THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 383, 17 January 1899, Page 2

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Mr George Fixn, managing director of the Wellington Fresh Food and Ice Company (Limited), who has been making a tour of both Islands, was in Hamilton on Saturday, and during his short stay between the arrival of the train at 9.30 a.m. and his departure in the afternoon for Auckland our reporter interviewed him with the object of obtaining some particulars relating to the dairy system lie advocates and gleaning any other information which might prove of interest to Waikato dairymen. The firm Mr Finn represents are agents for Sharpies Farm Cream Separators, which bid fair to revolutionise the present method of factory butter-making. These machines, said Mr Finn, have come grcaily into favour in New South Wales, where thousands are now being used, and as New Zealand is very much better adapted than Australia on account of the climate, I see no reason why the home separation system should not be worked with the grea'cst success in this colony. There, he continued, some of the cream lias to be brought in 200 miles to the central factory, and, strange though it may seem, some of the best cream comes the longest distance. Nor is it necessary that the creun should be sent in every day. At our factory in Wellington City in the warm weather it is seut down four days a week, in the autumn three days a week, and in the winter only twice a week. The idea that cream must insiantly be taken to the creamery is a mistaken one, and the Saturday's and Sunday's cream is all sent down together on Monday. A day or two makes little or no difference, and the cream ripens together beautifully and makes a nice even butter. In answer to a question as to the price paid, Mr Finn supplied the following list : September, 8d per lb butter-fat ; October to month of March, 7£d psrlb butterfat ; April aud May, 8d per lb butterfat ; June, July and August, 9d per lb butter-fat ; delivered on rail at suppliers' nearest railway station. Wo draw most of our cream, said he, from distances 100 miles from Wellington, and some lots come over 120 miles. One of the greatest advantages of our system is the reduction in the cost of labour. The waste of time in carting milk to the factory under the present system in Waikato is enormous. Our method is to have the cream brought in by carters, so that all the supplier has to do is to separate his milk and put it on a platform erected for the purpose in readiness for the carter, and we pay all freight. The suppliers cool the nights' cream down before mixing it with that of the morning. Perhaps there may be three batches of cream from one man in one can. We put the whole of the cream together and allow it to stand for 10 or 12 hours in order to ripen. The different degrees in the ripeness of the cream make no difference, and no fault could be found with the flavour of the butter. In reply to a question as to whether each individual supplier's cream would be kept separate, Mr Finn said the carters who collected the cream carried scales and weighed it, and, after taking samples in bottles, mixed all the cream together ; but that there is noYeason why each mau should not have his own cans, or tvhy two or three or more small men should not combine. If the suppliers preferred, they might single out a line of road of so many miles, and those within the radius take it week about to do the carting; but this is only a mere matter of detail. The great advantage with this separator is that it requires no attentiou when once it is set working. A mau does the milking, pours in a sufficient quantity of milk, and the machine does the rest. It is a marvel of simplicity, and a child of ten can work it. The cost of the smaller steam machine is £39 ; the larger one £52, and the one worked by hand is sold for £22. We sell them on the time-payment system. In our district it is a significant fact that a number of suppliers living next door to a creamery separate their own cream and send it on to us. Ido uot advise throwing over the creameries in those cases where they are giving satisfaction ; but in the majority of instances the Home separation will pay best, as it makes such a great saving in the working expenses. Referring to the market for butter, Mr Finn said : We sell one-third of our butter locally aud the remainder is sent Home when there is uot the slightest difficulty in obtaining a market. The idea that butter cannot be satisfactorily placed for export is simply absurd. All the big firms iu England are represented in New Zealand, aud if the buyers do not come to Waikato it is simply because there is no butter to be had. A certain amount of value is attached to a well-known brand, such as the Anchor, but there were other good butters made in the colony besides that. I am positive that the Anchor brand of butter does not realise a fraction of a penny more than ours, and if the quality of the butter went off the Anchor brand would be practically worthless We can now deal with cream as a commercial commodity just the same as we can with milk.

Asked as to his impressions ol the Waikato, Mr Finn said: I consider the Waikato a splendid dairying district, making all allowances for an exceptional year such as I am told this is. For growing crops I think you are equally as well off as they are hi Taranaki, where a great deal of land is under bush. I think you underrate the value of land in Waikato very much. In Taranaki it is impossible to get any land at £7 or £S an acre. There the prices range from :t'l2to£l4. People are willing to give £1 per acre reuta! for land, and this has no doubt a great deal do to with fixing the selling price. The starting of factories on this system lias increased the value of land considerably, and at Mangatoki, Mania and Waimate there is now no trouble in getting £1 an acre for land for dairying purposes. In reply to a question as to the tcstiug of cream, Mr Finn said : We do all our testing with the Babcock machine, and I consider if it is properly manipulated it will give exactly the same return as a chemical analysis, It all depends on the acid used ; if the acid is either too weak or too strong it will not record the correct test. The difference between butterfat purchased and manufactured butter is about 15 per cent. In Taranaki the average butter-fat containad in the milk pans out about 3'9 ; there 3*6 would be considered a very low average Twopence half-penny a gallon I consider too low a price altogether.

Tho next question cur representative put was with reference to the statement made by Mr Busck, the Government grader, that pastuerisiug milk would enable farmers to use winter foods, such as turnips, etc. That is a statement said Mr Finn that I would like to sec borne out. I believe it is quite hue to a certain extent, but am not absolutely sure of it. This system is in vogue in the South, and the butter appears to turn out all right. It is necessary, however, to cut off the tops and bottoms of the turnips, as those are the portions that contain the most flavouring matter. 1 here is no doubt that turnips are used very extensively for winter feeding in the South.

In answer to a question as to the possibility of his firm opening in Waikato, Mr Finn, said : My trip through the Waikato has been purely one of pleasure and the idea of commencing dairy operations in this district never occurred to us. Nevertheless, if a guarantee was forthcoming, it was quite possible that we would do so. If in Waikato they had the raw material, there would not be the slightest difficulty in getting the plant. The commencement of this system in the Waikato would benefit the whole district, and have the effect of raising the price of milk at the factory j competition

is, without doubt, the life of trade Again, I must say that the value of land is underrated in the Waikato. I think you would have no difficulty in obtainhie; 10d per lb for butter in Auckland, and B.Jd or SJd for the Home market, and, if these prices are realised in the South, I fail to sec why they cannot be obtained in Waikato.