EDITORIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1262, 7 May 1896, Page 4

EDITORIAL NOTES.

KIKE SERVICE KOE DAIRY FACTORIES. There arc now some hundreds of dairy factories under private or company ownership in Now Zealand. Most of the buildings aro of wood, and as steam power is universally used, there must always be some danger of fire. In tho majority of cases the loss sustained by the destruction of the factory would provo a serious blow to the owners, especially where tho ownership is composed of co-operative shareholders, many of whom aro settlors in a small way, whoso financial resources aro not of tho strongest. In some cases within our personal knowledge the buildings aro not insured at all, henco the danger of fire is doubly unpleasant to think about. In far too many factories appliances, even of the most primitive character, for the prevention or extinction of a fire, aro altogether lacking, and wo fear that in many a place where a factory might be destroyed wo should afterwards hear people making tho old excuse—" why there wasn't even a bucket of water handy." Evorybody can bo wise after the event, but common prudence dictates more care in this matter of fire than, so wo fear, is usually taken. Wo aro moved to these remarks by reading of tho action taken by the secretary of the Western District Cheese and Butter Factories of Victoria. This gentleman, Mr Geilhofer by name, has issued a circular to tho companies with which he is officially connected, making some very sensible and valuable suggestions for the prevention and extinction of firo at isolated factories, and it appears to us that his scheme is well worthy of receiving careful attention at the hands of dairy factory directors on this sido of the Tasmau Sea. Mr Geilhofer, wo may add, is an ox-fire brigade captain, and his advico, coming as it doo3 from an expert, is therefore additionally deserving of notice. His instructions, for a copy of which we aro indebtod to tho Australasian, road as follows :—-

1. Every factory to procure a supply of 30 galvanised irou buckets, each containing 2Jgal; have them filled with water and hung up in different parts of the factory. The buckets to bo painted rod outside, with tho word "Firo" pi inted on them. Tho buckets not to bo used for anything olso whatever, except for fire-extinguishing purposes. Tho buckets to bo emptied and cleaned once a week regularly, refilled with fresh water, and hung up again in their propor places. 2. To place three grappling hooks of two prongs each, as well as threo American axes, in different parts of tho factory walls ; tho handles of tho hooks to bo Oft, Bft and 10ft long respectively. 3. Two strong firo laddors, lift and 20ft each. 4. To erect outside your factory, on four poppet legs 20ft high, a wooden tank to contain say 16,000 gal of water, to bo kept always full, and for fireextinguishing purposes only; to fix a pair of 2in couplings on tank, so that in caso of a firo breaking out two sections

hoso (50ft each) could bo attached at once, branches fixed. With tho aid of ladders, buckets of water, fire-hooks, two or threo employees with strong arms and cool heads would bo ablo to quench any fire. The tank pressure itself would come in splendid. As our Melbourne contemporary pointß, Mr Geilhofor'a scheme is not by any means expensive, and tho active manager of any jfactory, if provided with such appliances find fvtll instructions, which cap, be obtajng g

direct from Mr Geilhofer, need never allow his factory to be burned down.

MONET IX RAPE SEED. The cultivation of rape has not received that attention in New Zealand, and more especially in the North Island, that it should have done, seeing the utility and value of tho crop. Apart from the crop itself there is tho importance of the oil product from the seed. In Holland and Germany immense quantities of rape are produced, and the manufacture of oil cake from the seed is carried on in a very extensive scale. We notice that Mr Janson, a Dutch gentleman, now a resident in Melbourne, has been strongly urging the importance of tho rape seed ami oil industry upon tho farmers of Victoria. Ho state*, however, that tho quality of the rape seed he has seen in the colonies is very inferior to tho European grown artiolo and rccommonds the Victorian Agricultural Department to issue a pamphlet giving instructions to tho farmers on tho proper cultivation of rape. In tho course of his letter he points out that in dry seasons the oil [cako would be a boon to graziers at their wit's end to find feed for their cattle ; oil cake from rape, lie says, is a splendid milk producer. In this Colony feed so rarely runs short that the idea of idoa of feeding dairy cattle on oil cake would be laughed at by our Now Zealand farmers, but when winter dairying becomes general as we aro convinced it will eventually become the rulo without tho exception as at present, the value of both ensilage and oil cake will bo fully recognised. Mr Janson also points out that in Holland the bee industry receives great benefit from the common practice of having a field or two on every farm devoted to rape, as there is a considerable amount of barley in the rapo when in bloom, and it is the custom of tho Dutch beekeepers to remove their hives from one place to another when tho plant is in bloom. Mr Janson, however, is mainly concerned about tho advantage to be gained by establishing tho rapo oil industry, and says that with a little attention there ought to bo rapo seed enough in Victoria in twelve months to provide for at least a dozen factories. The oil manufacturing business is, he says, a very profitable one in Holland and Mr Janson thinks that this ought to be one of the best industries ever introduced in the colonies.

TUB ENGLISH BUTCHER AND THE FROIiEN ! MEAT TRADE. The London middleman in the meat trade gets, and deservedly so, a lion's share of tho blame for tho low values which aro given to the colonial producer in his account sales but it appears that tho butcher, tho retailer, is also having a nice little cut in at the big profit which must be made at tho other end but of which tho colonial farmer sees so little. Tho London correspondent of the Australasian Pasloralists' Review deals with this subject at some length. 110 says one thing is plain in the present situation, viz., tho large profit which tho butchers must bo making in consequence of the drop in meat values; the retail prices at the family butcher remain the same as when he was giving 25 per cent. mor for his goods. Tho highest price for any description of meat (best Scotch mutton) may bo put at Gd, and tho average price which tho butcher gives for his moat, excluding frozen meat, is about lid to sd. Yot tho old-fashioned West-End prices 9d to 1-kl remain. A simple sum in arithmetic will show how this works out: —A butcher selling twenty sides of beef per week and twenty sheep, would, at a profit of 3d per lb (a very moderate statement) make .£SOOO a year gross profit. Tho public in tho matter of meat sales is a dumb driven slave, ready to pay through the nose. I am referring, says our contemporary, to the better classes, who run ac-

tho business." 1 hear there- has been a good deal of correspondence in tho papers lately, and discussion at agricultural centres with regard to the position of the butcher, and it seems to me that something like an organised attempt will be mado to bring him up with a sharp turn. When mutton was selling close on to a la per lb for best Scotch, and other meats in proportion, I did not myself see much in the cry of the money making of the meat seller, but now T see the tremendous reduction in all classes of wholesale prices on I lie one hand, and, on the other, tho butcher contentedly making the .same retail charges as before,

1 feel inclined to rebel. Perhaps meat marking would be impracticable, but the allied proposals, the licensing for the sale of imported meals, and inspection, would be, 1 think, an excellent thing for the frozen meat trade. We should be surprised to see how many meat sellers were ready to do business for us, if this were to come off. Tf colonists made common cause with tho homo agriculturists in demanding this, they would certainly win." THE CUTTING OF SEED POTATOES. The best way to cut seed potatoes is a problem-upon which no two farmers agree. In the United States the subject has received attention at the numerous experimental stations, the results of recent experiments having been, we notice, summed up and communicated to the leading farmers by Mr J. F. Duggar, of tho United States Department of Agriculture. Sir Duggar has arrived at the conclusion that it is important to cut the tuber into compact pieces of nearly uniform size than to so shape the pieces as to have a definite number of eyes on each set. No piece should be entirely devoid of eyes, and the majority of the seed pieces should bo largo enough to support at least two eyes, and bettor threo or more." The yield from planting tho seed or bud end is larger than from the stem oxbutt end of the tuber, the eyes on the seed end being first to germinate, and hence of especial importance when an early crop is desired. The total yield increases with every increase in the size of seed piece.? from the single eye to the whole potato: this increase occurs both in the largo and va the small potatoes, but chiefly in the latter. The net yield of salable potatoes increases with every increase in the size of seed piece from one eye to the half potato. " Tho half potato affords a larger net salable crop than tho whole potato, on account of the excessive amount of seed required in planting entire tubers. Taking the average of many experiments, it was found that for every JOO bu of net salable crop grown from single eyes, there were 111 bu from 2-eyo pieces, 131 bu from quarters, and 139 bu from halves, but only 129 bu from planting whole potatoes. These results favour the use of halves as seed pieces if seed potatoes'and crops aro assumed to be of equal value per bushol, but when seed potatoes command a very high price, quarters may be used to advantage. It is better to place in one hill one largo piece than several very small ones of the samo aggregate weight. Small potatoes can sometimes be used for seed with profit, in which case they should be planted whole. Leading growers aro careful to select for seed medium to largo tubers of good shape, and their example should bo followed." DISTEMPER IN CALVES. American dairy men have been sadly troubled this spring with a nasty form of distemper in calves, which, in somo cases, has proved terribly destructive to tho young stock. It is now stated that tho following means of coping with tho trouble has been found highly'successful:—l, Do not let the calf tako a single drop of its mother's milk, for in those cases it is sure death ; 2, make a smooth, nico gruel from potato starch, and give in very small quantities at short intervals for about throe weeks; 3, then

/gradually add a very small amount of skim-mill: to the gruel and feed at the temperature of tho body. All this requires care, patience and judgment, but if the trouble is like that referred to, it is so effective as to be well worth a trial.