WHY IS FRUIT DEAR?

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 34, 4 November 1907, Page 2

WHY IS FRUIT DEAR?

MR. BOUCHER EXPLAINS. SOME INTERESTING POINTS. Addressing fruitgrowers at .Hastings last Friday, Mr. Boucher, Government pomologist, said there was ho need to fear over-produc-tion if they went in for co-operation in marketing. The seasons of late had been excellent, bectuiso legislation had kept inferior fruit off the market, and this would be the case for a few more seasons. This condition of affairs, however, could not go 011 for ever, and the growers must combine to relieve the local markets. In Hastings this was done by canning and preserving, but cold storage was a field that had been left untitled. Cold storage was an important factor in preventing a glut in the summer months. The managing director of tlio Auckland Farmers' Co-operative Freezing .Works had asked him why the 1 cold storage already provided was' not availed of. The reasons were, that the present surplus was not sufficient,' the chambers were unsuitable, and tile charges (2d. per lb. '.for three months) were too excessive. Ho afterwardssaid that he would meet the growers by reducing the charge to Jd. per lb. for four months, which was a. reasonable charge, allowing the grower a good margin of profit. The export trade, when developed, also relieve the : markets. Ho thought an understanding should be arrived at between' the northern fruit company and the local association, with a view to preventing'complications when the completion of the main trunk railway would enable the Auckland fruit to be sent south by rail to clash with tbo Hawke's Bay shipments. He strongly' advocated a thorough system of grading .on' the basis of size and quality,; and hoped' the growers' would co-operate to fix a grading standard. The eye-alone could not be depended 011 for sufficient accuracy in grading' to size, and boards perforated to various sizes should be used. Mr. Boucher notified that lie had' just received a telegram from Mr. Clifton that trees would be planted in Arataki next year, and experiments carried out with the co-operation of the commercial fruit-growers of tho district. He concluded by drawing attention to the ichneumon fly, a natural enemy of tho codlin moth, which the Department had imported from California, and l were breeding for distribution. The result of its work had been fairly satisfactory, but it was too soon for him to commit himself to a definite pronouncement. Mr. J. N. Williams had ordered a breeding' cage, with the object of breeding, colonies of this parasite, so that growers would in time be able to got as much assistance from Mr; Williams in this regard as from the Government. ' FLUKE. AN INTERESTING" &YCLE/ "Viesse," in the "Farmer's Union Advocate," thus describes the cycle of the liver fluke, which ut various times has attacked sheep in Hawke's' Ba.y, and 011 the West Coast of the South Island:—"The flukes remain for several mouths in the liver, - some authors fixing the period at nino months, others at fifteen. , ."The life story of the liver fluke is extremely interesting,- it passing one stage of its existence, in the body of a water-snail, whoso scientific name is Linnasus Truncatulus. Tho various stages of -- its development may be- described as follow: —Eggs are developed in the adult flukes while within the liver of tho sheep or other affected animal, and these pass from the bile-ducts to the intestine, and from .there aru discharged 011 to the ground with the droppings. Those that fall in favourable; i.e., clamp arid wot, plaice's, develop; and an embryo is set fred.' 'J'his 1 is provided with'short hair : like processes' oVcr the whole' 6f its body,. which enable it to swim about in water. If iV'ihoets a' water-' snail :it-bores into its body, atid establishes itself there. ' If it does-not meet oiio it dies in a' day 'or: two. Once in : tha' body of the. snail it undergoes several changes, and finally sets, free a number of, what are really' vory immature flukes, although'at this stage they are very small. These are scattered about the pasture by the snail in its wanderings,, and it is at this stage that' they'lare swallowed by the' sheep while grazing. Aftor being swallowed they pass through the stomachs to the first part of tho small intestine, whence they make their way up the bile-duct to the liver, where they develop into mature flukes, thus completing the cycle of their oxistenco. As an illustration of the fecundity of theso parasites, it is said that under favourable conditions, at least seventyfive young flukes can develop from a single egg." > ■ ' , - . .INFECTED DISTRICTS. ' In a paragraph advocating the quarantining of infccted' districts, the ' "Advocate" says:— ' ' ■"•Wo have been making enquiries regarding 'fluke' in the To Auto district, and find a curious anomaly. The ' Veterinary Department have not control of this matter. The'v have to report to the Agricultural Department, and any action necessary is taken by them. Fluko in sheep was found some months ago at the Freezing Company's abattoirs at the. Spit, and was reported to the Agricultural Department at. the time. The outbreak of the disease has,.however,-only recently leaked out,, and a? yet, as far as we can gather, 110 steps have been taken to proclaim the district an infected one. We-trust the Agricultural Department will take some steps to prohibit the sale of sheep from any infected county. Otherwise, after shearing,sheep will probably bo sent all over the North Island, which might result in other districts being infccted." FARM LABOUR. ARBITRATION COURT TO SIT. ;Tho President of the Arbitration Court (writes a' Blenheim correspondent) has fixed Saturday, November 30, for a sitting of the Arbitration Court at- Blenheim, to hear the dispute botweeu the Marlborough Labour Union and the farmers of the province, as to hours and rate of wages'.for'harvest hands. This Question was before tho Court last year, but the Labour Union's efforts then, were fruitless, as the claim was thrown out by the Court owing to.all the requirements of the Act not having been complied with. HOW THE LAND,GOES UP. The " Pastoralists' Review" quotes the case of a station in the Hawke's Bav district known as Tukituki, which was sold first to Mr. A. J. Watt about eight years ago, at £6 per acre; it was sold three years ago to Mr. Scrinlgeour, at £7 10s. per'acre; it was sold by him to Mr. Cooinbes at £!)• three months ago it was sold to Mr. Snheate at £9 10s. This gentleman has since sold half the property at £12 per acre, and that buyer is open to sell at not iess 'than £15. The total area is 9280 acres. CAPE ECMONT FACTORY. Shareholders in the Cape Egmont Co-oper-ative Dairy Company will hold their tenth annual meeting next Wednesday at I'ungarehn. The amount of milk received during Inst year was 980,1731b5. in excess of tho previous year, and the average price paid for butterfat was over a farthing per lb. more than tho previous season. The year's figures are:— Milk received 5,915,01f11b5. Avorage test ' ... 3.8G Butter-fat received 228,2821b5. Butter made 245,1381b5. Over-run ... ... ... 7.38 Milk to mako lib. butter ... 24.131b5. Avorago price received for butter f.o.b. ... ... 10.5-td. Avorago cost of manufacture 1.04 d. Avorage cost of placing f.o.b. ,30d. per lb. Average cost of manufacturing and placing f.o.b. ... 1.34(1. per lb. Average price netted 9.20 d. per lb. Average prico per lb. of butterfat paid to shareholders ... 9.97 d. per lb. After paying advances 011 milk received, there remains a gross balance to credit of

£723 14b. lid., which, after deducting £92 7s. Id. for depreciation, £535 os. Bd. already paid to shareholders as final' advance, 1 and 5 per cent, interest on paid shares (£73 Is.) leaves a credit balance of £23 Gs. 2d. to be carried forward. During the past .season 111 now shares have been allotted. Tho company has now secured interest in the Taranaki Producers' Freezing AVorks Company, Ltd., New Plymouth, and the Egmoiit Box Company, Ltd., Elthain, the Memorandum of Association having been altered to enable the company to do so. Some months ago the directors obtained the unanimous consent of the shareholders -to erect :i cheese factory. An up-to-date factory has been built, and the maniifacturo of cheese commenced on September 21, under the management of Mi;. \Y. T. Guild. The directors in their report congratulate the shareholders on the present prospects of the cheese market, which enable them to pay a higher price for milk than formerly. The retiring directors are Messrs. M. Fleming and W. Symons. , . . ■•