FARM TOPICS.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12753, 28 March 1910, Page 1

FARM TOPICS.

A you jig colonial who has just returned from Great Britain (says tlic "Lyttelton Times") lias been telling his friends of his failure to ascertain who eats New Zealand frozen meat. When ho arrived in London ho, liko many other New Zealamlers, was more than a littla proud of tho part played by his country in providing food for tho millions of the Motherland. He never doubted that his new acquaintances and friends would recognise gladly the connection between the smiling plains of Canterbury and the laden. tables of English homes, and at tho first convenient opportunity he asked an hospitable housewife whether she used frozen meat. "It seemed that she would have felt as little flattered had I asked her whether she ate margerine," he writes. "After a few days I learned that one must be very careful about mentioning frozen meat to English, people of the better classes. In a London club I was informed that 'no doubt some people used frozen meat," in a tone which siiggested that some people would do all sorts of odd things. My hostess in a country house said - that she had heard that New Zealand meat was excellent, but that her servants had objected to eating it. The subject suggested Chicago to her, and she expressed the hope that the 'meat pecple' had improved their methods. - 1 "choked down my explana;idns. My confidence was shaken a little when I searched out some cheap markets and found the^Prime Canterbury label attached to joints which I hoped devoutly had come from the Argentine. " I did not feel happy about the matter until I had taken an opportunity to visit Smithfield, and had seen splendid New Zealand mutton, apparently in prime condition, on its way to some unknown consximers. A few weeks later I did find a family who used New Zealand mutton and were not ashamed of it. They said that they had no desire, at all to replace it by Home-killed meat." The experience of this New Zealander is not an uncommon one, and it recalls a story told by one of tho merchants who conducts 'a wholesale business in New Zealand meat in London. He changed liis place of residence and consequently became a customer of the local butcher, to whom he sent an order forxa quarter of "Prime Canterbury." lamb. The butcher replied that he dealfconl.v in English meat, and coiild not undertake to deliver any inferior quality. He had quite overlooked the fact that the man to whonThe was writing was the merchant who supplied his weekly order for New Zealand meat.