THE EXPORTATION OF LIVE SHEEP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 145, 19 June 1895, Page 2

THE EXPORTATION OF LIVE SHEEP.

The quo-tion as to whether live sheep can fee profitably exported to London from Now Zealand, is one which affecba not only the farming community but the whole colony. So far two or three shipments have bee n made from Otago, but they were not sufficiently large to base any conclusion on ac to the practicability'oi tho trade. In the Argentine bbeexporb ot live sheep to London has already assumed largo proportions* tho average, according to Messrs Weddel and Co.,being about 7,000 a week. The live 'cattle trade which the Australians are at) present thoroughly exploiting is also being quickly developed in South America, and the apparent apathy of New Zealand farmers in these matters is hard to understand. Of course ib would be impossible to compete ab far as quantity ia concerned, aa it is estimated that thero are ninety million sheep in Argentina, but in the matter of quality New Zealand ought still to considerably more than hold her own. In a ahipmenb of 210 from Adelaide recently, 58 were lost on the voyage, owing to tbe feed being dry, but this may be partly accounted for by the fact that Australian sheep on their natural pasture are not accustomed to dry food, and what they require on 'such a long voyage is not only dry fodder, such aB hay, but moist food also, such as bran. With our crossbreds, however, the case is different, because most of the animals are used to a certain amount of dry feed (hay, chaff and straw) during the winter, and therefore take more kindly to shipboard. This has been shown by the shipments which have been sent from the South, and, so far aa the loss of numbers is concerned, the trade can undoubtedly be successfully carried on. Out of 120 sheep sent Home by the Buteshire only three died, and the others were reported to have been landed in good condition. Australia in any case cannot enter into competition in the live sheep export trade till'bur flockowners go more extensively info breeding crOasbreda, aa the merino sheep are too light for the English market. Besides, Australia proper is much more suited to the live cattle trade, and the general view ia that this will prove much more profitable to the island continent. This leaveß the Argentine the most formidable competitor should New Zealand enter ab all largely into the exportation of live sheep. ■ The Bhipmentß from the Argentine which arrived in London in March and April last averaged 35b per bead at Deptford, and" the carcases when sold ab Smithfield from s£d to 6d per lb. Now, New Zealand -heep should, if only the besb crossbreds are shipped, realise ab least 10a more than this. An advantage also in favour of the -New Zealand exporter is thab when the sheep are carried direct, the boat nob communicating with any porb on the way, the ■sheep from this colony may, I believe, be landed alive without bhe restriction of compulsory slaughber within ten days which is imposed on the Argentine sheep. This should enable us to sell ab the Metropolitan markeb to fatteners at an even ■higher figure. However, the difference of ■■10b per head, which may be pretty safely reckoned on, ought to pretty well counter, balance the cost of extra freight and fodder .from this country as compared with 'shipping from Buenoa Ayrea. The average paßßSge from the latter place is 30 days, while 52 days may be pub down aB about the average of cargo steamers from this colony. Whether, taking into account the extra 20 days' passage, and the facb that the proper stamp of sheep cost the farmer here more to raiae than the Argentine sheep exported cost their producers,- ib will be possible for New Zealand to successfully compete can only be tested by experiment. The "Weekly Press" suggests that tho Government should consider the advisability of helping private enterprise bo thoroughly test the question. It says : —" What we venture to suggest is that bhey should offer a bonus of so much per hoad for the firsb 100,000 sheep landed alive in England, not, of course, byanyone_hipper,butthisamount to be divided among all the shippers in proportion to the number of -heep each had landed when the specified number should have been reached. This would give growers - encouragement] to thoroughly test the trade, and with tbe business entered upon in this earnest style, the shipping companies would probably provide special vessels for the work if this were'found necessary. After 100,000 sheep had been landed alive in England the business would have been sufficiently exploited to prove whether it could be made self-supporting." As the matter is an important one, ib is to be ooped that both the Governmenb and farmers will give ib their serious abtention,

The Sydney Sheep Sales.-—The prospects for bhe Sydney sheep sales which open early next month are not aa bright as might be wished for. There is every prospect of a drought in New South Wales this, year, and should not the conditions change; between this and the sales, a drop in prices 4 must,be expected., ,;The .number of Bheep, thab wijl be sent from Auckland and the: 'Waikato is By ho means as yeb cerbain.} The firsb shipment) lefb last evening in the

Manapouri, the Loan and Mercantile shipping, on behalf of the Woodlands esbabe, a good line of 75 rams and 103 Lincoln ewes.

The Durham Yards Horse Sale.—A large proportion of the entry at^the Durham Yards last Friday was Sydney medium and heavy draughts. Except for useful droughts, which sold well, the bidding was anything but buoyant, and the salesman: had hard work to do business excepb for the best stamp of animals, Prices realised were as follows :—Heavy draughts, £11 15s to £22 10s ; medium, do.. £9 to £16 ; light harness, £5 10s to £13 13s ; hacks, £3 10s to £12 10s. A trotting stallion \ was sold for £13 13s, and a coaching stallion for 31 guineas.

, The Junction Yards Stock Sale.—The state of the weather has to a certain extent an effeob on the prices, and the bleak and cold showers yesterday did not tend to improve the state of the market. There w»9 a well supplied beef market, and prices ruled about Is per 1001b lower than lasb week. For sheep also the demand was not so good and prices a shade lower than the previous week were recorded. Ox beef brought from 18s to 20s and cow beef 18s per lOOlbs. Bullocks ranged from £5 7s to £10s. Dairy cattle were duller of sale than they have been for some time past, although young cows sold fairly. Prices obtained wore from £4 bo £7 15s. A good entry of fab calves sold irom 8s to 275. Sheep wore easier in price :—Wethers sold from 7s to 13s 6d ; ewes, 5s 3d to 9s 9d ; hoggets, 6s 6d to 9s 9d. Pigs were in good demand, and prices obtained were as follows:— Baconers, £2 5a to £2 13s 6d; porkers, 186 to £2.

' Feeding Value-of Straw.—ln forming a correct estimate of tbe relative nutritious values of the different Bpecies of straw it will be well, in the first place, to bear in mind that the straw of tho various leguminous plants, especially of vetches, lontila, and peas, is very nutritious. For sheep the straw of loguminous plants is a particularly welcome fodder, and ia rightly considered by many Englißh sheepowuers to be equal to hay, i.e., "meadow hay." Of the ceronl crops oat and barley straw is now conßidorod the besb fodder. Oat straw is the moet agroeable, and also most nutritious on account of its peculiar taste, for all specieß of cattle, because ofl the tips of the panicles are usually found unripe grain, and especially will these be found in the case of oats cut before being fully ripe. Barley straw has, on account of its moisture and short period of vegetation, a higher value as fodder. But, if for no other reason, the facb thab oats are usually cut before bhey are fully ripe, and barley nob until ib .8 dead ripe, gives to tho oat straw a higher nutritive value. Spring wheat straw comes next to oab and barley straw as a fodder. The general wheab straw conbaina less moisture, is more difficult of digesbion, and is consequently less nutritions than the others. Then again,.the relative valne of the different varieties' of straw for fodder is greatly controlled by tbho character of the soils on which they aro grown, 'by tho stage of growth, or of ripeness ab which they are reaped, by the condition in which they are harvested and kept, by tbe degree of freshness or of age ab which they are used, and by the amount and kind of preparation which they undergo. Ib is a generally received opinion among farmers—and I believe it to be a correct one—that straw grown on rich clay soils is more valuable sb fodder than when ib is reared on blaOk deep loam or cold land. Some will orguo that the straw of wheat musb be the mosb nutritious of all because it makes bhe strongest manure, and no doubt ib will produce excellenb results when cut into chaff and steamed, and mixed with more nutritious substances; bub oab straw is surely more nubribious, seeing that ib lasted a Bhorter period of vegetation, contains more moisture, and is more soft and palatable to cabbie. Ib has been shown by analysis that barley straw contains more nutrimenb than wheat straw, unless where ib has been lefb bo long bhab all bhe sap has been dried oub of ib. Of course, bo maintain the full value of straw as fodder, and more especially in the case of wheat straw, ib should be cub into chaff and mixed with other food, and all straw used as fodder should be from crops thab have been well harvested, and be in a perfectly freah and sweet condition.

Cream Cheese,—There are various kinds of cheese which are described as cream, but, with few exception., they are produced from pure milk without the addition of cream. In some cases very excellenb cheese is made by tbe admixture of one-third or one-half new milk with cream. Ib is evidenb bhab where renneb is added and bhe casein is coagulated it remains with the fat of the cream, and the cheese produced is in consequence -largely composed of matter other than fat. Chee.e, however, which is largely composed of fab, is richer bhan any other, and obtains a higher price in the markeb; ab the same time, ib is questionable whebher it ia as profitable as a cheese, approximating in quality, but containing a preponderance of casein, the chief nitrogenous matter of the milk. There are two methods of making cream cheese, in one of which, the liquid forming part of rich cream. is drained away, leaving the solid matter behind; in tho other, a very small proportion of rennet is added to cream or- cream and milk, with the result that coagulation takes place more rapfdly, while the whey is drained away more quickly. In the first caße, a given quantity —and cream should always be weighed or accurately measured for manufacture upon business principles—of rich cream ia placed within a damp cheese sbrainer of rather fine texture, and hung in an apartment aboub 60 deg. F., th 6 whey being caughb in an eartheruwaro vessel beneabh. In six hours bhe strainer should be opened, and the cream manipulated, bo that tbe inner portion may be enabled to drain aa freely as the outer portion. A similar manipulation takes place once or bwice more, as occasion requires, unbil bhe cream is of sufficient consistence to place in a mould. A weighed quantity — and weighing is essential where cheeseß are made for markeb of a given size or weight— should be placed in a square piece of muslin, folded bo shape and laid in a mould, which should be perforated ab the bottom and sides to permit of the escape of the whey. A follower is placed upon the top, while above it is a small weight or screw, providing light pressure. It will be found bhab the cheese will take a specific form and even pattern if the perforations have been so arranged. The rest is a matter of experience. -The flavour of the cheese ia better after fermentation has commenced, bub the temperature must always be observed. The fineness Of the flavour depends upon the cleanliness of tho milker, the milking .pails, the' udder of the cow, the

cloth used, and the apartments'in which the work takes place. With pure air and perfect oxidation, there is nothing to prevent the very finest flavour being obtained. Failure to make a perfect cheese is generally owing to uncleanliness, impurity of bhe air, and non-observabion of temperature. . . - .

Cause and Core of Ropy Milk.—Ropiness of milk is a fairly common occurrence, and proves very troublesome in the dairy. Ropy or slimy milk is caused by the growth in the milk of a micro-organism. There are many different organisms of this cla.B, varying in the degree of ropiness or sliminess which they produce in milk. Sometimes the milk becomes gelatinous and sticky within a few hou^a after ib is drawn from the cow. At other times the change proceeds much more slowly, and the final product is nob of such a sticky nature. Slimy milk is looked upon with disgust by English people, bub in Norway, Sweden and Finland it is esteemed a delicacy, and the people of these countries are in the habit of producing the ropiness artificially by immersing the stems of the common butterworb (Pinguicula vulgaris) in the milk. . The same result, says a wriber, may be produced by rubbing the milk vessels with this plant. As is commonly • reported, ropy milk will not yield cream by the ordinary methods of raising, bub no -difficulty ia found in removing the'cream by the separator if the milk has not had time to cool. The aliminesH of milk is usually produced by bhe action of microorganism upon the milk-sugar, but bhe real nature of the Blimy substance is somewhat obscure. Tho remedy for ropy milk is cleanliness in the dairy, for although the trouble is often ascribed to some particular food which the cows have eaten, there is no certain evidence that this is ever tho direct cause. There is no doubt that the organisms which produce ropiness in milk are often tound growing upon plants in the meadows, and are sometimes found in hay ; bub it is almosb certain that these organisms find thoir way into the milk, not through the cow herself, but through tho milker. Tho hunds of tbe milker may infect the milk after handlim; infected hay, or an accidental stir of such hay during milking may fill tho air with germs, which afterwards find their way into the milk.

How to Give a Sow Medicine.—Since I havo written my book I have had a good deal of correspondence asking me how to give a pig or sow a drink withoub choking it. I would first say don't give a drink* at all, except in a case of.urgency. But if a little modicine is needed, say .alts for instance, keep the sow or pigs short, as as to be hungry, and then put it in some rich food bo thab they can suck ib down. This is the best way if pos.ible. But in a case of urgency—say-a sow with milk fever for instance— 24 houra' neglect in getting some purgative down her means a ri..k of the litter of pigs, and perhaps the bow herself; and now piga are paying money, it is important thero Bhall bo no neglect, and tho sow will often refuse to take any food at all. The best way that I can recommend I saw carried out by an old pig doctor who waa always fetched in bud cases of milk fever for milos round, and who is now dead. 1 may givo'his plan for public benefit, und which I have done myself in coses of urgency, It is well known that there is a great rink to choko a sow or pig by pouring a drink down its throat. Tbe plan I mentioned' is to get a pig's bladder and cub tho open ond large enough to pour in a drink, then get an iron pipo, say a foob long, with a hole in tho centre large enough for the drink to run through steadily. Put this in tho bladder a tew inches, then tie the bloddor end tight down to the end of the pipe. If a large bow, there should bo bwo to give it. First put a cord in the sow's mouth, and have a rope long enough to go over a strong beam overhead, so that one man can hold the end and can pull up or lower the sow's head ns required. Tho other can give tho drink, andean do so by dribbling a few drops down at a time, making her gulp them down. The bow's head should be lowered now and then. It is better to take half an hour than hurry and choke the sow, and this is a perfectly safo way, if time is taken. I give bhis, as many aro afraid to give a bow a drink bocauso of tho fear of choking her, and neglect to do this in a case of bad milk fever may mean sacrificing a good litter of pigs, and perhaps bhe mother as well. I have never lost a sow with milk fevor, and bub few litters of pigs, but I should have done if I had nob gob the sow's bowels to move, and if I had nob resorted to this plan, and given enough purgatives to cause it. It ie wonderful what a lot of strong purgatives some sows will take when with the milk-fever bad before it takes effect—often for days nothing will paas from them, bub immediately ib does thoy begin to feed and recover, if plenty of laxabivo food bo given for a while.—R. D. Garkatt, in "Farm Field and Fireside."