SIBERIAN PRODUCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7447, 23 May 1911, Page 2

SIBERIAN PRODUCE

GREAT BRITAIN THE LARGEST BUYER OR SIBERIAN BUTTER. (“Tho Grocer.”) Some interesting details concerning tho Siberian butter trade are given in “Tho Russian Year Book for 1911," published by Messrs Eyre and Spottisivocde, Ltd., East Harding street, London, EX'. (10s lid). The book has been compiled and edited by Mr Howard I’. Keimarcl, M.D., author of “Tho Russian Peasant," and ’contains an introduction by Baron Alphonse iieyking. Imperial Russian Consul-General, Loudon, who, speaking of the mutual benefit to be derived from the development of tho trade relations octween the countries, says the ciuei oust notes to sucu aevei’opnient were hitherto to Do looked tor in the facts that very little, indeed, is known about Russia iu Great Britain, and that what little is known' is otteu umortuuauny distorted by tne too-ready credence ttiat is given to sensational stones by the great mass of the puolie. It is maintained, for instance, mat a lack of civilisation in iUtsSia, as compared with Western Europe, iiarupers trade delations with Great Britain, and renders it difficult, it not impossible, for foreign mercnants and capiiansts to conduce business operations witmn the limits of the empai/d ol the Czar. “SECOND ONLY TO DENMARK:.” Erom the chapters dealing with the dairying industry m ituss.a we taixe the folio wing Russia is second oiuy to Denmark ,as a source ol supply tor the out ter needed in Great ilrruuu, her progress in tne butter industry Having been extremely rap.u. ft was only in tne rate sixties of tne-last oeuiury mat a landowner, of Tver, named v erestthayin, ■ visited Switzerland, in order to acquaint .m.innif witn tne association form adopted mere in coiureot.ou witii butter, _ fie decided to introduce the method into rvussia under tue form of tue Russian 'Artel” system of organisation. Xu 1871, with tho help of Duo Zemstvo of Tver and tho Govern in cut, Verestciiagui opened tho first school of dairy-farming m me village of jndimonott. Government oi : Ever. Dairy-taming mad-a rapid progress, t ’id in I he nuudle of the seventies mere va. ■o a number of cheese and biuj tor facto- *0 producing bwi&s, Dutch, I Limburg, a. 1 rr-aion cheese. Prior to I chat efieto.- i made from curds. In IMS a tr< velh u buttor factory was I established foi the pttiposo ol mtroduciiig improved methods of manufacture among landowners aud peasants, also a dairy-iaw »vRy jaooratory, aim a numo-r ox schools mi die iaumsli model. There are in Siberia to-day over suo buttermaking factories, with 3001) dairies; 3d> af these factories handled in M, 9,330,115 poods of milk, equal to 34,000,ifun gallons. The butter production wao 4ur,e±s poods. Finland is also rapidly m’oreasing its butter production. In 190! Great ' untain dmporued 91 per cent, ol the butter exported trem. linlaiid. X‘ or THE TRANSPORT OF BUTTER IN SIBERIA there are 1299 ice-cars, and along the whole line ice-houscs with ice reservoirs are established every 160 miles. The ref frigerated service tor butter consists :of ioe-oooled store at Obi, to hold 39,000 poods (500 tons); at Omsk and Koorgan, for 20,WJ0 poods each (333 tons); at Kainsk and Petropavlov.sk, for 10,01)0 poods each (166 tons); two cold storages atWindau, each' for 52U0 barrels, ana two ice-storages tor, iB,OOO barrels, iu addition to a refrigerator'steamer, ol- SOW/ barrels .capacity; one at .Riga for 200,0-9 casks (3J jxxxis, equl to 1261 b each); one at St. Petersburg for 15,000 casks. The United Kingdom was the largest buyer, with 45.48 per cent., Germany second, I with 32.51 per cent., and Denmark ’a rood third, with 20.26 per cent., leaving only 1.45 per cent.’for other foreign buyers. The demand from Russia and -he Far East is increasing, but the ugures are not available. The production of . 1909 was, as (expected, in excess'of t9OB, and the quantity shipped during the summer : months even exceeded that of 1907, although ' the entire production for the year was smaller. There,was an increase in the production of 1910 over that of 1909 of about 10 per cent), the cattle being in excellent condition. The number of dairies is on the ’increase. During the past year a number of private dairies have combined into po-op-erative societies, and an improvement ia taking; place in the structure aud fit-ting-up of. the dairies, which are now much better organised than formerly. The quality is, according to reports, improving, and undoubtedly Siberia will oe,' in the near future; 1 A SERIOUS COMPETITOR. Prices are considerably higher than in 1909. During the winter prices rose owing to-the demand from abroad, 1 . where only small stocks were on hand, as hardly anybody had stored, owing to the experience of 1999, when a largo amount 1 of money was lost. The Russian’ Government does everything possible to encourage’ the butter industry, which brings about 45,009,000 roubles a year into Siberia. Koorgan prices are 1 rouble to ( T rouble 50 cents higher than Omsk, as the finest: quality is made in this dis- j triot; as there is nearly the same difierence the other way in the Barnaeul j price®, those of Omsk’ work opt at a fair i. average. There have been reports that Siberian butter is occasionally adulterated, but as far as can be discovered this does not apply to export butter. • In 1909 the ’ average price of butter on the chief markets was lower than in 1908. For instance, in London tho average price of Russian butter was 15 roubles during 1909, while iu 1908 it was 16 roubles 15 cop. The export from Russia in 1909 rose to 3456 million poods, as compared with 3111 millions in 1908. ‘