FARM & STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1639, 21 April 1883, Page 6

FARM & STATION.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN AGRICULTURE.

As only two numbers of the Mark Lane Express have reached us by last mail, our usual tabulated quotations of English market prices are restricted to the second and last weeks of the month preceding the departure of the mail. These will, however, sufficiently indicate the general tone of the markets up to latest dates. I I

Provisions. - Cheese, American white, 68s to 72s per cwt; coloured do, 62s to 66s and b'B. Butter, finest Danish, 146s to 1525; hue do, 130s to 13lis ; selected Canadian, 112s to 116s ; Normandy, 130s to 140s ; Jersey, 126 dto 130s ; tine Irish, 116s to 130s, Cork butter market j mild cured, no fiesh or second quality in ; third quality, 135s ; ordinary—second, 135s ; third, 109s ; fourth, 83s. Meat.—Beef (wholesale), inferior, 4Jd to s^d per lb; middling, 6d to 7d ; prime large, 7d "to 7|d; prime small, 7^d to Bd. Mutton—interior, 6d to 7^d ; middling, 7£d to B£d; prime, B£d to lOd. The bulk of English-grown wheats offered at market were damp and in bad condition. G-oix.l samples were in deman I at Is a quarter advance. South Russian, Californium, and Australian wheat were from 6d to Is per quarter dearer, but apparently the slightest tendency upward immediately checks business. The United States exported about 12 per cent less wheat in 1882 than in 18S1, but the exportation of flour during the same time increased by 10 per cent., and trom the Pacific Coast the latter has doubled within the last two years. Throughout Great Britain the autumn and early winter weather has been the woist ever experienced. From November till the end of January is described as a perfect blank as re gards- agricultural operations. About one third of the winter wheat acreage was got in in time, one third was sown late, and the remainder would lay over for spring cropping. In February, the early sown wheat was not looking so promising as the later; but the unpropitious weather continued, and spring cultivation is endangered. -Bad as have been the British seasons tor years past, this appears to have exceeded them all in a succession of hurricanes of wind and rain. The exceptional losses of the farmers in Great Britain during the past few ytars have amounted, according to one statistician to 42,000,000 a year ; many have lost all and are irretrievably ruined, while others are struggling through with a rapidly diminishing capital. '* Bad seasons, bad crops, high rents, and higher wages' have done their work. It is stated on authority that within the last 25 ytars, rents have been raised 25 per cent, in England, and 30 per cent. J in Scotland. The disastrous condition ot the tenant farmers is beginning to excite the practical sympathy of the manufacturing and trading classes, and there is good reason to believe that the promised legislation to adjust the relations between landloidand tenant will be incisive and comprehensive. A much larger capital is now required to farm laud in the United Kingdom than was sufficient formerly, and it is now no longer tolerable that this capital should be at the mercy and caprice of landlords. There could be no more opportune time than the present, when agricultural interests are acknowledged to be in eUremit", for the introduction and discussion in the Legislature of the proposed bill. Foot-and-mouth disease in cattle prevails throughout England, Scotland, and Wales, and recp.ntly there have beeu several outbreaks in Ireland. AH the markets in England, Wales, and Scotland have been closed by " Orders-of-Council" against the sale of store stock. The value of h^peciion so far as thU disease is concerned may be properly estimated from the following circumstance : A valuable pure-bred shorthorn bull was bought in Eugland and conveyed to Ireland for breeding purposes. The greatest care was taken in conveying the animal; in England he was carried in a horse-box, and frequently examiued by veterinary surgeons. It was examined in Liverpool before shipment and pronounced fiee from disease, and on arrival in Dublin on the 17th January underwent another inspection, and was declared sound. On the 22nd, five days afterwards, a veterinary surgeon, detected signs of foot-and-mouth disease in the animal, and another V.S. was called in, who also pronounced it to be a true case of the disease. A steamship, the Kansas, had arrived at Liverpool from America, having on board 300 head of cattle affected with the disease. The Dublin market has been closed to the sale of store stock, and fat cattle can only be exported from Ireland under certain restrictions. Pleuro pneumonia among cattle is reported extensively in Perthshire, Forfarshire, and Fifeshire, in Scotland, and from County Kerry in Ireland. In view of these facts we should insist on the strict enforcement of our quarantine regulations for some time to come. In consequence of the extreme wetness of the season liver fluke ia committing great ravages among sheep. Reports of severe losses abound, but especially from the West Midland Counties of England and from Ireland. Flockmasters were using salt freely and with good effect, but notwithstanding it is feared the lambing time will find out the weak spots, and that many of the ewes will succumb. Liberal food^ and plenty of salt are the remedies advised. The early lambing for market lambs is unsatisfactory, and the probabilities of high rates for mutton in the markets of Great Britain are now greater than ever. Returns published show that the exports of provisions from America in 1882 are less than those of 1881 by 500,000,0001b, of the value of

£7,328,000. The items of the decrease are as follows :— Beef (fresh), 42,801,1421b; beef (salted), 2,019,4781b; bacon, 230,440,3101b; ham.", 25,064,1271b ; lard, 77,668 5601b ; pork, 28,401,9651b ; tallow, 29,800,1681b; butter, 13,583,0921b; cheese, 36,618,8871b. The decrease is attributed to smaller production and an increase ol home consumption. Throughout all the western cattle States of America companies are being established for the purpose ■ if slaughtering the cattle as near as possible to their feeding grounds, and transporting the caresses in refrigerating cars to the seaboard or market. The business is no longer regarded in America as a # problem, but in all the great markets there is being carried on extensively. It is just possible that the American system of refrigeration may be cheaper than that in vogue here. At the third convention meeting of the Agricultural Association, held at Chicago lately, Mr J. F. Allen read a paper on " The Meat Resources of Nebraska." He estimates the expense of raising a 12001b steer (live weight or about 5961b carcase) at 255, and the entire cost of the animal delivered in Chicago at 40s. The following particulars of the procosa adopted by the best American curers of meat may prove useful: — "For each three hundred pounds buef placed in a tierce or hogshead put in 241b of salt, three quarts of good fvrup, 12oz of saltpetre, and fill the barrel with water. If curing in an open vessel, take the meats out of the vessel and repack as often as you would turn the vefasel if tight. This is to be done to change the position of the pieces, so that the picklo may reach to every part. It_ is bust to allow the meat to remain in the pickle until taken out to smoke. Thetemperatureahould uekept below 50 degrees >vhile the pickle remains on the meats. Pickled pork (mess or clear) is made by scattering rock salt at the bottom of the barrel, and packing the pieces closely, placing on edge, scattering salt between the layers, using 301b of salt to 1901b of meat. A brine of hill strength should then be made and the barrel filled. See that the barrel is kept full of pickle, rif the vessel be an open one, that he piukie covers the meats. Sho Id the ,)ickle br-gin to ferment, more ruck salt should be added. If any meats cuied in this manner are to be smoked, put theui in a vessel <)f cold water to soak for six to ten hours, to remove the surplus salt ; then wash in rain water, rubbing well with scrub-brush or cloth, hang up for twenty-four houro before supplying smoke, and smoke for fcen days or a fortnight. When dry salting is adopted the pieces should tie cut and trimmed and spread out on a floor without; touching each other, to thoroughly cool. Use no salt or pickle until the animal heat has disappeared. Shoulders and sides are generally cured in dry salt. After cooling rub i he pieces well with salt, and place them thiee or four high on a floor or sheU, where the air •an circulate freely ; at the end of five days take up the meats, roll in new salt, rub in as much salt as possible, and put the pieces back again as at first saltiue\ This time the salt should cover the meats well but not heavily. At the end of twenty days repeat the operation, applying as much salt as the meat will take, and allow the salt to cover each piece to the depth of one-fourth of an inch. Sixty days from the time of first salting the meats will be ready for smoking."

A patent has been taken out in New South Wales for a new Bell-Coleman refrigerator in locomotive form. The agetit (Mr £>. Little) says : " The locomotive refrigerator is externally something like an ordinary locomotive. it is built on wheels, and runs along the line of rails, and can be used at an abattoir in the interior, or anywhere along a railway, to set or, if wanted, to treeze the meat ; it operates on the refrigerating vans on the journey to town, and if wanted it may operate in the same way on the meat hung up in any convenient depot at the terminus till disposed of." The cost is £2500, and it is probable the invention will be utilised on some of the New South Wales lines.

» U It endi g J.iD 29. h. i ndi {: F b 12cn. Wheat- Enylibh, Mi, Im. qr. i. whit', „ „ American, Nj. 2, per 4961b~ „ America) and t'anadi.nij nprin., p« 4961b „ CalifomUn and On gon, 4961b „ Australian, pf.r 4961b ..^ „ hew Ztaland, pei 4901b „ „ lo jrbeiry, 49dlb „ Calcutta, per 491i1b „ Dintzicand K jinsburg, 4961b „ icrsia.il .. „ 8 S. H5 44 37 47 47 Gi 8. S 35 45 37 4 49 5 4-3 44 45 ,7 — 5 42 44 ,-5 48 38 44 43 51 <ii 4 41 49 5t 52 44 4 45 4S 33 44 43 5i U 41 Barley— English, roaltinir, per Im. qr. „ French per 416 b .. „ Swedish and i imiBb,per44Blb „ Ne* Zo^iand, per 448 b 32 60 28 34 31 40 32 50 28 3) 3> 40 Oats— English, per Im. qr „ scotch „ „ Iri=h „ 22 30 22 So 22 2= 22 30 i-l 30 22 2b Beans E'iglish, tick, per Im. (<r. it Egyiitian, per 480lh . . „ Ktw Zealand, per 4801b 1-9 4 37 b8 43 45 :9 4) 3b 43 45 Peas— ngliah.gr> y per Im. qr. „ Canadian, per sD4lb .. „ Now Zealand, per su4lb 36 4 38 3H 42 44 36 40 38 39 4.1 44