AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12550, 11 July 1901, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL JOTTINGS.

(" Cakterbtjet Times. ") THE DUNEDIN DAIRY CON- | FJbiBENCE. The Dairy Conference in connection •with the Dmiedin Winter Show resolved itself this year into little- more than the reading of pome excellent -papers by visiting mem- ! be-rs of the Dairying Service Staff. With one exception, of discussion there -was none. This may be largely laid to the disturbing influence of the Royal visit, which also gffect&d the atendance of the first day. But there ' was also the lack of someone to set the ball rolling. The dumbness of the meeting forcibly bore oub the remarks of the "Canterbury Times" a few Keek3 ago, as to the advisablenesg of printing and circulating papers before meetings of this description. It is, perhaps, fair to Mr Milne, the chairman, to mention that ho' only came forward on the somewhat extraordinary non-appearance each day of the Chairman of the Agricultural «md Pastoral Society, under whose auspices the Conference w a s held, and whose guests the visiting experts were. The keynote of the Dairy Commissioner's paper en "Pasteurisation" was that this system of treating the milk or cream would have to fee adopted by factories which turned out a well-made butter in which a good starter had been used, but which butter nevertheless went more or less wrong on the British market. Several puzzling cases of this description, it appears, have- come under Mr Kinsella's notice this season. Mr Singlelftn, who had " Cheddar Cheese Making" an] "Milk Testing" for his subjects, made'a good impression on this his first appearance before a gathering of New Zealand dairymen. His papers abounded in up-to-date "pointers"; that on cheese might be described as extra "meaty. ' •The subject of pigs as bearing on the dadry Industry is one in which Mr James Sawers Is an authority. Profit in pigs for the dairyman, according to Mr Sawers, lies m each supplier buying or selling bis own etock, but having them fed at the factory. The most interesting point in Mr Thornton's "Notes on Grading" was his graphic contrasting of the conditions surrounding our butter trade of six or eight years back, when private enterprise held fall sway, with the present high pitch to which the export business has been brought under rational State control. Mr Cuddie, who is an ex-Taieri factory man, made a jit with his practical paper on cleanliness tad the ethics of the scrubbing brush. A natter touched on by Mr Thornton called 9ut the one discussion of the meetings, namely, that of shipping facilities lor ik 3 and Southland produce, butter in particular. ■ T" o irregularity of Home shipments is a very live question in the south just now. A definite move is on foot to » secure uniform or zone railage rates for dairy produce from"' the Bluff to Lyttelton, with an accompanying concentration of . produce for grading and shipment at the latter port. The Dairy Commissioner expressed a guarded dc\ubt as to whether butter from Southland would stand such w long railway transit without deterioration. The' question of froezing and storage at Lyifce'ltoo, appeared to be overlooked, even by Mr J.' R. Scott, who, in his dual capacity of secretary to the .South Island Association and buyer, was well primed on most points. The freezing power at preterit available at the Harbour Board's, cool stores at Lyttelton is utterly inadequate to Cope with the southern output in addition to the Canterbury shipments,/and new instalments canmo.t be made, at/short, notice. Mr'George Mac Ewan, a DuDedin buyer, made a counter-suggestion, to concentrate the Southland ckee3e and the North Otago produce generally at Dunedin, and thus secure Kufficient freight to induce the fortv ,' nightly produce boats to call regularly at Port Chalmers during the season. It almost appears that a Royal Commission will be needed to decide these points. NATIONAL DAIRY ASSOCIATION.' | The proceedings at the annual meeting l|toj..-the National. Dairy Association (Soldi at Dunedin, were somewhat desul- " tory. • The grading oi cheese- and -kindred qu*3tions were burning ones, but ' the meoting did not co-ine to ~ any practical conclusions. . An im- *' practicable proposal, that the grading of chesse should be done on the shelves at the factories was eventually withdrawn. A vindication .of tbo present system was made by the-Dairy Commissioner,-who also intimated that with the co-operation of the factorie 3 the system could be improved by • the marking of dates and vat numbers on the cases and in other ways. Whatever the opinion on cheese-grading, it is pretty K ■ generally admitted that the inauguration of the system has' acted powerfully in bringing and keeping cheese-makers up to the mark. It must be admitted that the operation of cheese-grading has led to a certain «nount of- friction between the factories and the buyers. In this connection, the President's proposal, that the Association should draw up a uniform memorandum of agreement, to be used as between buyer and seller, was a very good one.. Tha idea is for the- factory to sell on grade, the standard price to be for first grade goods, with a fixed reduction for second grade; the buyer to be bound to take the whole output, providing the proportion of second grade does not exceed a fixed limit, say 5 per cent-; any ' excess over this proportion to give the buyer the right to cancel the contract. The most, decisive -resolution was that committing the Association in favour of immediate Government inspection of factory suppliers' dairy premises. It is understood that the Department of Agriculture is in this matter ready to accept the decision, of Associations representative c-f the industry, and if the North. Island Association makes a similar pronouncement, the extension of the inspection to "ail' dairies , may be expected in the near future. Apprehensive dairymen will be relieved to learn, on the authority of the South Island Association's President that such inspec- •""''■ tion -would take a.reasonable form, and.at first at any rate, no -attempt would bs made to enforce in, thd country the full regulations,, designed more especially for protecting the city milk consumer. ARM* HOJfcSES. . There is still much uncertainty amongst Jorse-breeders and others as to me description of horses required lor Army purposes. fhe following iiuorination, issued, by the •War -Office, will therexore be Uieiui:— Heavy' 'cavalry.—Upstanding horses of good, bone antl substance, anu witn exceptionally strong tiacic and loins. 'lhzy must be from 15h iim to loh 6ia high, una be able to carry 17st. Light eavaiiy.—.Horses similar to the above, but iignwr in conformation, yet up to lost. Height loii to 16n Siin. Alouhted iniantry cods. —Stout, active cobs, wita strong back and loins, and poweriui shouloera ana hindquarters. They must, measure bin bexcwtiisj knee, and be up to 14st. Height about Ith Sim. Hores Artillery. —Horses somewaat similar to the bea'vy cavalry horse, out in coruorjnation more suitable lor Harness work. Tney must be equal, to auy pace. Height 15b. 2m to I6h Ain. I'ieia Artillery.'— Active draught, horses equal to trotting six miles an hour in team, uruwing 1 ten, and maintaining, tuab. pace.'. T'teay must have weight and substance, good, colour, deep chests, short legs,' showing plenty ox bone, ' and good leeo. He.glit, loh inn to loh 3in. Army Sen'ice Corps.—Active heavy draught horses about Ida <2in Ih-gh. Occasionally us-eiul horses a triiie -higher are jaken under this cuss for special heavy draught work ao tue- port oi disembarkation. ■•■'<■ ■