Butter and Cheese Export

Feilding Star, Volume IX, Issue 96, 31 January 1888, Page 3

Butter and Cheese Export

(Beport of London Manager of the N.ZL. & M. A. Company.) Continued. .. ./f f The following,. remarks are for the, guidance ©f shippers generally. (a.) Quality .— From w,hat we oaa in fer from the appearance of the' least injured of the va ious slupme ts trom time tc . time received froni^ your cVilonj, it is manifest that a really bis(U class article is made as a rule^ though in almost every case coming under our' notice,' it : was spoiled ia* the of 'the- voyage to this country through improper stowage in ships hold as ordinary cargo. Noth"ing need therefore^ be said under this head, except to ask shippers to keep tip the style of their manufactuce.to a reXttlar standard if practicable. < (6.) Condition— Frenh butteris so per ithable an article that it had .better; not be shipped in the meantime at any- rate. If batter containing only , two to three ptr cent of sal: can be safely conveyed to this .country, ii. will probably 'be found to command a belter price; than similar butter, aalted ta the extent of 3 per cent to 4 per cent, though the latter is the safer article io send so long a distance. Practical experience alone can decide which is the better style to adopt, and to that end experiments should be carefully made at the outset. Probably the "2 to 3^per cent of salt produce" will realise 9« tolOi per cwt.msre than the "3 to 4 per cent of jalt produce," if both were made under the t>ame circumstances, shipped at the same time, and* landed in equally food order, r-v ;•-, _;-■■. - : . •■■• ■ . • : •■ (c) Packages for ordinary purposes should be kejrs of hard wood, hooped - with wood dr galvanised iron; and made to contain: net 6Ol bs to 1001 bs each with a preference here for the smaller-size. (d) Time of ! arrj<ral ought' to be during •nr cold months, say 1 September to March. Arrangements must be male to avoid arrivals ' duri ii j the hot summei monthsV <° ' ,'" : . '/ "- : " '^._J^i.. («) Tempetaturedurisg voyage— From lack of practical experience it is tain what degree otlcold is best adapted for the'prWeryitioh of butter shipped in jour cof«hy. : 'If froien along with meat, it arrives' in good " order, but ' quickly tarns rank. ; If carried { with cheese,- at a tern pettture; rising, to^SO Pahr it may not ttanid'the vpyjige^ The best method is probably carrying it f in ; a ■ temperature 2 or 3 4egrees below freezing, but that may prove cfisproportionately costly It may nojfc.be practicable, to have special, compartments f6r butter, so it is desir able to s^lit up a shipment between the freesing and cool chambers to test results. *■;■■;'• ;;;.•_•;■ " ' " : - : .'-'. Prices— As rpgards the trade in casks. or kegs' values fluctuate considerably as betweeh'snnjnier'und^winter, and at cer-, tain periods (saj.il ay to August, inclu sive) are~liable to swell 'depressions, ,in t which all qualities .suffer more or less. Xn the afwence of supplies of . colonial batter inFgobd condition it is difficult to estimate its prooable value if sound, but possibly ; it would take rank with Danish produce,- if landed here 'in a condition similar to' that m which it was landt'd. Quotations Fdr prime Danish butter in recent years have nmued between lios and 130s per cw't during September 'to Mareb. aud between 70s and 90s per cwt during May to Außust. ' .. Charges in London would amount. -tft-^d to fd per it according to price. Bxperiin«*nt«— ln conducting these. we sau»t aik *hippeni to be most careful to see that their indentions as to slupuietii are precisely carried into effect, as it. has. frequently happened ia our: experience experimental, siiipuient* have fnileu entirely in their object, owing to tljo.-e in charge of steamers nt gl -cting to carry out tbe wishes of shippers. Please take' special note of this poiat in dealing wit li butter, cheese, etc.y "Further, it is e'e sirable that the various kinds of producv shipped be clearly set forth by special marks on eacK packa c and also that we receive full adrjee thereof. We shoulii also be adriseH/ of the various rates of frsigh t (if paid in the colony); and there lative cost of the several descriptions, in order te arrireata 1 reliable opinion as to the snitabthty for the home market. KCKLED-OE- BALTBB BBBF. Past shipments have not been of a, satisfactory, character either as regards their quality on arrival prthef prices /for which they were, necessarily sold. But, owing to the altered conditions on your side, prices, at one time deemed unre«, munerative may now be looked upon a« satisfactory, and -W may therefore be useful to shippers' to lay before them briefly some of tne conditions which must be adhered to in preparing consignments for this market vizi— * («) Quality— Prime pieces only may be packed. " Nothing but briskets and flanks shall be availed of^ No throats necks, chuck«nbs, skins or other common pieces should, under any .circumatance, be used. If these prime parts be care fnlljcutupby skilled men into pieces weighing about- 81b« each, they can then s be described it "extra. lndia: mess" and the casks may be so branded. ' (&) Packing— Each tieroe most contain S4 pieces' and must > weigh net 3041 b« without brine. A thick layer of salt ahonld be placed «t either end of the tisree, and it shoud be filled with sound tweet; brih», clear n celour. ; - (o) Casks pr tierces-^— VI ust be so manufactured as'tbprevent leakage of brine and to th'atehdjmust be made of closegrained ndMwcod with similarjy hard bungs. Th« hoops should be made of wood or failing that galvanised iron, to the complete exclusion of ordinary 'iron work. They must be of a uniform size and shape: r Tlie foi-going precautions mast be taken otherwise the meat will probably arrive here dark and discol oared, poor in flavour and possibly tainted instead of ; being bright and rurf dy with dear pickle; In addition it should be pointed out that it i» most desirable that the meat be cured in 'a low; ■temper* ature and that ff saltpetre be asedlin the process of- caring, it should be applied only by-> skilled hand, as an overdose or aniill-timed application may be prejudieal rather than beneficial to the subset qaent conditipn.of the meat. The. great end t° be arrived at is to lay the meat down here, in, a condition as nearly; as possible approximating , its character when freshly ,kil}ed. Highly, coloured fiecy shipments fre of a^-. undesirable a type as arc those of an opposite type. . gapplies mu^tairive at regular interT a4c thfoughout the [je§v* : : ;.;■■ ."'_] ';-"" : ; ; ■■\pricet"ja^>t ; p»«*nt.jonieir|iat'd©prjes^ ««d India .M'ese/* b»in« quoted at7ss and 80s per tierce of *04>bs net. New Zealand prodopc'.Jn quaUtv^w*alia «otrealr«e more than say ffc psV lie^owinifio'sits -being -a «ew ariiejr, bv&ijdilaiu**: of tia» that fnp t^te.mirias> «wrfd -daubtlfess^ disappear.Cn^eiin&e«l^WTHtd r*rtb.