25

H.—29a

Grading of Dairy-produce. Table showing Quantities and Score-percentages of Butter and Cheese graded throughout New Zealand, during Year ended 31st March, 1916.

The Butter Industry. Creamery Butter. The reputation which New Zealand holds as a country where creamery butter of the best quality is made has been maintained for many years. This good name has been built up as the result of strenuous effort on the part of a section of the producers, hacked by practical assistance rendered by the State. It is safe to say that, so far as the establishment of a, uniform system of manufacture goes, the New Zealand method is not excelled by any and equalled by few countries where the art of buttermaking is a specialized business. The experience of the past, year has again demonstrated the principle of the success attained when what is known as the "whole-milk" system is practised. Those dairy companies whose supply of raw material consists mainly in the delivery of milk cither to the central creamery (butter-factory) or to the skimming-stations have almost without exception turned out a product which would bear comparison with the best article made in any country that might be named — truly a superfine product, which if sold on its merits, with the advantage of an all-the-year-round supply, would hold its own in competition with any other. Unfortunately (he production of this class of butter is steadily but surely declining in New Zealand. It is almost superfluous to ask the reason why, for the answer is obvious to all who are well acquainted with the change that has and is still taking place from the whole-milk system of delivery to that of separating the cream on the farm. The year now closed has amplified in no mistaken manner the danger of accepting cream separated on the farms and held there for two or more days under conditions which, to say the least, are so harmful that no perishable foodstuff could pass through the process

4—H. 29a,

76 77 774 78 784 79 80 81 814 82 824 83 834 84 844 85 854 86 864 87 88 884 89 894 90 904 91 914 92 924 93 934 94 944 95" 954 96 Grading-points. Bu Number of Poxes. 10 8 8 115 131 60 81 177 53 78 226 378 609 826 4.234 4.285 LI .880 3,072 Her. Cheese. I ' ~~ \~~ " ~ I Soore-peroentages. Number of Cases, j Score-percentages. 0-0001 4 0-0008 0-0001 23 0-0036 0-0001 9 0-0015 0-0011 71 0-0118 0-0016 48 0-0079 0-0008 14 0-0023 53 0-0088 0-0010 0-0020 121 0-0200 0-0006 146 0-0242 0-0009 139 0-0230 0-0027 408 0-0676 0-0044 197 0-0326 0-0072 1,143 0*1894 0-0098 1,663 0-2756 0-0499 4,733 0-7844 0-0506 7,456 1-2357 1-4020 13.908 2-3051 0-3626 7.380 I-2231 244 0-0404 1-8762 28.269 4-6852 2-6341 29.795 4-9381 6-0768 60.739 10-0667 "5-5843 81.000 13-4247 9-0942 104.326 17-2758 7-9777 108.127 17-9207 10*3519 66.101 10-9553 10-3729 36.271 6-0114 11-7413 23.950 3-9694 7-2706 15,946 2-6428 6-1583 7.382 1-2235 6-1178 2.016 0-3341 5-4122 1,304 0-2161 2-0906 279 0-0462 2-6942 100 0-0165 0-8815 0-3369 15.898 22,310 51,490 47,318 77,058 67.598 87,715 87.893 99,488 61,606 52,181 51.838 45,859 17,714 24.828 7.469 2.836