8 July, iQo8.] Rcvieiv of the Dairyiiig Season igoy-S. 435 



Cloudy Moisture. — Doubtless the same cause is responsible for the 

 increasing prevalence of cloudy moisture in butter. Perhaps the present 

 -school of makers — new butter-makers are coming into the field every day — 

 feel that to fullv work soft butter tends to injure its texture. I remember 

 early in my experience having disproved such a natural fallacy. In many 

 instances mottle and cloudy moisture are to be found together obviously 

 substantiating m\ assumption that weight greed is at the bottom of the 

 trouble. 



Free Mqisiure. — A rather common defect reported by graders is the 

 appearance of free moisture, and, in a good many butters, this loss is 

 related to the defects already touched upon, namel\ , want of refrigerating 

 power, and sometimes a desire not to throw chances away under the heading 

 of weight. It is also due to lack of skill in manufacture ; however, were 

 the last-mentioned the only cause I incline to the opinion that there would 

 now be merely a fractional part of the butter so affected. Whilst not 

 professing to know much about the impounding or hiding of moisture in 

 butter, I would urge the necessity after rinsing of permitting the butter 

 to drain well in the churn, and not overloading the worker so as to leave 

 a stop at the end of each channel made by the rollers preventing the 

 escape of the moisture squeezed out in the process of working. 



Color Variation. — Sometimes a box is found to contain butter of two 

 distinct shades of color, which shows that the proportion of color used 

 in different churnings was estimated in a slip-shod manner. It is easy 

 for any one to gauge the proportion so that the results will be uniform 

 enough for all practical purposes, but how can uniformitv be expected 

 where rule-of -thumb methods are freely allowed or practised by managers? 

 Some, no doubt, consider there is great difficulty on account of different 

 churnings carrying cream not of the same consistencv, bu', when it is 

 recollected that the great majority of factories working under similar 

 conditions seldom or never are found to err, then it is a fair deduction 

 that little or no serious effort has been made by them to overcome these 

 exigencies. 



Finish and Packing. — In some instances evidence of slovenliness is 

 still found to exist. It is surprising that after telling some people what 

 to do and showing them how to do it, they cannot pursue tidv methods. It 

 is so easy to do a thing well and vet so very important, that it is hardly 

 credible that some are yet to be found who overlook these details. 



Mouldy Paper. — judging by the experts' reports relating to dairving 

 in other countries, no place is so free from this defect as Victoria. It is 

 only occasionally that it comes under notice here and invariably the cause 

 is traced to carelessness in the factory by leaving the parchment papers 

 awaiting use lying al>out exposed to dust , or in damn corners of the 

 building. When it is securely covered from dust and stored in a dry 

 place no trouble is experienced. The sample produced is one well known 

 to you all as Penicilliuni glaucum. 



Weights. — The number of delinquencies in regard to weights has 

 l>een greater during the past season than since the commencement of the 

 export trade in butter. This is attributable to the paring of weights, and, 

 in some few instances, to carelessness. The excuse that scales are out of 

 order is too frequentlv made to always warrant sympathy. It is difficult to 

 understand that so many scales kicked over the traces and refused to do 

 accurate work this season. The number of scales found to have outli\ed 

 their usefulness is a fairlv co>ristani factor from year to vear, and the 

 previous .season having been so ^prolific and profitable, one would naturally 



