Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1911. OUR DAIRY PRODUCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10196, 25 March 1911, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1911. OUR DAIRY PRODUCE.

The Haw-era Star has lately had an oportunity of reading some London criticism of colonial dairy produce wliich is worthy of' being brought under the notice of the public, and especially of the dairying industry. A London firm handling colonial dahy produce writes out to a Taranak.i Company.:—"We have the plea-' sure to enclose account sales of your .shipment of butter: ex ■ ■ ——. We have been passing, through, a very bad time, and have had a rotten market here. Many of oiir competitors were selling butter out of this steamer at 102s, and scarcely anyone asked more than 104s. It looked at one moment as though the price of finest New Zealand would get down below 100s.' We stood firm, however, and refused to sell at lesa than 106s, which we ultimately succeeded in obtaining," So far the writers tell a story which the correspondence of most companies will confirm. But a paragraph which follows breaks other ground, and is of greater interest. It says:— "We think it advisable to tell you that we notice your butter -turns off quickly in flavour after being exposed to the normal temperature, and we believe this is entirely owing to its having been pasteurised. The majority of the factories whose butter we handle do not pasteurise, and we find that their butter stands better after being defrosted. This is particularly the case with the .— — butter and the . When your butter is first landed and full of frost it is as good as other factories, but after it has been exposed to normal temperature for a few days it does not compare favourably, with others, which stand mucH better.

We mention this to you because we . have a very strong opinion, and have | had for years, that pasteurising is a great'mistake, as it takes away the finest properties of the butter. Fur- j ther, we think it must be an expense to you which might well be saved. . . . • . We may mention, furither, that in the opinion of most of the judges here pasteurisation is the I one tiling which has caused deterior- j ation in the quality of Danish butter, which is not now of the higii standard of quality that it used to be before pasteurisation became gen- ( eral." This letter raises a question of the utmost importance to '••■ the dairy companies, because pasteurisation is being extended, and the day is looked for when it will; be general throughout the Dominion. How far are the writers correct in their con- : demnation? One very curious thing is that the letter happens to have been addressed to a company which I does not pasteurise. That, of course, may be due to an accident in the clerical department, and though too much importance need not be at- j taclied to the mistake, it is. rather j curious that the comparison should have been drawn against an output which is not pasteurised. However, there can be very little doubt that the writers from their experience (which we may say is extensive) are strongly opposed to tho process. Are they right? We have seen reports from London houses which give an entirely different verdict on butter which has been made from the pasteurised material. Here are samples just taken at random: VTexture good"; "flavour clean," and there is added the comment, "brisk, fancy." And so on with other reports on the pa steurised article. Then it is common knowledge that pasteurised has taken the chief place at Palmerston for three successive years, though it is judged under similar those which would occur in the London warehouse. It in also known that Mr J. O'Dea swept tho board at" most .important shows with pasteurised. The Departmental experts j are understood to be strong a-dvo-j cates of the pasteurisation. So' that j the process seems to be well slip- j ported from the practical point of] view - as. v also f roin :>the theoretical. 1 Yet the decided opinions quoted from v Rations -f^;'©?:^^^ -fii&'b^ they should receive attention from' the dairy companies and" the departmental authorities. The statements as to the falling off in the quality of Danish take us rather by surprise,for the •.cabled- returns this season seem to "show that Danish is' holding" its own fairly well in respect of price and that relatively, to colonial there is a much larger margin in its fav- - our than there has been in the past -years. However, we call attention to the matter in the interest of the producer, and shall be glad to see the matter further discussed. While on the subject we wish to refer to another complaint from London. This relates to cheese. It is complained that much of the New Zealand cheese cuts . badly, disclosing faults in the way of air-holes. We have, before us photographs of sec-j tions of New Zealand cheese and of 1 English. The latter shows a clear, solid, unblemished face, while the New Zealand article is badly marked by the "open make." It is a matter ..which needs attention on the part of makers,.^'for •already the retail buyers are prov-' ing somewhat shy of buying /without having cheeses cut. This want of •confidence leads to serious difficulty, and the fault u:-t-Js to be remedied in the interest of all uartit-s.