NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19041, 15 June 1936, Page 12

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE

IN FAVOUR AT "HOME"

NUATAPA MAN T IN ENGLAND

Till-] COUNTKV lanes

"We have, slaved at all sorts of places, from hotels 1o farmhouses/! writes Mr. VV. Douglas Cook, "Eastwoodhill," Ng:itapa, who is paving a holiday visit to lingland, to Mr. E. 0. Richardson, N'gatapa. "Many of the villages were beautiful old 'places, just as they were iOO years ago, hut near all the big towns there are rows and raws ot hastily constructed new houses. This is rather dreadful, for the towns are quite spoiled. Away hack,' however, England is lovely.

"In the laiies primroses and violets are thick on all the banks and within a week all these banks will be covered with primroses and 'bluebells, with no green to be seen. \Ve are going to douth Devon and from . there along through the southern counties when we return from Paris."

The visitor was surprised at the stale of the English farmyards, and said hewas sure that New'Zealand dairy inspectors would not allow milk to be sent to the factories from such places. A minimum butlerfat content was fixed and the dairy factories collected all .the milk, mixed it, tested it, and took from .t all butterfat above the .minimum -fixed by law. The milk and cream were both pure white, and he noticed that the cream had a peculiar consistency, as if it had some syrupy substance in' it. The taste was nob of cream as New' Zeolahders knew it. •

N.Z. BUTTER POPULAR It was stated that ho preservative wasused in. the. milk, .but Air. .Cook found from 'experience that the milk would Keep for six" days in a bottle that * was 1 being constantly" opened aW used. New Zealand butter"was sold 'everyWhere and was popular in ttie various counties that they had visited. Danish was never seen in the South of England now and he was told by shopkeepers that it was seldom* asked for. In Barnstable, Devon, lie was told that farmers' wives went into town, sold their home-made buttef m the market square and hought New Zealand butter from the shop*>'to take home.

The meat was- branded "New Zealand" in four places on each side'. Argentine meat was also branded with the natae of the country of origin and "Uruguay similarly, but Australian meat was branded "Empire" and.this he thought most unfair. New. Zealand Anchor butter was. sold as "Anchor Butter, New Zealand Superfine," arid it was the only brand.that he had found under its own name. AH the other brands appeared to be looked upon only as 'first grade or second, grade. In his opinion butter from the Dominion had a great future in England. Shopkeepers complained that English butter had a nasty taste and would not keep. Until then he had not seen the Danish product, but he understood that that butter also would not keep. New Zealand cheese had a good name and the lamb and mutton were universally popular. TRAVEL IN HOLLAND J

The cost of living for the traveller m Holland was found by Mr. Co6k to he expensive as they obtained only seven guilders 25 cents for £l. The cost of ft. lunch was one guilder 60 cents, postage cost 12V cents, and everything else was in proportion. Tile tulip fields were beautiful and the colours beggared description. He noted that there was a. far smaller area now under bulbs* as there was no export trade. Britain charged a duty of 2Qa per cwt. on bulbs, plants, or blooms. On blooms, mostly lilac, they could afford to pay that, but not plants or bulbs.

There were over 1500 nurserymen .at Aalsmeer and. most of them grew lilac for cut blooms—they were forced .in heat under glass. These blooms; were sent ate far as Java, India,. Rio de Janeiro, New York, and Toronto. They all went by air mail and Zeppelin. The nurseiymen were having a. bad time apart.;»from the English duty 'because Germany would hot allow importation at all, and'France and Belgium were both unable to import owing to the financial situation. •; '. ,

CANALS INSTEfAD OF FENCES I Mr. Cook found Aalsmeer a most hiteresting place and-much enlarged since he saw; it 14 years'ago. There.were no fences. Each house had its, own pieces of land and was an absolute island. Instead of' the fences there.were, canals on the four.sides* of the house. These, canals were sometimes 10ft., wide, and in other cases they were as much as £oft. wide. The street Mr. Cook went down was two miles long and it crossed four main canals over swing bridges, which allow* ed the barges to pass 'underneath,. On each side of the streets in Aalsmeer there were'riurseries,. sometimes only, otic or two chains wide running back eight to 10 chains. .No weeds were allowed to grow anywhere. This part was not in the tulip, area. The ground was mostly peat and loam from the lake bottom. Pot plants of all kinds were grown, and lilacs and hydrangeas for cut blooms. About a mile' away. 500 nurserymen" grew roses for cut blooms. When cut the blooms had 18in. stems and one bud. They were forced mostly by the heat of coke fires. To each house there was a bridge from the pavement or road, but it was not a fixture and could bo swung over the canal or back to the house atwill.

A young nurseryman who spoke English: took them in'his motor-boat to see other nurseries and how different plants were grown. He also took them on to the lake, where over 100, rich yacht owners from Amsterdam were sailing. In conclusion. Mr. Cook states, that New Zealanclers were still held in' high esteem in Europe and it was pleasing to find that the country enjoyed so much respect in foreign lands.