FARMING NOTES.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 616, 15 March 1921, Page 5

FARMING NOTES.

MEAT POSITION IN FRANCE. “WORST IT HAS EVER BEEN/,’ Messrs H. A. Field and Co., of Palmerston North, have just received a letter from a Paris correspondent, the communication being dated January 6, 1921.. In the course of his remarks on the meat position the correspon-

dent says:— “The meat situation in this country is the worst, at the present moment, that it has ever been so far as producers are concerned. Prices are full to the brim. The consumption of meat in F has dropped 30 per cent, in the last sixty days. The only cause we car, think of is that money conditions are too high—that people are living upon cheaper food than meat, because they certainly are not buying. We are passing through a very hard financial position. The banks are holding credits, and are calling in every penny they possibly can. Exchange’to-day here is over 17 francs to the dollar, and over 61 francs to the £l, so that you can see that fhis is enough to stop business. Importations are practically all at a standstill, outside of foodstuffs, and ncbody seems to know exactly when the situation will improve. My own at'-inion is that we will not have much bettei* business for at least three months. I was in England about ten days ago, and the situation there is net much better. Even bankers cannot express an opinion as to when conditions will get easier. Everybody is afraid to touch any business, and we will have to si: tight and await developments. It looks to me as if the interests 'which a big meat firm have acquired here, as well as in New Zealand. are going to be a trust in themselves. At the present moment they practically control the situation, in France on account of their cold storage. They own live cold stores, with a capacity of 17.500 tons, which are situated in the very best ports of Fiance, and in order to import anything in the meat line we have to go to them for space. ‘ They are a hard combination to fight, and although I believe they could be bought out in France T know from a very good informant that, their French investment is not giving them the results that they expected.”

WEIGHTS OF STOCK.

DRESSED AND LIVE WEIGHTS, No fixed percentage for offal can be made between dead and live weights, of farm animals, but good judges can sum up the position oy experience. Much depends on breed and condition, but Professor W. H. Peters, of Canada, gives a fairly concise idea of how to estimate the difference between live and dressed weights and he says:— The average dressing percentage of the pigs is 75. while oi cattle it is 53, rnd of sheep 48. Part of this difference is due to the method of figuring. In- the case of the pig the hide, bead and feet are included in the carcase ’weight, while in the case of cattle and sheep, the head, hide and feet are not included. Then the pig is very thick fleshed, and has a small digestive system. Cattle and sheep lave Three paunches and digestive systems. Sheep dress out lowest, due 1o t p e v.-00l and lather light fleshing of the carcase. The dressing percenta/ r e of animals of each class varies widely This is due to the amount of flesh, t-.-oecially fat, present in the digestive tract at the time, the thickness of hide, and the size of the head and legs, and to the amount of fill or t’.e amount of feed and water present In the digestive tract at the time of slaughtering. For bigs the dressing varies from p;. ; t 0 f:- per cent., with an average of 75. _ For a ;111 eit ranges from 48 to d) pei cent., with an average of 53. For sheep from 44 to 54 per cent., with a -average of 48 per cent.