1904.] 



Fishy Butter. 



235 



420 gallons for the United Kingdom. The average annual total 

 production of milk is, therefore, shown as follows : — ■ 



Average number of cows and heifers annually 



enumerated (1899-1903) ... 4,103,000 



Estimated average yield ... ... ... 420 galUms. 



Total production of available milk per annum 1,723,000,000 ,, , 



As the average population of the United Kingdom for the 

 five years ending May 31st, 1903, was estimated at 41,338,000, 

 the milk available for consumption in one form or another is 

 estimated to amount to nearly 42 gallons per head per annum. 



The 1,723 million gallons arrived at as the estimated total 

 production of available milk in the United Kingdom is, it is 

 considered, consumed as follows : — As milk, 620,000,000 gallons ; 

 as cheese, 153,000,000 gallons ; as butter, 944,000,000 gallons ; 

 and as condensed milk, &c, 6,000,000 gallons. 



As a guide to the conversion of the milk used for cheese and 

 butter into the weights of those commodities, the replies received 

 to the inquiry of this Committee on this point are valuable. 

 They numbered 143, and gave averages of 8i pints to 1 lb. 

 of cheese and 21 pints to 1 lb. of butter, and round figures 

 of 8 and 21 pints were adopted. In Ireland the records of 

 122 creameries show an average of 2*42 gallons (= 19*36 pints) 

 per lb. of butter, but, on the other hand, in the majority of farm 

 dairies, where the separator is not used, the amount required 

 would be greater. 



The Reports also contain a quantity of valuable and interesting 

 information as to the consumption of meat and dairy products 

 by individual households. 



The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales has recently 

 referred to the occasional prevalence in Australian butter of a 

 fishy flavour which causes much injury to 

 Fishy Butter. the industry. Information on this subject 

 has already been published in this journal* 

 The flavour is due to a small mould called Oidium lactis, 

 which grows conjointly with the ordinary organism which causes 



* Vol. VIII., p. 57, June, 1901, 



