THE FARM -INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 115, 7 February 1908, Page 2

THE FARM -INDUSTRY.

our butter:

IS IT EQUAL TO DANISH? FLATTERING PP,ICES REALISED. . ■ Gently I . .• Stirring news has. been received this weckl Mr. Muir, of the firm of Messrs. Nat-ban and Co., has received, a cable message that the whole of the Tongariro's- butter (which loft Wellington on December 19) was sold in London at 130s. per cwt., which is sot down as 3s. above,,?tho present quotation for best Danish butter. - , . Iho news is confirmed by a cable message received by tlm Department of -Industries. Another Wellington firm haa. been advised that New Zealand butter and Danish havo both sold this;'v/oefc at 130s. This pHce. is a record for New/Zealand butter, and it is: liable to-causo great rejoicings in _ the drought-ridden dairying districts. If it were not for the inconvenience it would cause—chiefly to the cows tliena6elves—ono could; almost suggest 'that tho consigning butter factories should declare a general holiday, and' that flags ought to bo hoisted on the mast-tops. Tho day. on which New_ Zealand ' butter was declared equal- to Danish miist be written in-history.' What Is the Cause? . But let ,us tumble too hastily to the conclusion that Now Zealand butter • is -.; equal, or perhaps superior, to that of the-Danes at tho; tinio when it .reaches . London. That' it is equal or superior when it loaves our own- porta ,wo are ready to, beliovo, for our personal .verdict on the many brands of export; butter which we sampled about tho.-time that, the Tongariro left was.of a' very' flattering -desoription. But tho; butter which has now been sold in London at 1305.., was.nearly two months old ! Can anyone who has tasted butter in Wellington even two weeks : old— relatively .in tho bloom of youth—believe that the butter which, tho London grocers havo valued at' 1305.; is, really: better than punish butter, frosh from tho hands of those who were—admittedly the cloyerest dairymaids or men in tho world—butter'in the full aroma, bouquet.; and nutty flavour of, the newly-made article?. ■ It'is an effort of credence, of which, after the cxcitemont of. the first shock of. the great news,. has passed away, very few can really be capable of. And yet that view .will be very hard to disprove.. , ' A;. Possiblo Explanation. . ' The explanation which suggests itself, is a rather ■ ono. , There are three possibilities that arise:— 1. Is New Zealand buttor two months old equal. to Danish butter just made? -There are reasons, just stated, for' believing it is not. '

2. Were there any special circumstances operating this week , that- made the Tongariro. cargo fetch more than its normal value? Evidently; not; If there had been a., temporary scarcity tho Danish butter would have corresponaing rise. 3. Is/Neir Zealand butter coming into increased favour" for some special uso? If the ; answer to the conundrum be . hidden in this question, then the probable solution is that thcre'is a great deal of faking and blending going on in London to-day 'as a-result of ,tho dearness of. butter.' The; well-known magnificent purity' of tho New Zealand butter lends itself/splendidly -to the. machinations of certain: metropolitan/ middlemen. The' splendid New' Zealand' butter, [therefore, -which yesterday realised 130 a. (oqual to Is. 2d. a pound) from the shrewdest, butter . buyera/in may.,/nave.;sini:e. been thrown 'intci; sucn; ari/cnl/aKsociauou' of inferior.fats as;.to bo'retailmc afc a'profit . day r ,.)\t'„ a, v ,shi!ling,;.a. at : Home, who possess some' unsaleable stuff on hand ; that they'want'to convert into butter, find nothing more "suitable' for the .purpose than .good, ■ honest New Zealand v;butter. Such, is the poiVer.of purity 1 Not the acme of /quality _so ; mueh as sheer purity and striking uniformity, are the two factors that help the butter, faker; in his works. Opinions seem' to differ as to tho effect of the new legislation of .the butter, iblender's , traffic. .That . legislation.;, came; :■ into; operation .on January . 1, and- it- would almost appear -as though it aided him. Tho: high price of :butter doubtless'' also adds fervour, -to tho demand for., cheap ; blonds, and substitut')!. / If. tho rise is duo entirely to tho fact that our'i two-mohths'/ old butter .'is equal or superior to .the' Danish fresh, then -wo say, with ■ all. earnestness—Bravo, Now Zealand 1 Who Denents? ' -J ■/"' • -The Tongariro's.shipment of bntter, which is believed ;to have' .been-.tho-heaviest shipment that over loft New Zealand;-was drawn -from tho following sources:— ;/• '-' : '' ../ Boxes. ' Auckland . ; , ... '. ... 14,26!) Now Plymouth / ..I ... 12.253. Patea ,/'..; -4,638 - Wellington , ... r , ... 11,867 : Lyttolton . ... , ... ■; >2,017 Dunedin 1 . ■ ... ' ... .... 2,341 WILL WELLINCTOfi BUTTEn. BE ■ '■' - .. DEARER? MH. HARKNESS .EXPRESSES -AN ; : OPINION. '' ;-, : Mr.-- J. 6. Harkness, secretary of-, tho National'. Dairy ~Association,... informed a Dominion , reporter that, bo, received a tablegram. from 'London'yesterday, stating, thatNew Zealand butter ,was being sold for ,130s. per c>vt., This was the, highest price, that our- butter had '.reached.! .wjthihf his (bxperience, and, to the. best of bis knowledge,, it constituted a record. Ho considered that the local prico was.bound to/go up.in sympatny with the London market/.and owing to tho diminished production caused by tno want of- rain. According to his own. estimato,, the dry spell, would result in Now Zealand's oxport of butter being lessoned by '30 per cent. Other authorities had said 40 per cent, or over..'. ; ■ , BUTTER BLENDING. ! , SOME POINTS OF THE TRADE. "At, a meeting of the Royal Sanitary Institute, held recently in Manchester,"-says the " Melbourne Age," "some strong views wcre oxpressed in regard to the adulteration of. butter, as retailed in the, United Kingdom.; It was stated that unscrupulous persons have reaped a rich harvest by manipulating pure butter; aud : foisting upon ,'the public. an improvished article, which ' the purchaser believed to be tha genuine .commodity. Ono speaker asserted that,'in the constant struggle between the publio analyst and the scientific butter ' faker,' success. had generally favoured the latter, for no sooner had one form of manipulation been discovered and exposed than another process to serve the same end has been invented. Tho honest'trader has had to meet the competition of. various blends of milk, curds, foreign'fat' and 'margarine.: The. lastnamed was recommended by one medical man to those who cannot afford puro butter as being lower in price, arid, weight for weight, more nutritious thau the waterlogged; ' milk blend 1 article, . The London ' Grocer,' ■ in commenting on the question, expresses the opinion that tho Butter and Margarine Act, which' camo into force, on January 1, if properly administered, will check the operations of the unscrupulous butter manipulators. If tho clauses of tho. new measure are rigidly. enforced, says this journal,;; there should be little employment for those scientists and lawyers who, for a handsome fee, would teach tho butter faker how to ovado tho Act; 'I his qupstion is of great interest to' Australia, owing to the fact that our; butter is renowned for ics purity, and on this account lends itself rsadily to,'manipulation, to the eventual detriment of our.dairying industry. It is to' be hoped that the Agent-General will closely watch tho operations of the now legislation, and supplement ns far as possible the efforts of those who desire tho purification of the trade. It was suggested at the Manchester meeting that power

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should be sought to put- en embargo on all suspected food until the receipt'of the aritlJfit f s certificate. If that document showed that the article in question had been falsely described, confiscation- and destruction should follow. Such a procedure would probably bo found unworkable, owing to claims for compensation by innocent sufferers, 'but if second offences against the Butter- and Margarine Act were made punishable by ,imprisonment-,■ the food of tne nation would, automatically become froe from adulters tion." i THE GRAPES. .... . YESTERDAY'S SHIPMENT; ■ ' About 400 boxes of Australian giapM,. ill : excellent condition;. arrived by the Modr&ki yesterday. " . «• The had condition of the grapeo which' afrrived on Thursday of last week wad wflll accounted for by the'hast® ■.with which shippers must-have gathered together the fow lots on hand to catch the steamer. But the Vamp explanation scarcely fitted the 1 oonsigtiretni which. arrived atAuckland Inst .Mqiiday; which was badly reported ; on. It wb'b flensing, tnor-cforo, to see a.. fjrent improvement when tho boxes w-ere opened up out- of. tho Moorakl yesterday a,fternbon.' On the; whole, the fruit was. tightly packed, and in spite or the rough passage which the: vessel is said v,, VB " a Pi tho fruit had not suffered as badly'as might have been, espcctpd' froro tho Tho consignment bonsisted chiefly of black Hamburgh 3 and blaok "muscats, and I there wore »' fow cases of y<Jll6V)\ grwmis W addition. Probably tho black will always bo tho most popular net-b©canw of any superior flavour, .but ohiefly because the slight discolouration incidental .to a journey is invisible on tho blacks. Tho eonsignoes wero chiefly Messrs. Thomas atti?:Co;V(ls7 cases), .Messrs. Griffiths and; Co.; vMossrsi Townsend and Paul, and' tho Now Zealand Fruit- Co. ."''-. "/■•

, Four hundred boxes ire not a'big niiipply for a city liko for;i whole/week. A few of them were 1 nominally' lfilb.'jn weight; and others 251b. If the?: had all weighed 251b. per caao thor would ha vft beca sufficient to givo the 63,000 Wellingtonia'ris about 8 ounoos of. grapes each.;, ! Yet. a good doal of firmness on tho part of the'salostiJea appeared to, bo necessary to secure'the .quisitp sevonpence per pound* which appeared : to bo on as, the minimum value of the best lots. Tho smaller berrios, Went for about sd. Between _ the consumer, 3' who wants' His grapes at' sixpence,' and the Australian grower, who wants them sold whoksiile, at eightpenco, the . middlems ri Chinee Ilias/ a' peculiar position to. occupy 1 . Most of the grapes-were evidently capable of keeping for • a considerable period—a fact which enahlns the fruiterers to start high. Tho frmt wore ticketed in the windows last night, somewhat as follows:— Small black, G:l. to Bd. ! Medium black and white, Sd. to Is. - Bosk black and selected largo', bunches of whites, Is.. 1 .' ' '•' •" MASTERTON CHOW. In-connection with-the Masterton'A. and P. Show tii.-) following further ludcing appointments have been notified :—itr. ■ P. M'Ardy, Palmerston, North,, in Shorthorns; Mr. W. Cunninghame, Christchurch, in Herofords. , y ......v ■ Mr. G. Sykes, Secretary. of . the: Mas tort on A. and P. secured about nighty Feilding ontrios for his show. : ! Ono/of this number is that of Mr. J. Bull, of -Rahgitikoi, who purposes' driving through to Masterton in his four-in-hand.'which is described ,as the finest in tho North Island. /' _ A MGKLE SOIL. 1 V "How are your potatoes?" "No' A lot of top, -but- nothing under;"v. This is the position in numbers of ca6es in'the Tirauraea Valley (writes ouri. traveJlbg?corrospondont)., - A farsier told ,'me; : one' "day. last: week that v ho!has given up trying to;grow/potatoes; the. flats near the river -are of such a nature, that; potatoes do not seem 'to thrive. The soil is a peculiar clayey-looking'mixture, ..almost white.,, -I; wonder, someone, does not, have, it analysed..- Thero must bo; a.lot of plantfood locked up m.it, as itiis, evidently hill washings!.-: and; river - deposit. It :, gets Tory hard, and requires a, lot :"of working. With a knowledge, of 'what the soil wants, these flats could bo inado into very rich and productive pastures. . The hills all up /the valloy are running very much to fern, and where an odd corner or: inaccessible 4 ', pieco has been ."'fern ./growsVery strong. . This shows that ; there' must ;be a jlot in tho soil. It only wants ,to b;, found out. I have ridden past fern. on tho • sides of . the roads qtnto ten feet hiffh.i It is n'ot poor land that/will grow fern liko tbis. : ■: FIGHTING THE.THISTLE. ',-; \ ' 'No matter where I go'(writes our.travel ling correspondent). I hud California..thistle a constant topic of conversation. There.'scorn to be'very few farms; free of the.pdsj;. in.iho Pahiatiia.. districts: Many, farmorj: &|l-.:|)ia it; is increasing at: a. rapid rate:.. Pq.jTfhas' they may, it grows in larger, areas Cutting does not check it,;,as the .riiota.ikepp on growing during the winter. A good many farmer's. cut. it fbveral.,times. 'One • iniih >told. .mis ho.cuts \it\oncO: a month; t-his.- Bdqms 'a waste of time. - Another ■ tola , that /ho , only cuts it' once, .just/before the';fldirer opens. At-, this time it puts t forth i Ml'ita 'strength, , and ; if; cut;', at-.this r stage\.it/gets \such. a severe check it requires no . more 1 rcutting that .season; ' He has adopted -'-this course now for somo timo,; and finds it) just as good as where others: cut it three or/four. times.' A farmer told-mo the .othor day that he went to cut a patch, but found the sheep had done the job , for him. It. was on &very dry hill, and:,was, only' green/thing/to bo' found; so evidently tho sheep had fed it v off, as being more.succulent than''the:br'> , >^> , grass. ■

OUR DIARY. ; .. WOOL SALES. 21. Auckland.—Feb. 18. Timaru. —Feb. 27. ' .. i ■ . Napier.—Feb. 19. . Gisbome.—Feb. 20. • ■■ > . ■ Invorcarpill.—Feb. 11. ■ : • . Duuedm. —Fob. 14, March 5. -•••• - . \ SHOWS. February 12.—Levin A. and P. Feb. 18, 19.—Mastorton. ■ j ' J?'eb. 26.—VYoodviJlo. i \ Fob. 26, 27. —Karori Flower Show. ■ Feb. 27.—Eketahaua Horticultural. March o, 6. —Waikato. V ■ STOCK SALES ADVERTISED.' Friday, February 7.—Dalgety and Co., stook . at Levin. ■. ■ v.- ■ ■ Wednesday, February 12.— H. E. Leighton. stock, at Lower Hutt. . ;> : • ■ Wednesday, February 12:—Dalgety. and ■ Co. Horso Sale, at Wellington. . .t. • ■ Thursday, February 13.—Dalgety • and; Co., . stock, at Upper'Hutt. ■■. ■ .' . Friday, Fobrunry 14.—Abraham and Williams, Ltd., stud Lincoln sheep, • at. Gladstone. ■. 1 . ...■ • . Monday, February 17.—Abraham and Wll- . liams, Ltd., Stud English Leicostttiv Sheep, ■ at Mnsterton Shoiv Grounds < Wednesday, Ft-bruary 19.— H. E. Leighton, stook, at Silrerstreiam Preliminary Notice.—Murray Roberts ar>. v ~ Co., stock salo at. Maramanga Static v Akitio. \

- ■ • . ilr . ■ A people cah no rooro bo saved by dj" jl v mitards than by a tyrant; both »ro «qW. , fatal to progress. As long as Russia •« mams an instrument in the hands 0 f An 1 ' chists or reactionaries, hor situation and cannot iwprovo.—"Algemeen Ha& ' aelsblad, Amsterdam.' '>v ■