WINTER BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 564, 20 July 1909, Page 8

WINTER BUTTER.

ENGINEERING THE PRICEB. (By Tolcerapli.-Hpcclal Oorrosponiiont.) . AuoklanU, July 10,' As soon as tho dairying Bcason closes thcro is always tallc of speculation on tlio butter market, and at tho. closo of tho last two seasons, at any rate, attempts havo been nmdo to establieh "corners." Last year tho spring mako camo along in timo to tcaoli tho wouldbe "corner" onfrinoors that gambling in food products can- mean tho loss of a lot of money sometimes. This year tlioro havo boon.rumours of speculation in many quartora, and it is cortain that heavy buying and soiling took plaooVfow months ago in Auckland, and that stocks are being hold in eomo quarters in expectation of a substantial riso. Thoro is oven a rumour that an attompfc is to bo mado shortly to force- up tho prico again. Some .of tho speculators havei, gamblod t on- tho weather, and onco moro tho wcathoi 1 promises to, beat thorn. _ Factories woro enabled to continuo a limited output till a very lato date, and some factories havo never ceased oporationsj and they will now run right through ,tlio'winter.' . / , ■■'.: ■ ■. r ■ ' From many country districts in Taranaki and Auckland come reports that tho exceptionally mild .winter, being experienced ieny suiting in ...a' very, ea-rly growth of forage. Waikato, Northern ,Wairoa, Tiiamca Valley, Whangarei, Tauran'ga, and, various other Auckland stations are reporting an oxcoptional abundance of feed for this time of the year, and, as a consequence, there is a good steady cream .supply—greater by far than ever experienced in this province before. Fac-. toriesthat did close for the winter aro;busily preparing for the reopening, fresh cows are already coming in; -and:it'is now certain that dairying in the moro favoured districts will not cease at all this year! - Supplies of butter in cold-store are equal to those available at this-'time , last "year, and while: the factories are not making-sufficient to. meet the rate of consumption,-still they . are providing : a wholesome-check on the diminution of supplies, and there is every prospect of the output increasing from now on. -;'.:' Under these circumstances ■/'•there is no warrant for the attempts: to force up local prices, and, in fact, the retail priceof-butter in Auckland 'during the winter, compared wfth the price paid to the oonntry factory,' is too high. There is too largo a margin g* ing -isomewhere. . Tho remedy for the recurring trouble over winter supplies is a regular system■• of .winter dairying through •■. enV silage arid.feeding'of dairy herds. For winter dairying tho. Auckland- province is preeminently adapted'. .'■ /.:'::,, ... .: '