FARM TOPICS

New Zealand Mail, 27 August 1902, Page 53 (Supplement)

FARM TOPICS

An interesting light is cast upon the alleged “good old coaching days’ of England by the following reminiscence, recorded in tlie “Live Stock Journal”; —“A queer character in tlie Wellington coach (York and London) in tlie thirties was Roger Ealwell, who had driven between'Stamford and Huntington for 50 years. His work was always at night, with teams which, could not go 100 yards without catching it all round. Roger could use boi.li hands alike, and his drawing cuts under tlie bars were awfully severe. The wheelers always got the benefit of a ‘short Tommy’ or sort of hunting whip, which was carried especially for their benefit. Roger’s only complaint was that the whips made in his later days were worthless, and when a passenger sent him a good one from London liis gratitude was boundless ; he declared lie had 'never for 40 years enjoyed his work so much as lie did since he got these ‘amputatort;,’ for he said he was fftble to take their legs half off if they would not go.’ ” * * * » *

Mr J. Zwar, chairman of the Broadford Dairying Company, referring- at the annual meeting to the year's operations of the Victorian Co-operative Butter Factories Export Company, through which medium the Broadford Company carries on all its exporting to London and South Africa, said that lie was surprised that more companies did not cooperate, §eeing the success fifteen companies had made of the undertaking. The Broadford company had taken shares to the -value of £IOO in the company, . and during the past year had received 10 per cent, in dividends and a bonus of £52 10s, making a total of £O2 10s for the year, which was equivalent to 2 i per cent, on the paid-up capital of the Broadford company. This money was now going into the pockets of the producers instead of being pocketed by the agents. Recently the council of the Dairymen’s Association had waited on agents and asked for a reduction from 5 per cent, commission, hut the agents said they could not grant it. One or two firms of agents were charging. 4. per cent., but generally the agents demanded 5 per cent. The great bulk of this would go into the producers’ fund wore they to do their own exporting. Ho did not desire the companies of the State to form one company, though, that would be a. fine thing for tho producers, but he certainly advised companies to unite to carry out their own exporting, even should there bo several companies.

On the wool bale question a correspondent of tho “Sydney Stock and Station Journal” writes;—“l have for three years been trying to induce my Sydney agents to get short hales, viz., 42in., instead of the ordinary 52in pack, with the result that a 42in pack can be had at 3d per pack extra. That is, J. can get a 54in pack weighing 11 Jib for Is Bd, as against a 42in pack weighing 91b for Is lid. This beats me, and J should, like a Calcutta pack maker to explain it. I use 300 packs each year.

I cut- a foot of the pack elf each side, and put it into the next bale to mauo up the lljlb. That means, that i wasce 4 feet of packing cloth per bale, equal to 1200 feet. These 1200 feet would make me eighty bales, the weight i (and hundreds cf others) want th'-m. Yet, to save this waste, 1 would hi.re. to pay £3 17s more for my 300 bales. Anyone cau calculate the saving wmcii could be made without taking. into consideration the freight from Calcutta, to the station and back to Emmie. ’ * * * » •

One of the greatest services ever rendered the dairying community by a Stato official is that which Mr Gilrutli, Chief Government Veterinarian, lias recently instituted in the direction of fighting the disastrous trouble of abortion in cows. At the Stratford Dairy Conference Air Gilrutli outlined the steps he was taking to combat the disease in Taranaki, wliere it was threatening to ruin many a dairy farmer. Unfortunately. the disease is causing considerable trouble in this district, and several instances of heavy loss have bqen brought under my notice. Dairy farmers in whose herds the disease has appeared would be well advised to take advantage of Air Gilruth’s offer made at Stratford, to supply simple instructions to deal with the trouble, and medicine at actual cost. , As with all Government expert advice, the instructions are supplied free of cost.

Another progressive measure is about to he instituted by the North Island Alild Cure Bacon Company. This is the establishment in Palmerston of a retail emporium, where the company’s hams and bacon and the numerous delicacies for which the company has now become famous will he displayed for sale. Farmers and others in the district will be able to realise by such a display that something more than hams and bacon can be manufactured out of a pig by a curing company run on modern lines. The retail business will also serve to keep local pig-breeders and feeders in touch with the company, and will gene, rally assist to advance the bacon business in this district. The company is to be commended on its foresight in filling a decided want in the town and district.

m a * * v The outlook for the hacon trade is niost encouraging, and at the. same time is rather unsatisfactory (writes our Palmerston special reporter). The demand for store pigs this year will be greater than ever; even an increase of two hundred per cent, over last year will hardly me-et the requirements of feeders. This for two reasons. Where it took from nine to twelve months’ feeding to “top” off a pig in the past, with better quality of pigs and improved methods of feeding, pigs can now be “topped” off in six and seven months, which means that nearly double the number of pigs can be turned off in a year under the present improved conditions. Then tlie great expansion in tho dairying business means that there is a large increase in the number of feeders, many of whom will experience a great difficulty in obtaining stores.

. * # ft 4) .A retail bacon trader of Wellington, Mr Kuch, who is at present visiting Palmerston looking for pigs, states that lie is experiencing the greatest difficulty in securing oaconers and porkers of any description or of any weight. At the present time Mr Kuch is absolutely unable to purchase, even at 4jd per pound, pigs to meet the retail demand in Wellington. In the Palmerston district he has been able to secure a few to keep liis own business supplied, but has been unable to obtain any for. supply -to the trade. Tlie shortage of supply, says Air Kuch, is just as great in regard to poultry. Birds of the right quality are unobtainable; even mongrels are difficult to secure. Air Kuch declares that there is a good market in Wellington for all the pigs and poultry that can be supplied and he is confident that the bedrock prices which ruled in the city three or four years ago will not occur again. * • O *

Despite the incessant cry which Jia s gone up during tlie last year about the necessity of developing a direct trade with South Africa, the experience is that the New Zealand producers are either unable or unwilling to take advantage of the accommodation provided by a vessel like the Norfolk for that purpose. The Federal liner Sussex took away something like 100,000 carcases of mutton last month, and if the same number were available for the Norfolk at a price considerably in excess of that quoted when the trade was first started, they would be eagerly secured, hut the fact remains that the right class of mutton at a fair price cannot be secured, and tlie steamer will go away short-laden. Very little butter is available, and some poultry which was booked, has. in consequence of advices, been withdrawn. Two thousand lambs arc being sent by a private consignor, a thousand hams are going from the South, and a quantity of grain may yet be booked, but this is nothing in comparison to the expectations which wore naturally raised by the manner in which the Sussex filled up. Of course, in view of the high prices for moat ruling in England, and tho success cf consignors of live stock to Australia, the market is rather infi.wed just now. It will bo some time

1) fore the spring growth of feed will he m *•< ’aneed as to favourably affect the o. - of fat stock and dairy butter. an ... be meantnne it is expected that tin. export trade will suffer a jsiymp, «u. 1 prices will rule high m the local markets.

The annual meeting of the Taratahi Cooperative Dairy Company was held on the 20th. In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the chairman, Mr \V. Fisher, stated that the average of the milk (9.Sib to make lib of cheese) “topped” all other factories in the district. The season’s output had increased, from S2 tons in IS9B to 119 tons in 1902. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. Messrs W. Fisher, G. Seivers and W. B. Allen were re-elected directors. Mr Fisher being re-elected chairman. • * ft • •

The local dairy factories will re-open on September Ist.

At the annual meeting of the Parkvale Co-operative Dairy Company, Messrs G. R. Andrews and IST. Johnson were reelected directors, Mr G. Shaw, chairman (re-elected) and Mr R. J. Chapman, auditor.