THE DAIRY YEAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1922, Page 7

THE DAIRY YEAR.

DIRECTOR SURVEYS RESULTS. BUTTER AND CHEESE PRODUCTION. CASEIN AND MILK POWDER. ‘‘Every dairy district in. the Dominion experienced a season particularly favorable to an abundant growth of feed for dairy cattle,” states., G the Director of the Dairy Division ; in th# report of the Department ture for the year 1921-22. “jp districts , the wiirter of 1921 was-mild,-and a .comparatively plentiful supply offeed during that period ensured the cows coming into profit in good condition in the spring. Owing to copious rains throughoiit the summer, the succulence of the pasturage was unusually well maintained, and the cows thus recived a good chance to maintain their yield. The production as represented by the grading shows an increase of 31.25 per cent, for butter and a decrease of 1.94 per cent, for cheese. The slight decrease on cheese is merely due to market fluctuations, and the consequent changing over in a number of districts from the manufacture of cheese to butter.” Other statements in the report are quoted below. The following table shows the quantities of butter and cheese forwarded to grading stores for grading during the year ended March 31, 1922:

BUTTER. The quality of creamery butter has been well maintained, and in a number of districts has actually improved. Of the 1,554,932 boxes of creamery butter exported to Britain, 1,463,881 boxes were first grade, 90,905 second grade, and 146 third grade. Butters coming from well-equipped and well-managed factories as a rule show a suitable percentage and uniformity of water-content. There are, however, a number of managers who have too little regard for their responsibilities. Their butter may be found con- ; taining too little water one day and too I much the next. Such management is • costly to the dairy factory and a men- . ace to the industry. The graders have I found it necessary to exert the greatest ■ care in not passing butters containing | moisture in excess of the legal limit. It j would appear that provision will short- | ly have to be made to enable a greater i number of samples to be tested, and severe penalties inflicted in cases where ; butter forwarded for grading and export is found to contain more than the legal limit of I’4 per,cent, of water. CHEESE. The cheese which came forward for grading during the season 1921-22 in most districts showed some improvement in quality over that of preceding seasons. Of a total of 955,729 crates of cheese exported to Britain during the year ended March 31, 1922, 898,607 were first grade, 56,813 second grade, and 309 third grade. There is still room for considerable improvement in the dressing of the cheese. Much cheese showed evidence of insufficient pressing before dressing, and also of hurried and apparently careless work at this time, which resulted in an inferior finish. Lack of attention to these details may mean a doubling-in of the bandage, which leads to cracks that permit mould-growth to penetrate into the cheese, necessitating the discarding of portions when the cheese is cut It is hoped that factory managers will take greater interest in this phase of the work, which, although generally regarded as a detail, is nevertheless of very great importance. HEATED CHEESE. There was some delay in shipipng from New Zealand the cheese made towards the latter end of the 1920-21 season. Some of this cheese arrived in Britain diving their 1921 summer months, and some as late as September. There was probably more dissatisfaction and loss respecting the shipment than had previously been connected with New Zealand cheese exports during the last two decades. The complaint. was mostly to the effect that the cheese was overheated and damaged at the ends. As soon as advice was received efforts were made to locate the cause of the trouble. It was known that some cheese had deteriorated to some extent in store while awaiting shipment, and had got overheated before going on board the over seas steamer. It was also known that cheese in apparently good condition been shipped and had. opened up at :\>e other, end in an unsatisfactory condition. There was evidently room for improve ment in the whole chain of handlings to which some of our cheese was subjected. The matter was taken up with the shipping companies and the factory managers concerned. The companies storing the cheese prior to shipment have also given the matter earnest attention. It is fortunate that the cheese of the 1921-22 makd is arriving oh the British market in a condition which, up to the time of writing, has produced no complaints. SKIMMED-MILK CHEESE. One dairy company during the past season has been manufacturing at one of its , branch factories cheese from milk a portion of which had been skimmed. If the monetary returns be such as to induce an extension of this innovation in New Zealand cheese manufacture, and a greater proportion of part skimmed-milk cheese be ■ made, the question of determining on a df- | ferent grading standard and method of I branding may require further consideraS'tion. According to the present regulaB J tions under the Dairy Industry Act, it is I quite legal for cheese from part skimmed I milk to be exported, provided the brandI ing be in conformity with the requireI ments. It is advisable, however, that ; dairy companies should not be precipitate in diverting their cheese manufacture from ! that of whole milk. CASEIN. R The manufacture of casein has been car--1 ried on at quite a number of centres durr ing the past season. The choice has largely been in favor of the manufacture of the lactic acid variety. Some improvement in opditv been noted, and it is

considered that more care has been given to the manufacture. The manufacture of rennet casein has been given a good deal of attention with a view to improving the quality. It is now considered that New Zealand can (from certain factories) turn out a rennet casein which will compare favorably with the product of France, which is considered by the trade as setting the standard of quality. MILK POWDER. A large quantity of powder from both whole and skimmed milk was manufa? tured during the spring and summer months, and it is reported that the quality has been good. Climatic conditions have been especially favorable in the districts in which milk powder factories arc located. This fact, together with the supply from a large number of additional cows, caused a considerable increase in the aggregate output. The latter was rather beyond immediate requirement', and most of the factories discontinued in February or March the manufacture of milk powder and diverted to cheese, or butter and casein. It is understood th^ 1 the manufacture of milk powder is likely to be resumed next spring as usual.

Auckland Butter. Cwt. 490,646 Cheese. Cwt. 176,108 Gisborne 11.172 New Plymouth 90,301 197.008 Patea 26,838 254,346 Wanganui 22,188 15,540 Wellington 157,119 300447 Lyttelton 42,557 36.001 Timaru 1,748 7.759 Dunedin 24,812 43,113 Bluff 14,972 175.947 Totals . 882,353 1,206,341