FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10418, 16 April 1897, Page 6

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND

[BI ODB ENGLISH AGKICULTOBAL COBKKSPON DENT.] London, February 20. AN IMPORTANT BUTTERMAKING TRIAL. The Technical Education Committee of the Devon County Council carried out an important trial of different systems of buttermaking in the last week of November, under the superintendence of two wellknown analysts, Dr. Bernard Dyer and Mr. F. J. Lloyd. The reports of the analysts and judges have only just been published. The primary object of the trial was to compare the results of the Devon tub-and-hand system of malting butter from scalded cream with the method of using the churn for scalded cream instead of the hand; but the enquiry was extended so as to embrace buttormaking from raw cream raised in shallow pans, and from separated cream both raw and scalded. There were eighteen experiments in all, 2001b of milk being used in each. Six were devoted to the tnb-and-hand method, and three to each of the other processes. The tnb-and-hand method is thus described by the conductors of the experiments:—" The milk is allowed to stand in shallow pans for about twenty-four hours; the pans are then heated, either in a special heating apparatus (scalder), or otherwise, until a thick layer of clotted cream is formed on the top; the stage at which the process is complete is usually judged by the eye. The, pans are then replaced in the dairy to cool and allowed to remain some twenty-four hours, after which the clotted cream is skimmed off, placed in a tub, and stirred and turned about by tho worker's hand until converted into butter. It may be well to add that 160deg. Fab. is about the right temperature for scalding, and that a treat proportion of scald cream butter is now made with a churn or by stirring with Sctoch hands or a glais bottle containing cold or warm water according to the time of the year." The analysts gave tho following average results of the trials, which lasted six days :— Percentages. / * % Butter. Fat. Water. Casein. Salt & lb oz Ash. Separator, raw cream.. ..8 0 85 12*0 o'6 I's Separator, scalded cram 713} 86'4 llfl 05 I'2 Tuli-iuiil-hand.. 7 10} 79'S 107 11 24 Scalded cream churned .. 615 84'1 13-8 05 111 Shallow pan ..6 7 SI'S 12'5 05 2'2 Tho percentage of fat left in tho separated skim-milk averaged only Oil, against o'4B under the Devon scalding system, and 094 under the shallow pan process. Tho butter was kept for a fortnight after the conclusion of tho week of trial in order to test its keeping qualities. There were three judges, but two of them were Devon men, as one outsider to whom the butter was sent neglected to return any report on it. The judges did not at all agree in their verdicts on some lots of butter, while the two analysts are in perfect agreement in their judgments. They consider that in all cases the butter from scalded cream kept better than that made from raw cream, and they place the buttermado from scalded separator cream first in the list, while they prefer the butter made from scalded cream and churned to that made by the tub-and-hand process. Moreover, they complain of the high percentages of water and casein found in the tub-and-hand butter, But the special committee appointed to manage the experiments awarded all six prizes to this butter While admitting that it contained & high percentage of water, and that the percentage of fat left in the skim-milk was much greater than when the separator was wed, they contend that the commercial value of the butter was not injured by the excesses referred to, and that the extra value of the skim-milk more than made up for the smaller quantity of butter made by the tub-and-hand process than by the use of the separator. Still they recommend the separator for large dairies, while standing up for the tub-and-hand process as most advantageous for farmers who havo only a few cows. But they aro careful to point out that the use of tho human hand is not essential to the Devon system, as wooden Scotch hands may be used instead. Throe out of four of the sub-committee were Dovon men.

PROPOSED CREAMERIES IN WALES. A committee appointed at the meeting held at Welshpool on January 6 have issued an interim report on the question of the desirability of establishing co-operative creameries in Wales. After getting the statistics of the Irish creameries they point out that these institutions have been able to afford only 3Jd a gallon, with the skimmilk back, for milk, and thoy doubt whether Welsh farmers will be satisfied with such a price, therefore they are holding the question in suspense, and are requesting those who are interested to communicate with them on the subject. DAIRY CONFERENCE IN SCANDINAVIA. It is now fully decided that the members of the British Dairy-farmers' Association will visit Denmark, Sweden, and Norway in tho first half of July next, nominally to hold their annual Dairy Conference, though it is not likely that there will be much in the way of the reading of papers and discussions in these foreign countries. There will be so much to see that it will be a groat pity to waste time in discussions which might just as well be held at home. DEPUTATION ON ADULTERATION OF DAIRY PRODUCE. On the 2nd of March the Minister of Agriculture will receive a deputation from the Chambers of Agriculture on this subject, with special relation to the report of the Select Committee on Food Adulteration. Mr. Balfour, leader of the House of Commons, has promised to be present if possible. FRENCH AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS AND IMPORTS. I have compiled the following table from the French Official Returns, converting the figures into English measures :— 1894. 1895. 1890. Qm. Qrs. Qrs, Wheat .. .. 6,740,430 2,070,641 723,000 Flour as wheat.. 137,800 220,775 138,500 Total .. 6,878,236 2,201,316 866,600 Barley .. .. 3,023,580 1,455,440 763,800 Oats .. .. 3,870,380 1,806,000 1.360,000 Maize .. .. 1,144,500 625,400 1,515,000 Two-thirds of the small imports of wheat needed in 1896 were received from Algeria and Tunisia. The exports were inconsider- , able. The next table compares the imports I and exports of cattle, sheep, pigs, and meat ; in 1895 and 1896 ;-

Import*. Kxporta. 1895. 1890. 1895. 1896. Cattle No, 149,993 86,711 21,127 19,280 ] Sheep „ 1,786,957 1,341,701 9,666 9,133 Pigs „ 85,"29 75,678 16,758 41,534 Total Meat Cwt 1,062,326 1,322,070 315,000 325,000 The value of the total imports of* food and drink in 1896 was £42,381,600, as compared with £41,419,960 in 1895. The corresponding figures for exports of food and drink are £25,580,000, against £23,640,000. ARGENTINE AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS, The complete agricultural exports of Argentina to all countries for the year 1896 are now available. The principal items are as follows, compared with those of 1895

In 1894 the wheat, and flour amounted to 7,617,940 quarters, by far the greatest quantity erer exported. DECLINE OF CATTLE BREEDING IN AMERICA. The remarkable decrease in the numbers of live stock in the United States noticed in recent previous years is shown to hare continued by the returns collected on the Ist of January. The figures for the last two years are as followss—... .<

This ia the third year in succession in which a decrease in the total of cattle has been shown, the fourth for horses, the third for mules, the fourth for sheep, and the fifth for pigs. The figures for ten years ending with 1897 are given in the next table LIVE STOCK IN THE UNITED STATES, 111 thousands (000 omitted).

This table shows that cattle, sheep, and pigs are fewer than they were ten years ago, though there were increases of cattle and pigs up to 1892, and of sheep up to 1893. The following record of estimated average prices on the Ist of January, compiled from the publications of the Department of Agriculture, may help to oxplain the decreases ESTIMATED AVERAGE PRICES ON JANUARY 1. Milch Other Cows. Cattle. Horses. Sheep. Pigs;

1895. 1896. Wheat Qta. - 4,610,023 2,463,550 Flour as wheat „ 344,116 319,877 Total „ 4,98.1,039 2,733,427 Maize „ 3,547,835 6,8-24,640 Linseed Cwt 5,442,470 4,270,000 Sheep No. 429,946 481,157 Cattle „ 408,126 349,655 Mutton Cwt 824,550 879,200 Wool „ 3,964,137 3,587,000

<•', ' -W- ■ Iters*!!* „ llt •. "90. ■ 1897. .'in 1897. Milch cows . .. 10,138,000 16,913,000 : 193,000 other C»t«le '} ■» .. '• 32,085,000 > 30,608,000 . 1,577,000 Total cattle .. 48,223,000 40,450,000 1,773,000 Hontt .. V." 16,124,1100 ■ 14,435,001 ; 889,000 Mules ' „ &. 2,279,00 ) 2,216,000 \?i : 63,000 Sheep gg?i.iiiV. . 38.299,000;56,819,000 : 1,480,000 Hp.. , - :■ i.. '42,813,000 40,W0, 2,20,00* teMff

Year. Cittle, Horses. Mules, Sheep. . Pigs. 1838 49,235 13,173 2,192 43,545 44,347 1839 50,331 13,364 2,258 42,599 60,302 1893 52,802 14,214 2,331 41,336 61,003 1801 52,895 14,057 2,297 43,431 611,625 1802 64,064 15.49S 2,315 41,938 52,393 1S93 62,378 16,207 2,331 47,274 46,095 1894 53,096 16,081 2,352 45,043 45,206 1895 50,869 15,893 2,333 42,294 44,166 1896 48,221 15,124 2,279 38,299 42,S43 1897 46,450 14,435 2,216 36,819 40,600

J « $ I i 1858 24.65 17.79 71.82 2.05 4.98 1859 23.94 17.05 71.89 2.13 5.79 1800 22.14 15.21 08.84 2.25 4.72 1891 21.02 14.70 67.00 2.50 4.15 1?92 21.40 15.10 05.01 2.58 4.00 1893 21.75 15.24 61.22 2.66 6.41 1S94 21.77 14.00 47.83 1.08 5.03 1895 21.07 14.06 30.29 1.5S 97 1S96 22.55 16.88 33.07 1.70 4.35 1897 23.16 16.54 31.45 1.S3 4.12