FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 258, 30 March 1914, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

PAYMENT FOR MILK AND CRFAM SUPPLIES. PAYMENT ACCORDING TO STANDARD OF PURITY. Uty D. Ctuldie, in the Journal of Agriculture.) From the beginning of the factory system of dairying the delivery of pur", clean-flavored milk for cheese and butter making has been recognised as one of the most important factors in turning out dairy-produce of the very best quality. The question of unclean milk has probably been discussed more frequently than any other subject affecting the dairying industry, not only in New Zealand, but in every other dairying country in tile world. J.'rom time to time, those whose duties have given them opportunities to see the great need that existed for improvement have suggested remedies to prevent the delivery of impure milk, but the difficulties have not so far been overcome. It is ywcll known to-day that there is still need for improvement in this connection, and it is unnecessary to go into detail here to prove'the point further than to say that altogether too large a quantity of milk delivered to our dairy factories possesses faults which could, and no doubt would, be remedied by the dairy-farmers concerned if a practicable method of classifying supplies of milk and paying for them according to purity were in operation. Before introducing the suggestion it is desired to make, let it be said that the great majority of dairy-fanners are now delivering their milk to the dairy factories in a condition leaving little or nothing to be desired, so that if it were possible to make -«fp this supply separately into butter or cheese a higher average price would be realised on the market than is the case at present. It is a minority of the dairymen whose supplies are at fault, and, needless to say, if their milk were made up separately the article turned oNt could be sold only at a considerable reduction on present values. But under ordinary dairy-factory practice it is impracticable to sort up the milg into grades and work up each grade separately; neither is such a procedure to be commended, as nobody really wants produce of an indifferent second-grade quality. Unfortunately, under the present system, which is very largely in general operation, milk and cream is being accepted at dairy factories and paid for at the same price, irrespective of its class or purity. With the exception of perhaps the. very worst lots, which are usually rejected, aU grades arc mixed together, which has the effect of reducing the whble, to a common standard of quality, so that it is impossible in the manufactured article to get the full and unrestricted benefit of the best supplies brought to the factory. Milk is certainly paid for according to its butter-fat content, lint this is merely a quantitative standard, and does not take into account the suitability of the raw material for manufacturing, purposes. In making high-grade butter and cheese purify is the vital consideration, yet this does not enter into the quest ion of the price being paid for the milk and cream received .it New Zealand dairy factories. 1" other words, the product accepted from the farmer is not purchased according to 'is standard rf purity or value for the purpose for which it is required. It is pooled, and the same price paid for, the high-class milk for milk of a more or less indifferent standard and Iron, which the best butter and cheese cannot he produced. It is evident that this pooling or mixing of the factory niilksupp], is one of the weakest .-pots in our' excellent co-operative dairy sv.-tem. because farmers who take special care of their supplies have to share equally the loss brought about by their less careful neighbors. To say the least of it, this is unquestionably unfair and certainly unbusinesslike. In any other line of business such unfairness would not be tolerated, and to prove it one need only ask, where is there to lie found a body of farmers who would agree to pool their wool, frozen meat, grain, or even fruit, at a common price? Everyone knows that such a p.'oposal Would be looked upon as absurd. Yet exactly the same principle is practically in general operation in regard to the milk and cream delivered at New Zealand dairy factories to-day, excepting that, (if course, in the purchase of milk and cream the butter-fat percentage is taken into consideration.

I'nier the present i-iiiiiliiiu'.m dairy farmers urc losing binte sums of moiii-y cvcry year, nsiil that, loss will continue p:i lull"' as the present system obtains I'nles.s sonic stop In' taken to diU'orenliale between the pries paid I'or milk and cream of varyiuo; decrees of pumy the position is iikolv to became worse rather than lietler.

After a Hood iii'.miv \ciirs of experience if must be randl.lly 'adinilled thai the oliicial inspection of yards, ami ilairv ulcusHs can lie described only as a partial success in the standard of purity in fai'lorv sunies. The iilea may appear correct in

diort of ullainintr llie desired oil. Keen if inspect inn were increased leu'"id and fanners would oi.j.vl. to sileb i proposal it would not be possibh rules lor the treal uicni'aud'haiullimr of mill; nad cream on cvorc farm. Therefore, would it nn! be inliiiiteb, more <f-l-ctive to place ihe question of improving dairy-factory supplies of milk and i loam on a purd, con:mcivi,il basis by iw.viiijr a i-ilnccd price per nniiml of lailter-fat for quantities of raw mat-r----ial which can yield 'produce of onlv in different ipiulitv? In this way the' prcniium that would bi' paid for'(lie Ictler dclivirie- would en t„ the men who doscrveil it, and md. as at |,roseiit. he shared by one and all wUlumt distitu-

In order to introduce slab a s-.-heme i; would, of course, be necessarv to have the milk and cream from each farm classified by a competent ami inn, nendciil obiccr, who would visit !he lactate for the purpoM' not less frcpmmlv Cum: om- a vrrk. The dale „f his intend- • d \i-;i sli.ml'.l not be 1., m -,vn to lbsupplies. For Cm ptirpase of dcterminbm the pn.ily of the mill- (leaving cream on

one side for the present i or rather its siiitahilitv I'or the mauufaidiirc of a lirst-.urade product, a sample representee!! on the day of (lie uliicorV vi.,il and suluiiilled to what is known as the "curd test."

Tliis t-.-t is our uhirh has Jhtii trii'.l out 11 lons- iHiri.nl of veins, and ha-, Ijitii I'ohikl tii lir tliuniiiuhlv vdiaiilu a", an iudiralor nf Cii' pnriiv 'nf the mil!;, alliiouijli. K.i fa!■ as Ilic H ; ri(-,i- is. aware, it lias no!, hitli,Tin been allied t,i the Kl'adilifr (if miik I'nr pay ni puvjiDKi'S. For reliability as a le.-t fur |.iiritv Ike runl tesi, is „ii a par witli Hit- Ifaln-ork tesf, for fat. mid therefore if eould l,e used for tin? ju'radiiifr of milk with t!i,. iitnioat eonfnlenee. The eosf o!' an outfit for tlic curd test and the cost of operating it is trilling, and much less

than the small expense for operating tho I'jbock mill-test. The taking of a sample only once a week may be raised as an objection to a proposal such as this, bn tit should be borne in mind that except in special

r 'S>'s no examination for quality covers Hie whole of the product offered for sale, and also that farmers rarely bring good milk to the. factory one day and inferior ruilU the next day. At the commencement of milk-grading suitable standards could be set, so that while Hie movement would do an immense amount of good it would not become unpopular with dairymen. For instance, the standard for first grade, for which the highest price would he paid, could he fixed so that the better supplies of milk now delivered would be included in it.

The samples submitted to the grading officer for examination need bear only a number and not the name of the owner. The grader would record his decision on each sample submitted for his inspection, and would hand in a copy of the results to the secretary of the company concerned, who would credit each supplier with the grade secured for that particular period. The number of days covered by the test could be made coincident with the period covered bv the test for butter-fat, which would reduce the extra clerical work involved to a minimum.

For preference, the men selected to undertake the grading of milk and cream should bo appointed by the Government, so that their position would be that of independent officials. If the work were properly organised it would be quite possible in most districts for one official to undertake the grading for at least six factories every week, for, with the co-operation of the factory-managers, he could arrange for the samples on which the grading would be baaed to be taken on the day of his visit.

Dairy companies operating in close proximity to one another could enter into an agreement to adopt this idea and share the cost pro rata, which would make the expense to each very moderate indeed. The several amount)) could be paid into the credit of the Public Account, and the officer could thus bo made entirely a Government official, responsible solely to the head of the Dairy-produce Division of the Department.

The adoption of the curd test for milk on the lines suggested would to a great extent help employers to come to better conclusions on matters relating to faults of manufacture and care of the cheese for which the employees arc responsible. The grading of cream would, of course, have to be carried out without the application of the curd test for purity, as this test cannot be used in that connection; but the accurate grading of cream by other means is comparatively a simple operation. The question of paying for milk and cream on an equitable basis deserves the earnest attention of every dairv company director and the sup"plier who is anxious to see the dairy industry returning its maximum profit to the producers of New Zealand. 1 am convinced that if such a scheme athat outlined above were put into operation it would eventually raise the vain.' of New Zealand butter and cheese by at least lis or 4s per hundred-weight.'ami would prove one of the most profitable reforms ever effected by dairy companies in this Dominion.

No fear need be entertained that large quantities of second grade mi'k and cream would -Continue to reach the factories, because the prospect of a higher price for a purer article wou'.l undoubtedly have the effect of inducing dairy-fanners to .strive for the increased returns.

Here is something to show how i| works out. in practice: The exhibits of cheese at tile last Dunedin Winter Show, which were sent home and placed on e\ hibition in London to show what Ww Zealand could produce under favorable conditions, were in every case made from the very best milk that was being received at the respective factories The result was that when the cheese rani" to be sold the whole line realised 7ds per hundredweight, or Is and m per hundredweight more than New Zealand cheese was bringing on the market at that time.

in conclusion, it may be mentioned that if the average value of our daiiwproduce on oversea markets coital '.e raised by even ,'is per hundred it woaid mean to the producers of this Dominion a sum of over Cl,"iO,(ll)() per ammin on an output equal tu that of last \ear.