DAIRYING. 



189 



were burnt up, and the cattle perished by thousands throughout the 

 country. If remunerative prices were obtainable the locd market 

 was almost sure to be immediately glutted by imp(n-ts fr<»m colonics 

 which had previously been purchasers from us. 



I should hero mention tliat during this period the Intc Mr. Seccombe 

 of Ulladulla carried on the manufacture of condensed milk, for about 

 twenty years, or from 1858 until his death. The article always found 

 a ready sale in Sydney, successfully competing with European makers. 

 A company was also formed in Kiama, and a factory well equipped 

 for the same purpose ; but, as the quality of the output was varialde, 

 the establishment was subsequently closed. 



The initiation of the system of separating cream from milk by 

 machinery was due to the importation in 188;j of two Danish cream- 

 separators by the Fresh Food and Ice Co., a most progressive company 

 formed by the late T. S. Mort, for the purpose, primarily, of sup- 

 plying pure new milk and other foods to the citizens of Sydney. This 

 company, always on the alert to take advantage of any advance in 

 science or practice applicable to their business, innnediately recognised 

 the immense advantage to be derived from the then newly invented 

 machine. Two separators were obtained from Europe, as already 

 said, and placed at their milk depot at Mittagong, where the surplus 

 milk, not required for sale in Sydney, was then separated ; the cream 

 being made into butter of extra quality, and the skimmed milk 

 utilised for fattening pigs for hams and bacon. 



Mr. Pateson, the company's manager, freely gave the dairymen every 

 information and assistance; and laboured hard personallv, by lectures 

 and otherwise, to induce them to take up the new and better system 

 of work. Shortly afterwards, when a co-operative company was 

 formed at Kiama, and a butter factory erected (1884), he further 

 encouraged them by taking the whole of their output at an advance 

 of 3d. per lb. over the top market price in Sydney for best hand-made 

 butter. The soundness and success of the system being thus demon- 

 strated at the ^^ Pioneer'^ factory, as well as at Mittagong-, many ot 

 the best dairymen furnished themselves with separators, and the 

 farmers in various dairying centres formed themselves into co-operative 

 companies for the erection and mechanical equipment of butter 

 factories, to which all the shareholders might take their milk. 



The farmers very speedily recognised the great advantage of the 

 factory system of manufacture ; the great diminution of labour in the 

 absence of milk setting, cream skimming, churning, with the end- 

 less washings and scourings of utensils, &c., &c. The females in 

 particular were relieved from much work, whilst the men had some 

 hours per day more, which could be devoted to the improvement of 

 their lands, fences and buildings, or production of more fodder, and 

 consequent handling of more cows. Besides these benefits there was 

 the supreme one of more actual monetary returns from the same 

 quantities of milk, as a larger quantity of butter of much superior 

 quality was obtained therefrom. Factory butter or separator butter 

 also realised a higher price than the best hand-made brands under the 

 old system, and of course formed the standard of values. 



By the end of 1885 there were about fifty separators running in the 

 Colony. There were also other results from the introduction of the 



