FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 August 1919, Page 11

FARM AND DAIRY.

THE MANUFACTURE OF CHEESE. QUESTION. OF STANDARD BUTTERFAT CONTENT. The question of a standard butter-fat content for cheese, which wns mooted by Mr. J, S. Connett, chairman of the Bell Block Dairy Company, at the last annual meeting of the National Dairy Association, is evoking considerable interest among dairy farmers, as is' evidenced from the fact that the matter lias formed the subject of discussion at the annual meetings of several dairy factories this season. The subject was introduced at the annual meeting of the Eltham Dairy Company on Saturday by Mr. Cocker, who stated that Mr. Connett, when speaking at Okato, had remarked that, owing to the fact that their test was so high on account of the number of pedigree Jersey breeders who supplied Bell Block factory they would not be able to pay out so high as factories with a lower average test, and he considered that there should be a standard fixed for the butter-fat, content in cheese Mr. Cocker said that it stood to reason that when the test was low in January, November and December, say 3.4, it cost them less per pound of cheese than it cost when tfee test averaged 4.4 to 4.6. As chairman of the A'rarata Dairy Company he had brought the matter/ before his directors.. He pointed out that cheese was sold at 10|d per pound, whereas but-ter-fat was worth 2a Id. According to the Act it was not legal for any factory to partially skim the milk at the latter end of the season when it ynys impossible to incorporate all the butter-fat in the cheese, but he knew of some factories that did it. At some of its branches Eltham had a very high average test, and it seemed to him that as they g ut the same price {or the cheese made in November, December and January, when the test was low as they did when the test averaged from 4,f> to 4.6, would, it not be a good thing to get the law altered so as to allow of the milk being skimmed down? It seemed a reasonable proposition, and ho considered Mr. J. is. i Connett was on the right track. The chairman said that this opened up a big question, and he did not know 1 how it would act, say, in their own company, where the tests varied at the different branches. At Wingrpve Koad, for instance, the supply was from practically al) Jersey cows. He did not consider he waß qualified to speak without kn »wing more of the subject, He pointed out that formerly it used to be considered it was not a commercial proposition to make cheese at the end of the season, and most dairy factories then reverted to the manufacture of butter. Now, however, there was stick a wide discrepancy between the pries paid for butter-fat in butter and much as (id per pound—that factories kept manufacturing cheese as long as possible. ■ Mr. Cocker considered the chairman missed the point, which was, Would it not be possible to get the law altered to provido for a standard butter-fat content? At present cheese was called full cream cheese, whether the milk contained 3 per cent, or 4,4 per cent, of butter-fat.

The chairman pointed out that Mr. Cuddie, the Dairy Commissioner, was against the proposal. Mr. .T. h. Campbell said that cheese only took a certain amount of butterSat, and what was over went into the ■whey, so that they got the benefit of it in that direction. Therefore it was just as broad as it was long. A supplier asked whether they got the extra amount of butter-fat in the whey in proportion to the test. The manager replied in the affirmative. A shareholder considered it would ruin the industry altogether if they were to send partially skim milk cheese Home. The subject then dropped. The pedigree Jersey cow "Seashore," which recently finished her Bemi-officia! test with 4961bs of butter-fat, has fust given birth to a bull calf. She was recently purchased from Mr. W. H. Tipping by Mr. R, C. Henry, of Bell Block l MIDHIRST CHEESE FACTORY. (Contributed). The owner of the above factory (Mr. Neilsen), reports a very successful season for 1918-19. This factory is a large roomy building, built in concrete, and capable pf handling four vats of milk, the capacity of each being SfiQOlbs or 850 gallons. There is a larg« curing room in wduch 150 tons of cheese can be stored. .The site has been pronounced by Mr. Giddia, the Government Dairy Commissioner, « 9 far and away the best in the district for a dairy factory. With commendable pluck Mr. Neilsen started this factory wfth a guarantee of 200 cows, the guarantors being five suppliers. A* tl\» season advanced this 1 number was increased to nine, and at the present time the number of suppliers is eighteen, and Mr. Neilsen is making arrangements to deal with the milk for the enmiing season from approximately 800 cows- This is surety a marvellous growth for a factory established scarcely a year, and speaks volumes for the management and the need existing for a cheese factory in Midhirst. of the attractive features of Mr. , Neilsen's business methods is the payout system adopted by him. For tne past season lie has paid Is lOd per lb butter-fat every month, thereby avoiding tfiie deferred payment system, miscalled a bonus. It must be apparent to any farmer that Is lOd in the pocket every mouth is better than a problematical Is . IOJd at the end of a year, or perhaps two years. It may be said that this is not a wonderfully good price, but considering the lean year us regards milk yields, and the small number of suppliers (live) it must be voted verv good. The pay-out of Is lOd monthly has beaten the local factory (butter) by a very large margin. The cheese factory has also given added importance to Midhirst, and been badly needed for many years, as is shown by its amazing growth. The progressive farmers of the district are recognising this. In the agreement "with Mr. Neilsen signed by each supplier, a olaiiso is inserted whereby at the end of each season, by giving one month's notice, the suppliers can take the factory over from Mr. Neilsen, and run it on co-operative lines.