THE FARM INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 549, 2 July 1909, Page 8

THE FARM INDUSTRY.

"CUTTING IT FINE." STORED BUTTEH. WILL 35.000 BOXES SUFFICE FOK THE WINTER? ... ... ,;..'.. . i The Dairy Commissioner's. Offi.ce reports tho following quantities of • butter in .the public cold stores of New Zealand'at the end of. June:—Wellington, -7104 half-cwt. boxes; Auckland, 11,500 do.; Lyttolton, 970 do.; Dunedin, 5699 do.; New Plymouth, 7SG9 do.; Patea, 2450 do.; total, 35,592 do. • At the end,of Juno last- year the quantity was ,40,176 boxes.' If last'-winter's exciting event's were to be repeated this season, the quantity- of butter now in store would be only-just sufficient to meet tho demand. When the now season's mako becamo largo enough to overtake current demands, it was Estimated that there were only about 5000 boxes of stored butter left. Under similar conditions of consumpiion and outside demand this season there would be empty stores when the new make becamo effective. But, fortunately for the consumers, there is no sign of strong outside demand, and the present prospects all indicate that our stored butter will be practically available., for. ourselves. The rate of decrease of the'stored butter last year and this 6eason (to date) have been as; follow :— ■ .. -' . ~- J-.' , 1908. • 1900. ■'■••■'■ . ■ ■ Jcwt. ','.■ *o»vt. End of boxes. . boxes.' March 42,711 \ 32,357 April ....; 70,128 '~" 41,005 May (including 20,000 ex- - ■■ . ported) ......,' 71,479 ' 45,107 June 40.17G - 35,592 July 17,031. —■' •August (about)' 5,000 ' — ' It is usually estimated that the quantity of butter required' from the public store 9 in July and August is about 15,000 boxes, per month. The quantity, of course, depends on tho quantity available from current output, which this season is about normal. Tho ex-' pectations of .calls from Sydney -and South Africa have not been fulfilled, and there is ground; for hoping that the season will'finish neatly., .without unduly disturbing "winterprices.' Ono" would imagine,'perhaps, ..that it is an advantage not to have a surplus .of .last season's, butier on hand ; after tho new season has begun, as stale: butter (as the householder knows it) is not-appreciated. But it is alleged by the oporators that .the butter went into cold storage four monthe ngo would come put at the orid of July better than butter made in-that month. The.explanation 19 that the winter-bntter is usually inferior to that made in the normal season! partly owing' ;to the fact that many' factories/ work only; on alternate days,: and the ' cream of the intervening days, of course,, deteriorates slightly. ,during the .waiting. ' , : : ■J The new season's butter reaches dimensions large enough t6' <!ater for current local needs : about\the end of : August. Last year the ••season -was rather; earlier than usual,' this being partly due', to earlier calving of some of: the herds, and partly to the enterprise shown by tae factories in-opening thehv doors early to catch the. * big-, prices. : It was-On about August 2fi last year that tho;..fall;;iu''prices' began.- Up to- that date, tho)-wholesale price jof butter in Wellington had attained a height of Is. 41a., and. : the;top. retail price'• was Is.■ 6d. It fell first: by 2d. per pound;' this being followed quickly by other falls. .■'■'■■ 'i, ' At , 'he .present, time .it is understood ' that the shipments of northern butter to the south aro very small, and this gives rise to a. belief, that the private storings' of southern butter by the Taieri and Peninsula-Co.,'and. other ■holders, are large..;'l^'.was'noticed last year that the: withdrawals of ■ butter 'to the south .were much smaller .than the'meagre quantities .held in the southern'public 6tores would have ;led ono to expect. This was particularly the case toward .the. ( vcry..end.of the season. There apparently; no expect ■ that 'butter .Will be any dearer this season; and the possibility of-a penny, fall before the-end of Aug:' ust looks likely enough...... . ">..■■ • i BACON WANTED.' •,-./,, According to mail reports, the present:year promises to bo a very dear one in .regard to bacon on the. Home markets.'. Already prices; have attained levels much above those, ruling at the correspondng date last season,'as shown in the following figures;— v : , ;• .' '■.■"''•' ",' 1908.: '•-■■.. '•'", :*1909.. ■■■ Irish ...... : 525. t0,.635..,-.' ; -72s.'to 775. - . Danish ... Us. to 525. ' 68s.- to 755. '.'■ . ; Canadian ■... 445. to 50s. '■ 675. to 695. ' A year ago bacon was very .cheap, at Home- 1 being nearly the cheapest':kind, of-food obtainable—in consequence of the larger supplies from Denmark and the United States. This year, however, the position is ; reversed, and the supplies from abroad exhibit a material deficit. The situation, has also been strengthened by reason of the farmers in ,the, Unite- 1 Kingdom having found it unprofitable to rear their young pigs to maturity, owing to the high: prices ruling for., foodstuffs. It. is'. reported that values for pigs are likely to go still higher. If the shortage continues and markets, advance further, New Zealand producers might, find.it profitable rl to export bacon, ■which would soon send local,'values upward. ' -■■'••'■ v * winter)ng the ;?,i':; .'■ Jlany cows in calf, (writes "Eusticus" in .the. ''Canterbury' Times") are left out in the paddocks to ,|heir own devices, till they havo calved. Then they are brought in and. fed as a matter of course,, because they, are giving niilk. It'.'does' farmers:'.':,th'at .the cow; needs' the winter if'she is in" calf.' Although -she is not actually giving milk, she is giving the .equivalent of it to the calf she-is carrying... .S.hß,;has .to maintain her own bodily warmth and .feed the calf at the same time, and- the weather is cold she mil do all the better with a rug on as well as receiving the food. A cow,so treated will yield all the more'milk after she has calved, and there, will be no sudden change from cbmVparatively bare pasture to hand-feeding ..on•roots and hay or "chaff. It is not sufficient, by the way, to feed cows on roots only. .They are very watery, and some-solid' substance, in-ithe shape of hay, chaff; and oats 'or bran, is needed as well. '-. ■'■■ .;;.' ... .■::.• ••