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Otago Witness, Issue 2288, 6 January 1898, Page 4

FARM AND STATION.

< drafts are drawn oh the side of the horse's feet for the purpose of widening the hoof to allow room for tbe side-bone. In a case of ' sand-cracks fresh openings are made and smeared over with tar, and in the course of a week the borae .can work.

A table compiled by Mr Edward Kycaston, of Minciug Lane, shows very clearly the. remarkable development of the beet sugar industry Tinder the bounty system, to ths proposed removal of which England and Germany are now giving attention. The table is also evidence of the effect of the large increase in beet on the production of cane sugar, and on prices. In 1881-2 the cane crops produced 2,000,000 tons of sugar, beet crops 1,780,000, and the average piice of bset sugar was 22s per cwt. In 1891 2 the cane crops had increased to 2,850,000 tons, v-bnt the beet crops had grown to 3,500,000 tons, and tbe price of beet sugar had gone to 133 7d per cwt. The lastestimate for 1897-8 gives production from

cane crops 2,400,000 tons, from beet crops '5,000,000 tons, and the price of beet sugar 8s 6jp per cwt, 4^l lower than in 1896 97. Thus cane sugar has increased by 16 5 per cent, only, while beet sugar has incj eased by 180 per cent, in 16 yearn, and the increase has sent the price down from 22j to 8s 3Jd. Tbe latest news from the United States with reference to the effort being made to build tip an American butter trade in London in, Bays the Sydney Mai!, with regard to ths third experimental Bbipment. This shipment consisted of creamery butter from Minnesota packed in -£cwt boxss, and .Massachusetts butter in tubs and family packages. The cost of shipment worked out by the single ton to 2£s a pound, or l^d.

inclusive of refrigeration. The American > agents handed the consignment to London retailers, who paid' for" it at the rata of 7^d to

-9.J3, the New York price being 7£' l, so that, while the best butter paid tbe shipper?, the lower-priced butter lost money. This butter was sold to the consumer at from Is to Is Id,

the majority going at the latter price. 'The Americans declare that the Lon-

don retailer's profit is too great. The farmer must be content with a mere fraction, if he naake3 any profit at all ; bnt the retailer, who obtains from 31 to 5d a pound, gets from 25 per cent, to 40 per ceet. Apropos of this matter, it is stated by the United States Agricultural department that an American factory owner, who had been reading about the early shipments to Eng^ land, determined to send a couple of tons

direct to one of the London dealers whose

name had been mentioned in the official report, and who had praised American bntter, but of whom he knew nothing otherwise. The butter was consequently shipped, arriving in due course, although in n© way expected. The dealer declared it to be as fine in quality as anything which he had received from the States. He sold it forthwith to & retail trader at 10£ d a pound, while the price in New York was exactly 83 a pound at the time. The department therefore suggests to the American farmer that he should ship nothing but the best? An article on agriculture in The Times states a very carious fact as to the London meat market, which is well worth the attention of all advocates of Protection. We are there told (says the Spectator in commenting on the' article) that last week witnessed the inauguration of the export of fresh meat (frozen) from

London to the Cape, the Bte%mehip Nioeveh

having taken on board 1600 quarters of Bowen (Queensland) Jbeef and 2000 carcases of River Plate mutton for conveyance to Capetown. The moat noteworthy feature of this transaction is that, as reported by the Colonial Consignment •Company, the meat could be purchased in England at & much lower rats than in the countries

of production. Beef at Z^d per lb and mutton - at 2id per lb f.o.b. could not ba tupplied in the colonies, but was procurable at Home. This, of course, means that in frozen meat, as in many,. other commodities, Frcetrade ia making us the bonded warehouse of the world. But that is a position fiwr better worth having than any to he secured t>y bounties and protective tariffs. The proSb of tho complicated transsection described above goea to EngianO, eiaaply because her ports are free to all who want to sell frozen meat.

]?reezing operations have been resumed at the

New Zealand Befrigeriitisg Company's works &l Oam&ru, and the Barnside works will be open about the middle ok" January. The tafes for freezing, bags, and oc >.--•« heights aie a-5 fol-

low: — Summer months P ("ember to M^y)

Sfutton, l-24d per lb; Uano, l-35d per lb. Winter months (June to November) : Mutton, 0-97 d per lb; lamb, 10. <l p~t lb. Should

shippers wiah it the company is also p, r-i>'\red •to quote" the following i-.'>'-o!x*3i, t <.' rates, covering all charges from d ■}£«»*/ at tw>. works to receipt of Londoa account siues :— Summer . months : Mutton, l-65d pei' 1b ( lamb, 1-75(1 < per lb. Winter months : Muttu-a, I-40tl per ,Ib.; lamb, l-50d per lb. "■ Rain is wanted in the Novtb Otogo district for the potato crop, rb well as fo- white crops.