THE MANUFACTURE OF ENGLISH CHEESE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2103, 24 September 1885, Page 2

THE MANUFACTURE OF ENGLISH CHEESE.

The statement was lately made that the .winner of the Royal Agricultural Society's flrat prize for the best-managed dairy farm in' the counties of Salop, •Stafford, and Hereford is accustomed to realise lOd per imperial gallon for his milk—not sold direct, but manufactured at home'into cheese and butter. As further particulars have been asked for on this point, how he manages, to do. this, they are now briefly supplied' from the report of Mr John Coleman, who, with his colleagues—Mr Richard Stratton and 111 George, Street—officiated as judges of the/farms in question. Mr W. Nunhttley, who won.the first prize, occupiAlß7 acres, -of which 127 are grass ana 60 arable; at Dearnford Hall, Whitchurch, Salop., He keeps theveon 50 cows, 136 sheep, and64pigs. The report says:— "During the winter the cows, although dry, or, at' any rate, not giving much inDk, .are well-fed, viz., long hay or straw, and 661b of- swedes given whole to the cows, and sliced or fingered for the Keifers,* with 31b of mixed cotton or Unseed cake, ■ In summer, cows in full/ milk have as much as 61b a day of decor-* ticated cotton -cake. This extremely liberal, scale of feediug explains the extraordinary amount of stock kept. For, though the cows aro turned out to grass on April 24th, only seventy-five acres of grass are provided for the summer grazing of fifty cows, four horses* at night, and the young calves. A special description of sour cheese for the Manchester market is made, acidity bein? obtained by adding a small quantity of old (sour) milk. Blue mould forms rapidly, and this class of cheese can be sold at from six to eight weeks old. Delicate and careful manipulation is required in the process, but with Mrs Nunnerley's careful and systematic management success. - is insured. About one-third of "the cM&m from the night's milk is removed. comparatively largo proportion is justified by the high condition in which the cows are kept. Indeed, it is most probable that the cheese would hot bo of such a uniform quality, and would be more difficult to manipulate if more cream were retained. The usual price obtained is 70s a cwt, of 1211bs. In 1882 the ' price was 665; in 1883,705.". In 1883 \ Mr Nunnerley's dairy returns were as follows:

Total, £25 7s 2d per cow £119119 4 The judges remark on the above," the foregoing are figures, indicating results probably almost unique in the experience of cheesemakers. The actual weight of oheese in 1883 was 26,0741b, which gives an average per bow ' of 4cwt 3qr 221b, Comparing the retMi of 1883 with that of a milk-selling faßi, we must deduct from the total the sum which would be received from calves sold at birth,, assumed at £IOO, and we have £lO9l 19s 4d as the amount realised for Mr Nunnerley's milk, which works out a fraction over- lOd a gallon, „

£ s. d, Cheese from 47 cows ... 766 2 0 Butter ... ... : 108 7 4 Whey, valued at 50s a cow 117 10 0 Calves soM 110 0 0 Calves reared, 15 calves, . £2 30 0 0