DAIRY PROGRESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19723, 14 December 1926, Page 11

DAIRY PROGRESS

QUALITY IMPROVING • EFFECTS OF SCALE OF ADVANCES An encouraging note is sounded in a report relating to this season’s dairy produce, which h*as been forwarded to the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. O. J. Hawkcn) by the Director of the Dairy Division (Mr W. M. Singleton). Better and cheese have recorded a disliuiet improvement iu quality, and the principal stimulus towards the iin,provement is held to be that of differential advance payments according to quality introduced by the Dairy Control Board. “The increased supplies of butter from the Baltic States and Siberia, together with increased quantities during recent yfars from Argentine,” states ihe report, “have caused New Zealand dairymen to realise that, at least in the immediate future, competition will be keen, and that good quality is of paramount importance. In view of the fact that milk may bo manufactured into butter of cheese, it is further recognised that cheese is not likely to be in short supply as a rule and that good quality is as necessary in cheese as in butter. The spring can scarcely be «iid to have been uniformly favourable for production. The corresponding period of 1925 was doubtless still less favourable, however, since for the August-November period this year we have an increased production amounting to 7.6’per cent. We are, however, some 4 por cent, below the production of the corresponding period of .1924. There is, therefore, some leeway to make up on quantity. Improved Quality

“Climatic conditions have been more favourable to quality than to quantity of dairy produce. There has also been a general move forward by dairy farmers and factory managers with respect to quality in both butter and cheese. The manner in which the producers and managers are co-operating with the Department towards effecting improvement is to be commended. Dairy companies in some districts have been preparing for this push forward during the past twelve months, and from time to time during that period I have been requested to approve of additional farm dairy instructors to assist dairy farmers in producing a belter quality of milk and cream. These requests have come mostly from the North Island, although a number came from the South Island. The result of the general efforts towards improvement has been gratifying. Usualty spring quality of butter and cheese is not as good as the average for the season, but the quality of butter this spring is practically identical with the average quality for all last season, while cheese shows marked improvement over last season’s average. Graders’ Reports “The following quotations are from recent reports from dairy produce graders, each quotation having reference to one grading port: “Hutter.—Quality shows improvement; the quality as compared wlca last year has improved; the quality of butter is still keeping good and it is evident the companies are striving ro maintain this; quality well maintained, about 75 per cent of butter graded during the past fortnight was classed as ‘finest. ’ u Cheese. —A wonderful improvement has taken place in the quality of tire cheese at Patea. Some of the factories that were turning out only medium quality cheese last year seem to he aiming at something better. It ?s pleasing to see many of them scoring ‘finest.’ The great number of pasteurisers operating has had some effect nt increasing the percentage of ( finest. ’ cheese, but the greater interest in producing a better article is the greatest contributing factor. Dairy Cion tool Board “It is the general concensus of opinion that ihe principal stimulus towards this praiseworthy improvement is .the differential advance payments in accordance with quality. The board Is therefore to be commended for its action, and to it in the final analysis belongs much of the credit for the improvement in the quality of butter and' cheese this season. Comparative Prices “It has, at times, been stated,” concludes the report “that Australian butter was selling as high as New Zealand. There have been times wnen Australian was in short supply and on these occasions the statement' may have been according to fact. I give below the average as figured from tye High Commissioner’s cablegrams since January 1 last to show that the relative positions are much as heretofore: Danish, 180 s lOd; New Zealand, 167 s 10a; Australian, J64s 2d; Argentine, Js7s sd; Siberia, 146 s Bd.”