DAIRY PRODUCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 210, 4 August 1934, Page 5

DAIRY PRODUCE.

CURRENT QUOTATIONS. A FIRM MARKET. Dalgety and Co., Ltd., are advised under date August 2:—Butter market firm. Danish (quotations f.0.b.), 86s to 88s. New Zealand, finest salted, 78s to 80s (77s to 795). Australian finest unsalted, 74s to 78s (74s to 765); finest salted, 72s to 74s (71s to 735). Australian, g.a.q., 70s to 71s (68s to 70s). Cheese: Market steady at present prices. New Zealand, white, 49s 6d (49s 6d); coloured, 46s 6d (46s 6d). Spot prices for Canadian white, 50s to 52s (50s to 525); coloured, 50s to 52s (50s to 525). Last week’s quotations are shown in parentheses. A. J. Mills and Co., Ltd., London, give the following market prices as ruling at the close of business on Thursday:—Butter : The market is firm. New Zealand finest, 79s to 80s; firsts, 78s to 795; unßalted, 82s to 84s. Australian, choicest, 73s to 745; first grade, 72s to 735. Danish (spot), 100 s to KKs; f.0.b., 87s. Siberian, 67s to 68s. Baltic States, 70s to 725. Irish, 74s to 765. Cheese: The market is firm. New Zealand, white, 495; coloured 465. Canadian, c.i.f., white and coloured, 48s to 50s. J. and J. Lonsdale and Co., Ltd., London, report as follows : —Butter : firm. New Zealand, 80s. Australian, 755. Danish, 90s f.0.b.; Ills landed. Cheese: Market firm. New Zealand white, 493 6d; coloured, 46s 6d. FARMING NOTES. DAIRYING STOCK. (By “Observer.”) Although the wiqter has been a particularly cold one, with a fair rainfall, dairy cattle have come through in excellent condition. Supplementary feeding has been extensively resorted to throughout the winter and this procedure has been _ instrumental in sustaining the good condition that stock were in during the autumn and early winter.

Except on the higher levels, where snow has been prevalent, pastures have not been dormant, thero being an almost continuous growth of grass throughout the winter. Of course, the growth has not been marked, but sufficient to meet requirements together with supplementary root, hay and ensilage feeding. Dairy farmers are looking forward to this month’s payment, which in many cases will be accompanied by a bonus. Most of the larger factories aim at bringing up the average monthly payments for last season’s butterfat to 8d or 9d with the bonus. OPOSSUMS IN THE MANAWATU.

An orchardist in the Manawatu district reports that although his orchard is some three miles from the nearest bush opossums have made th6ir appearance in his trees and have done considerable damage to fruit and vegetables. Pests such as rabbits, rats, birds and opossums all add to the cost of growing fruit. EARLY LAMBING.

Lambs have made their appearance on farms in the Manawatu district and some are now six weeks old. Ewes are reported to be in good condition and mortality in both lambs and ewes has so far been small. THE POTATO MARKET.

Potato growers in Canterbury aro developing increasing concern at the belatedness of the North Island inquiry for potatoes and also at the rapidly shrinking demand, states a southern paper. They recogniso that the North Island is growing moro potatoes than in years gone by, but the population is also increasing, and that should square matters. However, that does not explain the position. The simple explanation of the unwanted South Island surplus is that the people have been discarding potatoes as an important item of diet for some years now. Picking out a Year Book at random it is shown that in 1900 36,984 acres were grown, yielding a crop of 222,124 tons, the average an acre being six tons; in 1901 the area was 28,524 acres, yielding 169,042 tons, at 5.9 tons to the acre. The yield is only a degree better than is harvosted to-day, but the quantity is 50 to 90 per cent more, in spite of the fact, that the population in 1900 was 810,000, or little more than half that of to-day. We therefore have the singular result of double as many people consuming little more than half as many potatoes. It is to be assumed that most of the big crop of 222,0000 tons in 1900 wout into consumption, otherwise 28,524 acres would scarcely be grown the following year. Tho average crop this last two years was 123,000 tons. It has not to be overlooked that there was a more regular export trade 30 years ago. The 1900 statistics show that in tho 12 years —1883 to 1894 —an average of 5971 b a head of population was retained in the colony, and allowing for waste, pig feed, and seed the average amount retained for human consumption was 4491 b a head. If the whole of the crop of the last two years were used for human consumption the average a head would be less than 2001 b. Light lunches for city workers, smaller families, dieting, absence from home through motor travelling, may all be contributing causes, but whatever it is, fewer potatoes will have to be grown in Canterbury if the market is not to be glutted.

RURAL RAKINGS. It is stated that a 50-acre farm situated within half a mile of the Rongotea Square has recently changed hands at £73 per acre, says the “Standard’s” Rongotea correspondent. Thirty sheep were killed when a lorry ran into a flock which was being driven along a road near Woburn, Bede, England. Another 22 were so badly injured that they had to be destroyed. The cessation of rain and some drying winds in various parts of the province, aided by the gradually lengthening hours of sunshine, are allowing a little headway to be made with wheat sowing, although the succession of frosts has impeded operations to some extent, says the Christchurch Press. The operation of tho 25 per cent exchange rate resulted in a big return this yoar to the Stratford Farmers’ Co-opera-tive Association. At the annual meeting of shareholders the chairman of directors (Mr L. E. Hann) said the • balance-sheet revealed that tho exchange had netted the company over £II,OOO. The sum was distributed among suppliers and enabled payment of a bonus. At tho present time there appears to be a keen demand from Australia for Southland stud stock, particularly pedigree Clydesdale horse and mares (says a southern report). Mr R. Kennedy, of Drummond, has recently sold to an Australian buyer his Clydesdale mare Cloverdale Flower, and to a TVhakatane buyer a rising two-year-old colt, Cloverdale Superb, both at very satisfactory prices to the vendor. Mr Peter Fisken, of Edendale, has sold his mare Silver Creek Lady to a Melbourne buyer, also at a very good figure. How the output of the Morrinsville Dairy Company had been doubled since 1930, while during the same period the cost to f.o.b. had been reduced by a third of a penny per lb of butterfat, was stressed at the annual meeting of shareholders by the vice-chairman of directors (Mr F. W. Seifert), who presided. The company commenced operations in the 1922-23 season with an output of 247 tons of butter, and there had been a steady increase in output to 1577 tons of butter in 1929-30, since when there had ben a further 100 per cent increase to 3053 tons in the season just concluded.

“If left unploughed and untouched, Canterbury would probably revert to tussock and finally gorse,” said Dr F. W. Hilgendorf, in a lecture to senior secondary school pupils in Christchurch recently. It was the tendency of land, he said, to revert to its original state if uncontrolled. On an experimental farm in England some years ago a tract of land sown in wheat was left to revert. The wheat diminished and died out in two or three years, while weeds came up profusely. Hawthorn then grew abundantly, attracting birds, who brought the seeds of ashes, oaks and elms, which eventually reclaimed the whole area.