FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9322, 27 March 1889, Page 6

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

[BY OUR ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL CORRESPONDENT.] London, January 29. NEW ZEALAND CHEESE.

So far as I can learn there is no New Zealand cheese or butter now in consignees' hands, and therefore there are no market quotations, unless merely nominal quotations. No doubt the Australian market is much bettor than the English for any surplus dairy produce that can be sold. RATION FOR MILKING COWS. The following ration for milking cows . ? large size per day is given by a dairy farmer who prides himself on producing milk of high quality : —7lb potatoes or 141 d cut carrots, 61b bran, lib linseed, 51b dried brewers'grains, 201b hay (inferior this year). Professor Lloyd, chemist to the British Dairy Farmers' Association, has suggested that a mixture of 201b hay, 31b maize meal, and 51b bean meal, ought to maintain a cow in condition to yield 16 pints of milk daily. This would allow 9 - 441b of flesh-forming food, l - 9lb of heat-producing, and 0 - 3Slb of fat. It is a question, however, whether the proportion of flesh-forming food is not a [ little too great for a milch cow, or rather, whether the proportions of the other classes of food are not too small. PREFERENTIAL RATING ABOLISHED. Railway companies here are endeavouring to make the new Railway Act unpopular by doing away with preference rating (forbidden by the Act), on the principle of levelling upwards. Certain towns have enjoyed tlie advantage of extra low rates for certain classes of goods, and they are now having the rates put up to the level of those charged to other towns previously less favourably treated. It does not appear to havo occurred to tho companies to pursue tho converse method of levelling down. But the end is not yet. The companies havo shortly to submit re vised schedules of rates and charges to the Board of Trade, and their" customers will not forget to expo. their little game of raising the general standard of their charges so as to start with a good margin for reduction. The trick is a little too barefaced to pay, especially as it has roused general indignation. IRISH AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. From the Agricultural Produce Statistics for Ireland, issued by the RegistrarGeneral, I extract the following figures for the last two years :—

All the crops except wheat and potatoes come out better than those of 1887. Compared with the average rates of produce for the ten years ending with 18S7, the oat, barley, rye, mangold, hay, and flax crops of last harvest all show up well. UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL CROPS. Possibly a compilation I have made from the statistics issued by the Washington Department of Agriculture, showing the decline in American wheat production, and the variation in prices at farm value per acre during the last eight years, may interest growers in New Zealand. It is therefore appended :—

The average farm value for the hist two years comes out at over 121,000,000 dollars per annum less than that of the first two of the series, in spite of the considerable recovery in 1888. The area, after fluctuating, stands lower at the end of the period than it was at the beginning. AMERICAN" OAT AND MAIZE CROP. The American oat crop of 1888 was grown on a larger area than ever before, namely, on 26,998,282 acres, and the production, 707,737,000 bushels, was also the greatest yet attained ; but the price was low, so that the farm value per acre was only 7 dollars 24 cents, against 7 dollars 74 cents in 1887. The area of the maize crop, 76,672,763 acres, was greater than in any previous year except 18S6, when about 22,000 acres more were under the crop, while the total production (1,087,700,000 bushels), and the total farm value (677,561, dollars), have never been equalled. The yield per aero was 20 - bushels, and the farm value per acre 8 dollars 04 cents. CONDENSED MILK. The other day I paid a visit to the factory of the Eastern Counties and British Farmers' Condensed Milk Company at Colchester. This, I believe, is the only con- , densed milk factory now in operation in England, and when it was started its prospect of success was doubted by many people. The directors, however, appear sanguine of success, now that they have gob over the difficulties incidental to a new ex-

periment. They make butter as well as condensed milk, and for the former the demand is much greater than they have been able to meet at present, although heir average sales have amounted to over £600 a month. The sale of condensed milk for the first three months amounted to £1575, for the three months ending with October to £2650, and for the month of November to £1561. Thoy make two brands of condensed milk, one from whole milk and the other from separated milk. No doubt, if they can sell as much of the latter as thoy can make, that branch of the business will be very profitable. MAKING THE TIN'S. At first they had to buy their tins, which thoy now make at the factory, thus saving a great deal in their expenditure. Boys ana women do nearly all the work of making the tins, the company having some capital machinery lor the purpose. The soldering is done most cheaply and expeditiously, the cylinder being rolled down a kind of trough set in an incline, and getting resin first and then molten solder on the seams where the tops are fitted on as they roll slowly, while a second rolling does the bottoms. Tlio seam down the side, I believe, is first done by hand. CONDENSING Till! MILK. The milk is boiled at 120 degrees in a vacuum, whereas 212 degrees would be necessary to boil it in a retort to which air had access. The butter made is excellent, the best to be obtained in the Colchester district. The quantity made is 40001b to 80001b per week, according to season. In December it was being sold at Is 4d per lb for salt, and la 5d for fresh. Two Danish (Peterson's) separators, and two of Bradford's Eccontric Churns (Taylor's patent) are in use. The whole of the power—steam and hot water—used in the factory is supplied by a 50 horse-power boiler and a 25 horse - power engine, manufactured by Davy, Paxman, and Co., the famous engineers, of Colchester. The consumption of milk for all purposes has been from 1200 to 1800 gallons a-day ; but double or treble is required, as the premises are extensive, and the company could easily dispose of three times as much as they sell now. Farmers were paid 7Ad per gallon of eight pints in summer, and have received BAd during the winter months. These are better prices than some factories pay.

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WHKAT IN TlfK T'NITKD STATUS. v Area. Total Produce. Farm Value. Acraa. Bushels. Dollars. 1881 37,700,020 .. 3Si.2$i»,U(W .. 4*0.880,427 l.*S2 37,087,101 .. .VM,1S:.,»70 .. 441.002,125 1><'. 55, f»* »:.i .. ■121.0S.J, ItiO .. 383,640,272 IS 475,885 .. M 2,705, •>» .. 330,8t52.2«i0 ISv, ;>{, IS*). 240 .. 357,112.000 .. 275,320,3,X) last! 30,893.1 cvl .. 457, -IS,000 .. 314,238.020 1SS7 37.tm.7sa .. 450,32;i,0fi0 .. 31",812,080 lass 37,338, .. 414,Si>S,it.Xl .. 348.248,030 Yield per Value per Farm Value Acre. Bushel. per Aero. Bushels. Cents. Dollars. 1831 .. 10.1 .. 110.3 .. 12.03 1882 .. 13.8 .. as.2 .. 11.09 " 1883 .. 11.8 .. 01.0 .. 10.56 1384 .. 13.0 .. 85.0 .. 8.38 1SS5 .. 10.4 .. 77.0 .. S.05 1888 .. 12.4 .. 03.7 .. 8.50 IKS 7 .. 12.1 .. 08.1 .. 8.26 1853 .. 11.1 .. 92.6 .. 10.29