned a "fishy" flavor prior to exportation, and reports on!:theft?,bra.nd,s which'have reached the dominion i have confirmed the opinion of the'graders at this end. On the other Lh.antl, I] can ihardly credit the truth of, ~efArtain'reports circulated as to the gener-\ 'al ; "iUhint*ss" in this, season's New Zea-.. : laflllibutter, for I am convinced that the] «jpT<} general adoption of pasteurization has Itadan excellent effect in checking undesirable flavors. It is not however,, that pasteurization is effective under all circumstances, for there is pasteurization and pasteurization. Tn fact, more .attention to detail is required in making butter on this principle; and it is only natural to expect that, with their new-found knowledge of the process, some makers are failing to carry it out'.to the' best advantage. Pasteurization is the keynote to clean and uniform flavor, but unless a properly prepared and clean starter is consistently used the system may easily be more harmful than beneficial. With fuller experience of this method of manufacture, and the strict attention to detail which its .success necessitates, the irregularities noticed this season will doubtless be overcome.

EXCESSIVE MOTSTL'RE. It lias boon stated in certain quarters that the wide disparity between the prices of Danish and Xew Zealand butters has 'been due in part to the prevalence of unsatisfactory flavors in the latter. This is probably quite a wrong view of the position. Xo doubt the main reason is the diversion of a considerable quantity of Danish butter to Continental markets, and a consequent shortage of supplies in British channels accustomed to the Danish article. The main reason for the weakness in popularity of Xew Zealand butter witli a certain 'section ot British traders is the tendency of quite a. number of factories this season to employ a percentage of moisture which is too near the British legal limit. In Ensland the actual vendor of butter is held responsible for its purity, and any breaches of the Act, such as water-adul-teration, are viewed in a verv serious light, heavy penalties being inflicted for even a first offence and imprisonment without the option of a fine for a third breach. This will suffice to indicate the nervousness of the Home grocer in handling butter which he has reason to believe contains moisture near the dangerline and possibly over it. The risk is~too great, and he prefers even a lower quality if it is a safer article. Obviously it is no advertisement for a grocer to be hauled before a magistrate for selling an adulterated article. This statement ..)f the careless use of moisture is not the outcome of any report from the Home end, but is the result of repeated tests

made at this end, quite a number of factories, and factories well equipped, having been repeatedly warned this season of their risky method of manufacture. No butter should be taken from any combined cliurn without a rough test being made of its water content; and there I is no excuse for failure to do this. Not only is the tendency of some factories to aim at too high a percentage of moisture—a bad thing from the viewpoint of a possible excess, and thereby tin cause of ultimate legal action—but the body and texture of the butter is seriously affected. Some butters have also exhibited a weak salry body, and altogether an unattractive appearance, due to overworking. Of course, these weaknesses, which, unfortunately, are more pronounced this season than in any past period, are confined to a minority of factories. FACTORIES DOING SPLENDID WORK.

It is gratifying to know, on the other hand, that a majority of factories are aiming at a high ideal and arc .safeguarding the reputation of New Zealand butter. Those factories which have adopted the pasteurizing system of manufacture on sound principles are doing excellent work, and are receiving congratulatory reports from the Home end. Here is one which has just been forwarded to me;—

"We have always felt that if you decided to pasteurize, the butter would more closely resemble Danish, and so compete with that butter, and it has turned out to be the case. The quality of your butter is highly satisfactory in every way; indeed I have seen no New Zealand butter of such an even quality or so suitable for our market."

Another factory working on similar lines has just been informed by its London agent that the quality of'its butter had, in his opinion, reached perfection. These instances arc only, however, examples of many similar reports that have come to hand. This goes to prove that, the modern principles of buttcr-inaking 'which New Zealand butter-makers have now 'at comttistiid will enable them, given fair conditions of the raw material, to mauufaetttreiifutter which will defy com-petition.-'1 "!*-is" therefore all the' more regrettable-that such poor work is being done at some factories, which, in their eagoftiess* to secure quantity at the expense of quality,'are not only damaging the reputation and selling value of their product, but in the process are damaging the : to'te'resbs-ef \New Zealand butters in genertiH'f'oi* there is little doubt that ' at fcW pfesentHimc the weak character of the buttets -if or which they arc responsible % ncing l used as a* lever to dragdotfrtvattr'es in general. With their favored conditions and knowledge of the business, which should insure the manufacturel of %■ high'-ielass product, New Zealand da<irymeft ; can' i s\irely afford to leave the production of a second-class butter to otheri'countries. ■r",'j, ■,»■;■'■:.;■■■■,