AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Bush Advocate, Volume V, Issue 354, 16 August 1890, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Every farmer sells tm crops as laßt eta the d» mands of his market requires, and at the best price the middleman is willing to 1 give him. What enormous waste of time and energy ! How are prices established? What regulate* them ? Bo all of these farmers get together" and connmre notes and underatand the amount of their ere-» nd the demands 01 their m rfcet? They do*notbing of the kind. The" large majority prefer a " go it alone '* policy and depend more upon their assumed ability to drive & sharp trade than any knowledge of the condition of the crops, or the demands of the markets. How can the system be improved? What is there about it that is impossible ? Nothing, if the farmers would give it; their houest patronage. The farmers of any district or town could easily give it a trial. It is only a matter of time, when a system of complete 00-operation by farmers in -business ana in politics will become a necessity. The present system (?) ia too unwieldy, too ignorant, and too expensive. Every other industry ju the country is combining for self-preservation, and the farmer must follow suit,! & It only requires a beginning. In the course of his recent annual address to the Chemical Society of Washington, the 1 president, Mr. Edgar Richard, referrring to oommon food substitutes and adulterants, described tho manufacture of oleomargarine. The ingredients which enter into its composition are— -(1) neutral or leaf lard, used in the proportion of from 25 to 60 per cent., made from the leaf fat of freshly-slaughtered hogs; (2> oleo-oil, used in the proportion of from 20 to 25---per cent., made from the caul and suet fats of v freshly - slaughtered beeves ; (3) some liquid | vegetable oil, as cotton-seed, sesame, peanut, ! used in the proportion of from 5 to 25 per cent., ! made by crushing the seeds and extracting the oil by pressure or solvents ; (1) milk or cream, ussd in tho proportion of from 18 to 20 per cent.; (5) butter, used in the proportion of from 2to 10 per cent,, generally bought from the best creameries for its fine flavour ;, (6} salt ; (7) aunatto or other colouring matte. : Some factories employ no vegetable oils in their oleomargarine, preferring to use a. larger proportion of "neutra\" lard, with a small amount of butter to obtain the desired butter consistency. In the higher quality of "creamery ' butterMe" the proportions of oleo - oil are reduced, the vegetaMe oils are discarded, and butter is used to make up the charge for the churn. The method of manufacture closely resembles that used in ordinary butter-making, except that the churn ia steam- jacketed, and the animal fats used are previously melted before being placed ia it. From a personal inspection of some of the largest factories Mr. Richard is convinced that the greatest cleanliness la observed throughout all the operations ; that nothing but tho freshest animal fats are used ; that machinery is employed as much aa possible, and l&xge quantities worked at a time, to reduce the* . axpense. When made in a cleanly manner and .from fresh fats oleomargine ia, he said, aperfectly wholesome article of food. Another bye-produefc I of the slaughter-house is compound or refined lard, made by melting the f atleft behind after obtaining the oleo-oil and mixing it wjth some* cotton-seed oil and leaf -lard. Another ft prime steam lard,'* as disgusting a' Mixture as 'can be imagined. The entrails and other visceia, head, feet, and every other part of the animal which, contains the faintest traces of fat, are altthrowa into the rendering-tank. Steam is turned on until the fat ia .thoroughly melted out.- The highly-savoured mass oz impurites is drawn off, washed with hot water, .packed in tins or casks, and sold as " prime a,team la^d." In spite of recent legislation in tbe United States against oleo-margarine, including a high licence on its* sale, the manufacture and consumption have increased' largely Bince 1886. The Chrifltohurch Free Frees has .compiled * comparative statement of some of the leading items of New Zealand agricultural exports, and the results are most interesting. Comparing the figures for the year ending 31st March last and those for the period ending 31ot March, 1889, we find the following results :—

It will be seen from the above table that for the year ending the 3 tat March last the wool exported from that colony was.yalued at over four millions sterling, that frozen meat is not veryfar short of a million, and that wheat was valued at over half a million. It is to be noticed that the value of the wool exported has for the first time exceeded four millions. Hitherto it appeared in the lists at about three millions, or » little over that sum. Not only the value but the quantity has increased. For the period under notice the colony exported over one hundred / million pounds weight, the exact weight being' 103,945,6081 b. This is a large increase on any previous twelve months. The statistics gave the figures for th a years ending 3 1 at December. la 1888, for example, the quantity exported wa* 83,225,7331 b.; in 1887, 88,824,3821b. ;- in 1886, 90,853,7441 b .; and in 1886, 86,607,4311 b. Tfc» expansion of the wool industry is, we presnmew mainly accounted for by the attention »qw paid to the raising of sheep fit for export as frozen mutton. Wool and frozen meat alone last year represented more than five millions sterling of the total exports. ' ' • ■ ■ A stage in the process of cheese-making 1 , where a large amount of skill and experience* is required, i 8 " jußfc when the acid is coming.*' as clieesemakers put it. _ The art of judging too acidity can only be acquired by observation and experience, and even then there is a good' deal of the " rule of thumb" 'About it. We notica that the Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland recently offered" a prize of £100 for the best method or apparatus by which the> amount of acidity in milk, whey, or curd while*, iv the process of cheese-making can be quickly, easily, and accurately estimated. The competition took place in the Scottish Dairy School, Kilmarnock. Mr. Androw Allan, Munnocb, and Mr. M'Queen, of Crofts, officiated aa judges. Mr. J. H. Turner, who had also been nominated by the society as one of the judges, was unable toattend. There was a good attendance of farmers and others in tho locality interested in dairy work. The competitors for the prize were Dr. Bond, Gloucester ; John Gebbie, Townhead, Hurl ford ; John Gray, Stranraer ; Charles R. Valentine, Ludlowy Shropshire; Thomas Douglas, Beaver Bank, Essex ; and A. T. Ueid; Boh3,haw, Stewarton. The judges intend taking soirie time to make> their award, and during the interval it is proposed to have the different systems thoroughly tested by Mr. Wallace and other farmers in Ayrshire and Wigtownshire. The result of tbi* competition will, no doubt, be closely watched by dairy farmers, and proprietors of cheese* factories in Victoria. Arbour dayi s made inter£sting ana profitable <o the thousands of bojß and girts in the New York city publia schools by som© pretty cnatom3 which were inaugurated last year, and might well bo copied in. other places. They voted for a "state tree," last year, choosing th*> maple, and this year tlioy will vote for a state flower. This stimulates patriotism as well aa the knowledge and love of trees an-. I (lowers.

■ 1888-89 1889-00 "Wool ... ... #,837,122 £4,2 M,372 Frozen meat ... 666,650 662,184 Wheat 464,665 653>265 Butter ... ~. 180,688 169,760 Cheese 76,265 68,831 ' Fmserved meats ... 95,381 103,712