GUEESE, BUTTER and BACON IN NEW ZEALAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1737, 23 August 1883, Page 2

GUEESE, BUTTER and BACON IN NEW ZEA L A ND.

The Value of a Cow.— How a Factory Pays. 11. In a previous issue we published the fiist article of a benes on the above subject. In doing so we demonstrated toourioadeis that the want of a sufficiently large and remunerative market was not the impediment which it lias for some time past been repiescuted to be. We will now deal with a few matters of detail which, though of apparently minor consideration, are still of tiie highest importance in guilding those engaged in the manufacture ot cheese and bacon in the economical carrying ou of the industry, whether as carried on in factory form, or by private enterprise. In demonstrating to the farmers the value of each individual cow, Mr Bowron says: — "In all estimates of this kind the quality of the cow and the pasture on which she feeds must be taken into account. The old proverb runs, "Milk enteis in at the mouth." One factory in Holland with 600 cows repoits the aveiasze per day of 1,500 gallons, or 15,0001bs of milk." A dairy in Foilslaud, Holland, states their cows aveiage dining the season 850 gallons, or 8500 1b each. In 1879 a dairy in Middlesex supplying milk for London consumption avei aged per cow 730 gallons, or 7300 lb each. In America the average yield of the cows in one dairy is reported at 680 gallons, or 6800 lb per annum. Fiom that quantity of milk Gcwt. of cheese was pi oduced. Mr Grey's account of his pike dairy in Canada is as follows :— " We find our best milk cows when they first calve to give from 4 to 5 gallons, or 401b to 501b of milk per day, and in some instances to exceed that quantity on grass alone. We estimate their average yield for the first three months after calving at 3£ gallons, or 351b per day ; for the next three months at 2h gallons, or 251b ; and for the next three months at 2 gallons, or 201b per day, or an average yield for forty weeks of over 2\ gallons, or 271b per day, makan aggregate of 702 gallons, or 79201b of milk as the pioduce of each cow for the year. This quantity represents 6^cwt of cheese. In England and America they calculate upon grass for six months only ; here we calculate upon grass for from eight to nine months. New Zealand cows during forty weeks will aveiage not less than 2 gallons, or 201b of ni'lk per clay. This estimate is believed to be below the m.irk, Two gallons per day is 500 gallons or 56001b per season of 40 weeks ; that quantity at 4d per gallon will give the farmer £9 for each cow. But how stands the factoiy ? 500 gallons of milk lepicsent scwt. of cheese. Dispose of that at GUI per lb, that will give the factory tor each cow £15. Now, take a factory of 800 cows ; each cow produces 5 ew t, that is 4,000 cwt. of cheese ; that quantity at GUI per lb. will produce in the season a sum of £12,000. The farmers receive £7,200 of this amount, leaving a balance for the factory of i' 4,800 to pay working expenses and dividend. This does not incliulc the profits from the pigs. It may be said that rill estimates appear excellent in figuies, but what aie the piofits? There are few good farmers in England who do not realise £20 per cow per annum, and theio are some known to have avenged £24 per cow. Thiough good management in thp dairy, in one instanet!, alter lent and contingent expenses weie paid, the surplus pioduce of the daiiy enabled the fanner to pin chase and pay for his faim." Mr Bowron does not oveilook the importance of the manager' of a factoiy being a skilled and expeiienced man, and ad\ i&es that the best men be secured fiom England or Amciica. And here a \eiy important point is touched upon, and one which our faimeit would do well to considei. The pamphlet siys :— A few good nun will soon teach otheis. Eveiy fictory will be a .school whcic farmcis' sons and daught'is may be taught the ait of cheese maUiug. Young niun ought to give the labour ol one season of foity weeks for the privilege of learning the art of ehee.semaking. A factoiy for a daiiy of 80C cows would lequirc seven hands, one ol these to look after the pigs. Eight bundled pigs would bo fattened; the profit from thi.se would not bo less than £1 10< per head. That would give £1,200 te pay wages and working expenses. £G0( would be required for wages. It wil thus be seen that X'GOOO— £4,BOO fiom the cheese, and £1,200 fiom the pigs— woulc be available for the payment of wages, woiking expenses, inteicst, and dividend, , In England, for pig fattening purposes, the whey fiom the milk of each cow is valued at £2 10s." A.s to the deHveiy oi the milk at the factories, it may be wel to de\ote a little space to this important matter, for such it is evidently considered by the wiittr. He says : "Some think the faetoiies should collect the milk, This would be an expensive and difficult matter. Farmeis contend that once a day is sufficient to deliver milk. This lias proved to lead to failure. In cold weather, if confidence can be placed ir the integrity of all who can supply milk, it may do ; but in warm weather it is impossible for all to deliver their milk sweet and fit for cheese-making purposes, 10 gallons of milk slightly turned woiilri spoil 500 gallons. There are other rea sons why milk should be delivered twice a day. In hot weather it is absolutely necessary to run the milk into curd loefore the morning's milk is delivered al the factory. The best cheese-maker in the woi ld can never make good quality from sour milk. The proper method ie for the farmer to deliver the milk at the factory, and to deliver it morning and evening " It has not come under our notice that American cheese boves have as yet been introduced into the Wdikato, though, according to the work, portions of which we are new endeavouring to lay before our readers, they are of the gieatest importance in the export oi storage of this valuable product. Regarding this subject : " The Americans tried many plans, but never succeeded until they invented the round box, each to contain one cheese. In London the boxes can be stowed away for months without deterioration to the cheese. No other method of packing can be found to answer so well. Captain Runciman, of Hamilton, Waikato, who, in his recent visit to America, procured all the necessary machinery to split the wood and make the boxes, or the timber ready prepared, so that the box can be put together when and where it is needed. The transit of cheese is an important consideration. Without steamers and their refrigerating appliances it would be impossible to senel cheese to London. Not that cheese requires a temperature down to freezing point ; 50° or so° Fall, is all that is needed, and there is no difficulty in the way excepting the quantity of cheese. It appears that at present a company will not fit up a chamber for a less quantity thau 100 tons. To meet this difficulty twelve factories at least would be required, each capable of turning out eight or ten tons per month. In the comparison between large and saiall cheese factories it is necessary to bear in mind that if 600 cows are pastured within a radius of three miles from the factoiy, no valid objections can be raised against large factories. The same applies to private dairies. One farmer ma}', have 600 or SOO cows upon his land j the milk in his case woulel be near at hand, consequently would suffer no eleterioration by the transit from the field to the factory. When milk is collected from a distance of six or seven miles it is frequently exposed to the hot rays of a morning sun, which seriously affects its I keeping properties, and what is still worse is the late delivery at the factory. From two or three hours of the best part of the day for cheese-making purposes arc lost, and the operations necessarily extended into late hours of the > evening. The delay, to say the least of it, is injuri,ousto y the whole process, and ought to tbe avoided. There are^ao^raany <adyanrn p^ |niilks^tha^4h^practie"ej^c^n6ti,bV'CQ^

cows would be 500 gallons of milk, the management of which would require two men and a strong boy, at a cost of not less than £230. If we estimate the management of a factory of moderate aize at £1 per cow, years of experience show that it is not far from the mark."