Butter at the New Zealand Exhibition.

Last week, at the New Zealand at the South Seas Exhibition, there was an exhibition dairy produce show, open to all the colony. Tons of cheese and tons of butter were sent in. Men who had made butter in Devonshire valleys, and others who had done so in the mountains of Ayrshire, were amongst the competitors. The real exhibit— the great butter competition was for the best half a ton of butter, suitable for export. No one supposed otherwise than that the first award would go to someone who hailed from the British Isles. It did not so go, however. Among the first half ton exhibit there came one from a Mr. Chew Chong, of Taranaki, in the Mount Egmont region of the North Island, 500 miles distant up country, and the pluck, enterprise, and good work of this son of the Flowery Land wore rewarded by his obtaining the first prize. I think I can see some of my old friends of the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, the Ulladulla, and the Eden districts opening their eyes at this, and shaking their heads, as did their fellow-countrymen on this side. There is no nationally inherited gift in doing work, and one good result of this defeat will be that the New Zealand farmers will apply themselves with renewed watchfulness and are to every part of their work, to win back the premier position which has been wrested from them. As Mr. Chew Chong's position, as the best butter maker in New Zealand, is somewhat unique, possibly a brief account of his career and re ference to his dairy may prove of interest. Born in the city of Canton, he received a good education, including a knowledge of the English language. From there he went to Singapore, and served eight years in a merchant's office; then emigrated to Victoria, where, in Castle maine, he was storekeeping for eleven years. From there to Otago, N.Z., in 1867, again trad ing and in 1870 he went north to the then new district of Taranaki, still as a store keeper. Here, thinking the butter he bought of the farmers should be better than it was, he started a butter factory with such success that he has now 120 milk cows, besides buying large quantities of milk of the surrounding farmers. Mr. Chew Chong ships large quantities of butter to Melbourne and London, packing it in boxes of his own invention. I add the following extract from the report of Mr. B. M'Callum, Government Inspector, on Mr. Chew Chong's Jubilee Farm. He says: " This is one of the beat butter factories I have visited. The machinery is good and in first-rate condition, and everything about is thoroughly clean. The machinery it driven by a water-wheel. There are two Danish cream separators, each capable of putting through 150 gallons of milk per hour, one large box churn, and a lever butter-worker. The water-wheel is inside of the lower part of the building. The butter, when churned, is taken to a space between the wheel and the outside wall to be made up. When the wheel is in motion it causes a current of cold air in the space, throwing at the same time a spray of cold water in the air, which assists to cool it in hot weather, a method invaluable for butter-making. The building of a tunnel to bring the water to the wheel and plant cost over $700." Mr. Chew Chong is a naturalised British subject,' has married a European lady, and has a large family of sons and daughters. ; ,',

The Queenslander (Brisbane) Saturday 5 April 1890