THE FENSTANMTON'S FROZEN MEAT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6817, 22 September 1883, Page 5

THE FENSTANMTON'S FROZEN MEAT.

! filY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] j ' _ BcrifEDiN, Friday. The Fcn-itnnton'd frozeij meat was pent to a ; number cif the provincial towns in England, as well ai sold in i. on ■' n n with. most satis- ! factory remits The average prices realised ' were ; Cross-bred withers, (jjjri pn r it,..; half sheep, 7|.l per lb; merino, Gid per lb.; ewes, 6;£(i par lb. ■ The lamb brought 8 1, Mr. J<Shn Reid, of Eldtrilio, has 'written as follows from London to the iSVv Zealand •Refrigerating Company I have had a great many interesting chats with the meat salesmen in Smithfield, and I am glad to find that, without exception, thiy are greatly pleased with the meat, and. many of . them expressed their regret that they could pot get regular supplies of such shipments as the Fenstanton's. They say it is precisely the quality they want. One larga firm (B. Barker and Company, Central Meat Mark;t, Smithfield) said they could do with a very large quantity, as they contract for the supply of a number of public institutions with meat ; but owing to the very intermittent nature of the supplies from New Zealand, they cannot make any contracts for supplying it alone, which they would do if plenty could be had. With reference to the shipment ex Fenstanton, it was first-class in every parti* cular. The salesmen could not offer a Suggestion which Would be likely to cause any improvement in the condition, of the cargo, and the sizes of the sheep, in the : proportion of fat and lean meat, left nothing to be desired. I sent anutnber of my sheep as presents to friends in Scotland, afla all, without exception, pronounced it equal to the best they had ever tasted. One was given to Dr. W. S. Playfair, of London, who pronounced it first-rate mutton. He told me a few days Bince that he was to have a dinner party of gome twenty medical men, and intended giving them the frozen mutton. I have not yet heard what their opinion cf it was. One sheep was sent to a friend at a Highland place on the Kyles of Bute, and although it was several days in transit it arrived in splendid order, and was partly distributed among the Highland sheep farmers there, where it caused qnite a sensation ; so my friend writes to me. From all that I have been able to learn so far the necessity for opening shops for the special purpose of selling our shipments is not likely to arise for many years. All that is likely to be sent fro:m Australia and New Zealand will be absorbed without difficulty, and the fact that, retail butchers actually do sell and are able to sell our meat 33 British grown,, will gradually induce them to compete for it more eagerly, and make the price given approximate more closely to the price which they have to pay for home-fed mutton. I think, therefore, that all we have to do in the colonies is to endeavour to get shipping facilities suffiI cient to take away regularly all our surplus fat stock. Of one thing lam more than ever Btrongly. convinced,, and that is, we should send only our best mutton. The Fenstanton's ! may be safely regarded as a. model shipment, both a 3 to size of carcase and quality,, and if possible every shipment sent in future should be up to that standard. -' If it is attained to, there Will be no lack of purchasers on this side..