CURING MUTTON HAMS AND SIDES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1060, 25 June 1869, Page 3

CURING MUTTON HAMS AND SIDES.

(From the "Otago Daily Times.")

We Lave pleasure in noticing an experiment by a Dunedin firm to give a practical solution to the interesting question — how is our redundant sheep stock to be profitably used ? Recent sale prices invest this matter with considerable importance,, as it is evident that sheep are now selling below their real value, purchases having been made of large numbers of broken mouthed ewes at half-a-crown a head, if not less ; and good fat weddcrs have been sold for 1 6s. or 6s. a-piece. Messrs. Service, Gibson," and Co., have made so far a. successful attempt at their estate of Ashley Down, near the Waiwera, and have produced several tons of mutton hams and rolled. fore, quarters of superior quality, with the' v .view of making a trial shipment to' England. . Well cured and. spiced nmttoii hams should find a ready sale- in the' chief manufacturing towns, if produced- Tat a moderate price, and we understand r that these can be sold in England at 8d $• .pound, and leave a handsome profit tq the Nevy Zealand exporter. If a market could be obtained for them, a large outleTVould be opened up, getting rid of our surplus flocks with advantage. If the flockowner can get ten, twelve, or fifteen .shillings each for carcases of prime quality, a new era of prosperity to the pastoral interest would be the result. In the. experiment alluded to, each sheep makes two hams and two rolls. After the hams areVit off, the side and shoulder, frdrn \vhieli all the bones are removed, are carefully rolled up and cured. An excellent roceipt'for curing has been followed, and it ig to be hoped that the " Ashley Down " ; brand may become noted among consumers at homo for its excellence. It is'"wqrtli whilei also, to consider whether' all arliclo of the kind mentioned, should-:, not supplant English hams in the colonial, market'— especially on the goldfields. It ..appears extraordinary that consumers ; here should prefer imported bacon, often of doubtful feeding and quality, and easting eighteen-pence a pound, to colonial liaras, costing 'only half the money. The mutton hams and rolls can bo sold in Dunedin at prices ranging from 4d. to 6d. per.Jb., add form an easily cooked and palatable addition to the breakfast table. I.n the depressed state of the colony, it is surely time to give up the insane practice of sending our gold to England for provisions, which can be produced of better quality at half the price among ourselves, and the encouragement to the local grower would havo the beneficial effect of staying the impoverishment of the colony by so much of its money being unnecessarily sent out of it.

Smabt Wobk. — During the recent cruise of H.M.S. Blanche, when under steam at full speed, (the sudden alarm of " a man overboard:" called every one to their stations. A bey had fallen from the fore rigging. The life buoy was promptly let go, engines stopped and reversed, life boat lowered) the lirsfc lieutenant, boatswaiui and tlio boy picked up, boat hoisted up, and the ship going ahead at full speed again in nineteen minutes and five seconds. This we may call smart work. . Lieut. Markham and the boatswain had both jumped overboard to save the life of the youngster. — Evening Post

The Rev. W. G. Cowie, rector of Stafford, who succeeds Dr. Selwyn in New Zealand, will take the title of the "Bishop of Auckland," and not that of Bishop of New Zealand, . .....