A NORTH ISLAND TALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3193, 26 May 1915, Page 12

A NORTH ISLAND TALK.

(Feom Oun Own Cokhesi’ONdent.) PALMERSTON N., May 20

In complimenting the Wairarapa district on having harvested a far greater crop ot cereals than for many years past, the Greytown Farmers’ Union in its annual report takes credit to itself for having urged farmers to keen the plough going and sow every available acre hi foodstuffs. The farmers made a grand response. It was imperative to impress on members the necessity for at II greater efforts in intense cultivation for the coming season, so as to help the country and the Empire in the grand struggle in which it is involved. The district had also helped magnificently towards the Belgian and British Relief Funds. The Un on Fire Insurance Association had received the support of the Greytown, Otaraia, Dalefield, Taratahi, Parkvale, Belvedere, Carrington, and Longfcush Dairy Companies, who, through the association’s lower rates, saved £4O per annum in premiums. The union was endeavouring to get the Government to establish a milktesting station in the d strict to tost milk independently of the factories. Dairy factories, including several of ths Pahiatua cheese factories, are now closed on alternate days, and others are expected to follow next week. This, though annually inevitable, is not the best of news '"’Len butter-fat stands at Is 2d or more. The Ballance Company paid that figure for its April supplies. The butter supplies in the public stores ol N’w Zealand on Mav 14 were reported as

follows : , „ Boxes. Auckland 15,084 New Plymouth 5,760 Patea 615 Wanganui 3.412 Gisborne ~ 222 Wellington 16,885 Lyttelton 6,848 Tiraaru 392 Dunedin - 2,669 51,947

Last year, 90,274; year before, 69,814. MARGARINE OR BUTTER ? “Butter for the soldiers” is the latest sensational piece of news, and it is reported from the Ballance Dairy Company. Personally I had been innocently under the impression that our boys were getting butter all the time; and perhaps it will bo merciful to hope that they have behoved so themselves. The news that is reported to have reached the Ballance Company is to the effect that the Imuorial authorities are contemplating supplying the troops (poss bly referring to the British section) with butter instead of margarine ow ng to the keeping qualities ol the margarine being unsatisfactory. My own linrted experience as a consumer of margarine goes to show that qualities in this edible lubricant vary quite as widely as those of butter, and the price of the poorer sorts sometimes encountered in New Zealand —8d or 9d per lb —is not better value than good butter at the normal price of Is 2d. But some of the good margarines sold in England are quite different propositions. They have at times been exhibited at our winter shows the Agricultural Department dor information to farm and factory men, and their excellent flavour must have .given the samplers an eye-opener. These margarine samples had been shipped out here by the High Commissioner, and had therefore been subject to the same conditions as our butter consignments Homewards. They showed no defect in either keeping quality, flavour, or texture, and I would face the coming winter’s butter famine quite comolacentlv if I had a box of it in my cellar. If the Ballance report be correct, therefore, it seems that some of the troops have been getting not only margarine, but bad margarine? Possibly the difficulties of the commissariat work .caused it to spoil, and the butter may fare not much better. The chief point of interest, however, is the effect which increased Imperial purchases of butter will have on the prices. It will be excellent nows, for instance, to those Sydney dairy farmers who this week asked their Government to let them put the butter price up to Is 8d and thus escape starvation (?). Apparently, while the New Zealand embargo remains on exportation. our own prices will not _be greatly affected, as there seems a possibility that the restricted local consumption which is bound to result from the prevailing high prices will' cause our own stocks to last till the new make begins.

FRUIT EXPORT RESULTS,

Several small lots of fruit have been launched unon the ocean this season, and under conditions which perhaps wore not quite ideal. The results are very interesting, and, while they show the possibility of putting even some of_ the New Zealand soft fruits on the English market in more or loss eatable condition, they go to confirm the fact, that the safest fruit of all for the purpose is the apple. Singularly enough, pears, which arc regarded as commercially exportable, were beaten by apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums. On this point the report of the New Zealand representative at the Panama Exhibition at San Francisco (Mr E. Clifton) is very interesting. It refers to a shipment sent to him from Wellington by the Maitai on February 4 last. It did not arrive in satisfactory condition. It had been carried in the ship’s vegetable chamber at a temperature of about 3'ldeg to 40dog. which were not ideal conditions though (as Mr Clifton concludes) they wore perhaps the best obtainable at the time. Out of seven cases of apricots, only 11 fruits wore good, the rest having decayed and rotted. Even the sound specimens were too soft for trade purposes. The prunes were in too soft a condition to have been marketable. The nectarines—those, I believe, came from Central Otago—carried well, and opened up in good condition, although in one case, where apricots and nectarines wore packed in the same tray, the apricots, had decayed and affected the adjoining nectarines to some extent. The nectarines were Newboy, Goldmine, and Large Red. Of peaches, one crate of Paragon arrived sound, hut too soft to have been marketable. The other trays wore either partly or wholly decayed. The pears were all entirely decayed. They ayere Williams’s Ron Chretien Louise 'Bonne do Jersey, and another sort not named. The apples all arrived

sound. Some were rather smaller than the America,r. trade iikes, and not brightly enough coloured. They comprised Worcester Pearmain, Rhodes’ Orange, Gravenstoin, Cos’s Orange, and Scarlet Pearmain. ihe Cox’s Orange and some of the Gravenstems were affected with bitter pit. The plums comprised a case each of Satsuraa and October Purple. A few of each kind had rotted, and the rest were too soft for trade purposes. Air Clifton was still expecting further arnv als.

The High Commissioner has reported on a small consignment of New Zealand apples which reached London by the Runtime. Me says it arrived in excellent condition, and was exhibited at Covent Garden, attracting keen interest from the trade and the press. The Cox's Orange apple realised up to 31d each and the Jonathans up to l|d. Pears shipped at the same time were in bad condition. OTHER MATTERS. Now cadet accommodation is about to bo built at W craroa Experiment Farm, and the number of cadets increased from six to 12. This is understood to be due to the increasing demand for the training received there. Tire National Beekeepers’ Association is to hold an annual conference at Wellington on June 2,3, and 4. The subjects for d.scussion appear to have been well chosen. They include the following: “ The Food Value of Honey,” by Mr B. C. Aston, Government Chemist; ‘‘lmproving the Quality of Our Honey,” Mr F. A. Jacobson, grader; “Scum: What It Is and How It Can Be Avoided,” Air A. Ireland; ‘‘Co-operative Selling,” Air H. W. GilHng. There will be discussions also on how to help the instructors to abolish foul brood; what is special, prime, and good-quality honey; can we improve the - flora of our district to produce high quality; what is the best size hive to use — an 8, 10. or 12frame, and why.