FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1917, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

MILK AND FEED FLAVORS. Each year tlie vexed question of feed flavors is threshed out by many dairy factory suppliers at annual meetings, with very little definite result, and each tmtumn factory managers tind themselves up against the problem of eliminating from the manufactured article, as far as possible, the flavors in the milk caused by suppliers feeding cows on turnips, rape, etc., in a successful endeavor to maintain the vield of milk.

ln convocation with a Ken's representative, a factory manager again gave a warning against this injudicious feeding. His butter had. so far, this year graded as high or higher (ran last year, and lie had no doubt his average grade for the season at Moturoa would show an improvement on last year, unless too much turnip feeding was indulged in later in the year. Suppliers were apt to rely too mueh on the pasteuriser to deal with feed flavors, hut this would not overcome it. He had personally tried to eliminate these flavors by putting the milk through (the pasteuriser twice, once at a temperature of 1(S0 degrees and again at 210 degrees, but without success, lie does not object to turnip feeding, provided it is judiciously carried out, for he acknowledges that last year the best cream received at the factory was from a supplier who regularly fed his cows on turnips. The man who was a menace to the industry was the careless farmer who left his cows on the turnips all day, and. only owned- up to hiilf-an-hour. Unless the reputation and price of New Zealand butter on the London market was to suffer, particular care must be taken with regard to feed values. While the demand is keen there may be no depreciation in value noticeable but when times are again normal, and the demand is probably not so great, then the bfitter with the feed flavor will s'ifl'er, anil may incidentally affect the whole of our New Zealand supply, as probably the majority of the Home consumers have hazy idea of this country, and if they happen to find one brand of butter unpalatable would infer that New Zealand butter was all alike. We cannot, he said, be too jealous of the reputation that we have built up |after many years of unremitting attention and hard work. All factories now have up-to-date plants, and expert managers and stalls who are willing to do their best, and surely the fanner who supplies the- raw material and receives the cheques, should also do his utmost to assist hy providing milk • from which a lirst-class article can be made. Quantity rather than quality appeals to home, but it will prove in the long run the wrong policy.

T. L. JOLL CO.'S COW-TESTING ASSOCIATION. 5 The following aVe the results tor the period ending December 27, 191(1; TEX HIGHEST HERDS. Cows. Lbs milk. Test. Lbs fat. 22 1247 ;).!) 48.'!8 9 1170 3.9 46.10 31 1029 4.2 43.30 39 1038 4.1 42.09 40 Util 4.3 41.10 »2 1120 3.0 40.07 32 1005 3.8 38.87 32 n-2G - 4.0 37.90 10 832 4.5 37.77 32 914 4.1 37.71 TEN LOWEST HERDS. 41 663 3.7 24.74 "57 781 3.4 20.89 29 SOO 3.0 25.51 ",(! 703 , 3.S 20.02 51 'BIO 3.S , 30.59 48 ' 801 3.0 30.74 38 577 3.5 30.85 08 895" 3.5 SISO 15 759 4.1 31.35 26 90(1 3.5 31.03

The average Association cow gave 9221bs milk, 3.8 test, M.lllhs fat; the best cow gave lOMlbs milk, 4.0 test, 7-5.901bs fat; the worst'cow gave 4051bs mill?, 3.0 test, 12.1Slbs fat. '