GENERAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1516, 12 August 1912, Page 8

GENERAL ITEMS.

. The. value of tho native fuschia or konini was stressed by Mr. Barker at the Beekeepers' Conference. The k mini. ho said, should bo encouraged wherever possible. It would grow everywhere, and provided food at a time when other foods were not in evidence. The ' Pihama Dairy Company, which made butter last year, paid out 12.13 d. to suppliers. This year cheese is to be manufactured. The latest list of companies registered gives the registration of (he Avon Dairy Company, Christchurch, which has a capital of .£SOOO in shares of £1 each. The subscribers are:—. Christchnrch: H. J., G„ and H. Topliss, 1900; W. H. Benson, 200. Auckland: L. Hansen, 1000. Wellington: J. B. MacEwan and Co., Ltd,, 1900. The objects of the company are given as dairying and incidental. Our best New Zealand honey is equal to tho best English honey, said. Mr. I. Hopkins, late Government Apiarist, speaking at the Beekeepers' Conference. _ As soon as tho New Zealand honey gets into the English auction-rooms, however, ho added, it .loses its identity, '.and is sold as English honey. This was dead against the New Zealand export trado. Another 'speaker, who has had experience at Home, stated that straw-coloui:ed or light amber honey commanded the best prices on the London market. New Zealand could produce honey ns good as the best English, but we were unknown on the Home' 1 market at present, and must yet make our name at Home. The Hawke's Bay Dairy Company's output for tho past season was 406 tons, which realised over ,£17,000. Cream was received from 10 skimming stations and manufactured into the saleable nrticlo at the Dannevirke-and Mangatainoka butter factories. The Mangatainoka cheese factory will probably reopen for the coming season on August 19. The third annual balance-sheet of the Maraitahi Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., contains tho following summarv for tho seasons 1910-11 and 1911-12 :-Milk: 1011, 6,511,7431b.; IDI2, 7,252,3071b.; increase 710,5641b. Butter-fat: 1911, 245,9571b.; 1912, 274,710.41b.; increase. 28,7501b. Cheese: 1911, 018,4921b.; 1912, 751,4001b.; increase, 102,9081b. Pounds of milk to lib. cheese. 1911, 10,0101b.; 1912, 9.(ii91b.; decrease, 391. Cheese to butterfat I 1911, 2.64; 1912, 2.73; iucrease, .09. Test: 1911, 3.777,H9l2,<Bwß7; : iiicrease, ,010. Weight of cheese madef 280-tons lOcwc. Oqr. 121b.; 1912, 335 tons Bcwt. 3qr. 201b.; increase, 45 tons 18cwt. Bqr.; 81b.

Growers of pumpkins in the Singleton' district have, been paid many thousands of pounds during the last few months (saya'the Sydney "Telegraph"). One farmer, on about 17 acres, is reported to have netted .£230, or about an' average of .£l3 10s. per acre; and from the roports of the profitableness of the crop in differenC parts of the district, no doubt there arc many others, who have done quite as well. At the railway station it is a common occurrence to see a string of drays and wagons unloading pumpkins.

. An experienced Bathurst fruit-grower, who has given the export trade in apples a fair test, gives tho .following as an estimate of what growers may expect to have ahead of them in the way of expenses if they depend on tho export trade: —"Bail, shipping, insurance, commission, and all oversea charges, 4s. Cd. per case; add to that the cost of case Is., picking, grading, wrapping and lining paper, ami cartage.to railway, and you absorb auother shilling, leaving out all supervision charges, and we have a total of 7s. 6d. per case ont-of-pocket expenses from the timo the fruit is taken from tho trees, and handed over to the purchaser in London or Hamburg, as the case may bo." Never before.in the history of the Canadian seed trado have prices been so high for the. small bulk seeds as have obtained this spring. They have been too high for the good of the country. Many reasons, have bee.'i assigned for- these high prices. The principal one. has been the falling off in seed production during the last two or three seasons in those districts whero these seeds have usually been produced in quantity. Referring to the prospects of trade for the coming season (says Mr. J. C. Cooper, chairman of directors of tho Wellington Farmers' Meat Company in his annual address) there appears to be no doubt there will be a shortage of wethers in this country, but, on the other hand, given a fair lambing, there is likely to be considerable increase of lambs, assuming .weather conditions are favourable. In Australia, owing to the late severu drougH, the export of-lambs is not likely to be as large as last year, (but, on tho other hand, mutton may be. in. excess of last year's, total." Mr. William Perry, of "Penrose," Masterton, will act as one of the judges at the forthcoming Melbourne show.