DAIRY MARKETS QUIET

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 400, 24 March 1932, Page 2

DAIRY MARKETS QUIET

The Man on the Land

F. 0.8. BUSINESS AT A STANDSTILL i. . J PREMIUM FOR CANADIAN CHEESE FUTILE TO FORECAST BUTTER MARKET THERE has been no activity in the cheese market during the week, and prices have eased slightly, white being quoted at 60s and coloured up to 635. Canadian, as usual at this time of the year, is slightly at a premium for matured cheese, lowest quotations being 68s to 725, but the difference on Canadian from London orders last week was 195 tons, as against 1560 tons on New Zealand. Fresh international problems affecting the marketing of butter continue to arise almost daily, and to attempt to forecast the future of the market is at present futile, and any prophecies are pure guesswork. Statistics are of little use, as tariffs and financial conditions have completely altered the trade channels.

The butter market remains quiet, with quotations a little lower than those of last week. There has been little activity in f.o.b. sales and offers are not now available. During the week sales have been reported of butter afloat and to the end of the season’s make on the basis of for finest grade, which is equal to a spot London price of approximately 112 s at the present rates of exchange. Recent offers have included the advantage of any rise in exchange to the factory’s credit, but in view of the recent Government announcement it appears unlikely that any alteration in the rates will take place in the meantime.

The Dairy Produce Board’s statistics for February show that the increase in butter shipped in that month over the corresponding month last year to be 1,829 tons. The increase for the season, that is from August 1, 1931, to February 29, 1932, as compared with last season, is 4,321 tons. The position of the February loadings at the time of shipment was that 85 per cent, was consigned and 15 per cent, sold f.0.b., as compared with 76 per cent, and 24 per cent, respectively last year. The total butter imports into Great Britain from all sources continues to show a large increase. London reports on cheese show a flight weakening, and a quiet tone is •eported. Although the market is jome shillings above last year’s quotations, producers have been disappointed that the rise at the latter part pf February has not been maintained. The strong statistical position has ;iven every hope for a steady market, j’.o.b. buyers have been quiet, and no jffers are now available at 6£d per b., which was indicated a v/eek or wo ago. The best offer reported to je available now is 6 l-8d per lb., vhich is equal to approximately 63s per cwt. London. The Dairy Board returns show that or the month of February the shipnents were 441 tons less than February, 1931. For the first seven months >f this season there is shown a decease of 3,301 tons, in comparison dth the same period last year. The msition of the February shipments at he time of loading was 95 per cent. :onsigned and 5 per cent, sold f.o.b. is compared with 98 per cent. Snd 2 ier cent, respectively in February, .931. APPRECIATION OF DAIRY BOARD At the February meeting of the >airy Board it was agreed to forward 0 'the British Government a resoluionof profound appreciation of its in giving Empire dairy produce ree entry into Britain, as against the mposition of a 10 per cent, duty on Oreign dairy produce. It was also esolved to make recommendations to he New Zealand Government urging ,| reduction in tariffs against British tobds entering New Zealand. The bird’s attention was drawn to the fleet of the high import duty on Iritish cement. This was £1 per bn, compared with £1 10s on foreign ement. It was felt that the ihdusry f in New Zealand, being now well stablished, should be in a position to leet outside competition without the rotection of an import duty of this xtent. In: view of the fact that the free enry of Empire dairy produce to Britin is in the meantime only a temorary measure and will come up for iacussion at the Ottawa Conference, Jien it may be terminated or contingd. it would surely be a prudent acton on the part of the New Zealand overnment to give its serious coft[deration to the desirability of revising and reducing some of the duties on ritish goods. Take cement, for in■ance, which is very necessary on a airy farm, and will become more so 1 intensive methods in farming bejme more general. The duty, beides being a direct tax on the user, tay have the effect of antagonising ie Home authorities to the extent of itting out the free entry of dairy reduce to the Home markets. If re New Zealand representative to le Ottawa Conference could show a st of tariff concessions on arrival, it ould assuredly create a favourable apression, and a desire to reciproite on the part of the British repremtative. Naturally the farming >mmunity would benefit in two ways -by increased returns and reduced ists—but apart from that altogether would strengthen the friendships bereen the Homeland and ourselves and torease the desire to use each other’s •oducts. As an argument in favour [-fostering the feelings of relationlip letween the two countries it may ) stated that there is a very strong litation being worked up by farming ■ganisations at Home to impose an nergency tariff of 3d or 4d per lb.

I Sail foreign butters. This applies •infiipally to Russian butter, but it to show that the Home folks e taking a keen interest in their imand the country of origin. An :tract from the London Times on the cation of the welcome by the Lord ayqs to the first big shipment of full cream cheese from svt’ Zealand, says: “The barge-load moured by the Lord Mayor brings r in fact, a day’s march nearer to e-time when, given the true spirit mutual goodwill throughout the Emre, the basic, foodstuffs of this counf will be produced, though in differ- £ parts of the world, on British h r-

'That, as the Lord Mayor has

id, is the ideal conception, and New laland enterprise well deserves to be onked for helping us on to that reaction.”

High Quality Milk Though the Jersey excels as a dairy cow in economy of production, in longevity, early maturity, adaptability, persistency of pi’oduction and reproduction, disease resistance and beauty, she excels in yet another way. Jersey milk is the richest in butter-fat and solids not fat, of all breeds of dairy cattle. Jersey milk is the richest in total nutrients. And the Jersey “cream line” is noted sgr its depth and colour the world over. Butter-fat is the part of the milk which is most valuable from a moneymaking standpoint. In this respect it is interesting to compare the percentage of butter-fat in the milk of the different dairy breeds. The figures given are taken from the various breed associations and cover many thousands of cows which have been under official test work, according to the latest figures:—-Jersey, 5.36 per cent.; Guernsey, 5.00; Ayrshire, 3.98; Friesian, 3.42. The other constituents of milk, besides butter-fat, are important food nutrients. In fact, protein, the muscle and brain-building element, is found more abundantly in skim milk than in cream. In solids other than fat, Jersey milk also leads, as the following figures, taken from a Government bulletin, prove: Jersey, 10.04 per cent, solids not fat; Guernsey, 9,99 per cent; Ayrshire, 8.77 per cent; Friesian, 8.38 per cent. Jersey milk excels in other ways. The tiny particles, or globules of but-ter-fat found in milk, are larger in Jersey milk than in another breed’s. Jersey cream is more easily churned into butter, for this reason. Richest in butter-fat, richest in solids other than fat and easiest to churn. Yet there is something more in favour of Jersey products. They possess a flavour distinctly a Jersey flavour. Jersey butter is known by all for its quality, flavour and firm texture.

The Digestibility of Food For a proper understanding of the characteristics of a food, it is necessary to know not only the proportion of it that is digested, but also the rate at which it passes through the body. It has been found with fovvls and pigeons that the undigested matters from grain foods began to appear in the droppings within two hours of feeding, but traces still appear 120 hours later. Hard food passed more slowly than soft food. Increasing wetness of the food facilitated its passage. In the case of sheep, finely ground oats suspended in water and given as a drink, began to pass through in 12 hours, while whole oats took 14 to 19 hours before the first signs began to appear in the faeces. The greatest excretion took place on the second day, the amount then falling steadily to the seventh and ninth day, after which only very small amounts remained to be excreted. * * * A Red Herring The argument over exchange is a nice, smelly red herring. There should never have been any possibility for such an argument. The produce of New Zealand’s farmers has been commandeered, and now the banks do not want to pay full price for it, remarks “Farming First.” The commandeer is the trouble, the exchange rate question is merely a result. If butter is sold for £SOO in English notes, the seller has every right to the full value of those notes. There is no gainsaying this.