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ship over to Ireland, and did really ship over, some of their casks. They do the work much cheaper in Holland, and turn out splendid casks. 617. Do you know if casks could be made up there and sent out here and used for any purpose during the voyage ? —No, I think not. They could be brought over in staves and made up here, or the boxes could be brought over in pieces and put together here. 618. From your own knowledge of the trade, do you think it would be well, in order to make our butter fit for the market, to bring out kegs from Home ?—Most decidedly. 619. And you recommend that ?—I do ; I mean, to bring out the timber for the packages. 620. Do you think the shape of the kegs or boxes has much to do with the sale of butter afterwards?—l consider that the package influences the price of butter at least Id. a pound. 621. And which is the best package?—ln my opinion, the 561b. box is the best, lined with parchment paper. With regard to the making of the butter, I think it can be made best by dairyfactories, where they have every modern appliance, and where there is a skilful man to manipulate and carry out the process. It is possible for a farmer with tw 7 enty or thirty cows to make very good butter on the old system, with hand-churns, but at the same time he is at a disadvantage where there is a co-operative dairy. 622. Mr. Marchant.] Do you think it would be a wise step of the Government to obtain a thoroughly practical man—say, a Dane—to come out here and give people practical advice as to the management of milk, and the making of first- class butter?—l think it would be a source of considerable benefit to the colony to have such a man here, who was a thorough expert, and whose services were placed at the disposal of the various dairy people, to advise and instruct them as to the process of butter-making. 623. Mr. Dodson.] Do I understand you to say that the Danes first commenced the system of inspection and giving instruction, and that the Swedes are now following their example?— Yes. 624. Mr. Mackenzie.] Do you believe that the conditions which obtain in New Zealand are favourable to the making of first-class butter?— Most decidedly. 625. Mr. Marchant.] I understood from you that, generally speaking, the butter-producing countries of Europe now supplying the English market have nearly reached their limit of production? —Yes. 626. Well, that being the case, there ought to be a very bright future before the butterproducers in New Zealand, if they can only turn out a good article, suitable for the English market?— They ought to do a very large trade with the English market during at least six months of the year, and in the other six months they ought to monopolize a portion of the cheese trade. 627. Can you give any idea, roughly 7 , of what really good butter sent from here might be expected to fetch in the English market during the six months of the year to which you have referred ?—I may tell you at once that at the present time we are suffering from temporary overproduction of produce in all parts of the world. In America and Canada the make of cheese and butter at present is enormous, and far in excess of any previous year. Our firm imported from Canada in June the finest dairy-factory butter which could, be produced, at a cost of something like 6d. a pound delivered in Liverpool. The result of this will be that many dairy-factories will stop operations, as it is impossible for them to make butter at a less cost than about 9d. in Canada. In my opinion this over-production will correct itself, as it has done belore, and normal prices will again prevail. I think New 7 Zealand butter ought to average at least £5 in London during the six winter months, and I have very little doubt that in the course of time, w 7 hen the quality has improved, and the packing improved, such a price will be experienced. 628. Supposing every care to be taken in the transit of the butter from the factories here to the London market, do you think it could arrive to compete with the European butter—the continental butter?—lt competes at a lower price. You have got Ireland, which is practically out of the market from October to April. You have then got to compete with the Danes and Swedes. Their butter will always fetch the highest price ; but good New Zealand butter ought to come within 10s. of the price of the Danish butter. 629. Mr. Dodson.] Can you tell us what food is used in Denmark and Sweden ?—The Danes house-feed their cattle almost all the j 7 ear round, and there are two periods of the twelve months wherein you notice a change of food in the butter—the one is April, when they go off the feeding with oil-cake and such like; and the other is October, when the grass is finished. It is a common thing for buyers to say : " This butter I cannot do with it, it tastes too much of the feed; we can pull out the stuff, and can almost tell what the dairy-farmers feed their cattle on." 630. Do they use roots to any extent ?—Yes, they use turnips; and now and then an unwary Dane will spoil his butter with it. 631. Do they use mangels ? —Yes. 632. And carrots ?—I do not know. If turnips are given to cattle, scalded with bran or " sharps," just after being milked, the opinion among dairy-farmers is that it prevents the following milk from being affected by the flavour of the turnip. 633. What is the Committee to understand by scalding?— Boiling water poured over the turnips; that is believed to remove the flavour. 634. Mr. Mackenzie.] Would it be better to send the butter Home frozen or in cool-chambers? —Freezing butter spoils it. Frozen butter is a failure. The reason is this : that the butter while in a frozen state is all right, and if it be taken from the frozen cask and put on the table it will use all right, but if it be exposed to the air for twenty-four hours it goes rancid directly. 635. How long will butter keep after it is taken out of the cool-chamber ?—Butter ought always to keep as long after coming out of a cool-chamber as though taken out of the dairy. The effect of keeping butter at 34° Fahrenheit is that it prevents any changes. 636. Do you think that butter made by the separator is as good as the other?—lt is generally

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