1 Jawn., 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. il 
Zealand who can make the very finest cheese we can require. I might also 
touch upon another point—a point mentioned this morning—that of starters. 
Tam a thorough believer in this, and if our manufacturers will provide clean- 
flavoured starters—it is only a detail how they are prepared, as long as we get 
them clean-flavoured—we can always ensure a cleaner-flavoured and a more 
“ nutty ’’-flavoured cheese. Object-lessons such as we have had to-day are 
always beneficial, and no doubt when the meeting is over to-day managers will 
have an opportunity of boring these cheeses and examining for themselves. 
You will find that they are all well made from a manufacturer’s standpoint, but 
that the condition of the milk rendered it almost impossible to get the mild- 
flavoured cheese so much desired. 
AN EXPERIMENT WITH BUTTER. 
Am the New Zealand Conference mentioned above, Mr. Ruddick referred to an 
experiment which had been conducted by the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply 
Company of Dunedin. 
In reference to this he said: The Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply 
Company made some butter at their factory here on the 22nd April, 1898. 
This butter, I believe, took first prize at the last winter show. It was then 
placed in their refrigerating chamber, and kept at a temperature of 20 degrees 
of frost. It was taken out in the third week in June, and kept in their making- 
room till show day, when it was brought to the show and examined. I had the 
privilege of looking at the butter last night, and was very much surprised to 
find it had kept so well. ‘To come to the point, I may say that one box was 
scored at 89 points, and the other at 92—most remarkable scoring for butter 
now 14 months old. There is a difference in the two packages. One was made 
from ripened cream, and the other from unripened. The ripened cream has 
kept the better, and is best to-day. That made from the sweet cream is rather 
dead in flavour—in fact, not having much flavour at all, though neither of the 
boxes is particularly strong. I do not think that I am out of the way in saying 
that we find fresh butter going through the grading stores with a poorer flavour 
than these butters. Mr. Gilruth has pointed out that under certain conditions 
butter will not keep, even in cold storage, when the water is not pure. This 
butter, which, no doubt, was of very excellent quality to have taken first prize, 
would keep because it was free from impurities. It emphasises the importance 
of having the best of water, and is also another argument in favour of employing 
low temperatures in handling the butter. It is a point, too, in favour of 
ripened cream, and it. should point out to butter-makers that they require to 
give that part of their work all the attention they can, as the ripening of the 
cream is a most important point, 
PAINLESS DEHORNING. 
Ly using caustic potash to dehorn calves, unless great care be used there is 
danger of injuring the animal’s eyes. To avoid this a farmer of experience 
succeeded in finding a substance which would give consistency to a solution of 
potash and yet not reduce its strength. The substance was black oxide of 
manganese. 
_ In preparing the mixture, fill a phial about half full of the oxide ; then 
finish fillmg with a saturated solution of the caustic potash. 
Tn applying, cut away with a pair of shears all the hair from the embryo 
horn, making a clear space of about the size of a sixpence. Then with an 
indiarubber stopper, the end of which is cut in diamonds, similar to the old- 
fashioned letter stamp, rub the mixture in until an appearance of redness is 
