Farming Notes.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 203, 26 February 1895, Page 2

Farming Notes.

(By Agricola.) improvement in prices of sheep. It was evident from the prices realised at the sheep fair held in Feilding last Friday by Messrs Gorton and Son that the prices had an upward tendency. _Of course they did not reach those which were given last year as the auctioneer often said during the sale, but then the prices were above the real value of the sheep as many people, who were.competent to judge, often remarked. It is to be hoped that price of sheep' will rise and keep at such a rate as will pay to rear them and not to fictitious prices which benefit just a few dealers and the " knowing ones " for the time being. " THE GINTLEMAN WHO PAYS THE BINT." Mr R. Perritt informs me that he bought a lot of pigs in Campbelltown lately for which he paid the settlers over £W. He buys them alive and oeud< by '.ail con.-:ij_ued to a firm in •Vellingtou. He is prepared to purchase any quantity oi pigs which are in good condition, and pay the highest price for them— cash. This should be welcome news for the settlers as they have no bother in killing and making baoon, etc. Mr Spencer, of Cheltenham, who is quite a jpedalist iv the breeding of pigs, infoiim u'e that a splendid porker can be got by a cross between a Yorkshire and a Berkshire. As the breeding of pigs has become an important industry it would be well for farmers to pay more attention to the breed. lof ten notice a number of the " Captain Cook " breed as it is termed, in my travels throughout the country. It takes about double the quantity of food to put bacon on such animals and even then the breeder does not get good meat. It is just as easy to rear a good pig as a bad one when you do go in for rearing them. But then a number of farmers go on the "penny wise and pound foolish " policy. As long as •• it is a pig " that will do. Now such breeders as Messrs Anderson, of Campbelltown, and Mr Spencer, of Cheltenham, give five guineas for a boar and yet may persons have the audacity to offer the sum of five •' bob " for a yonng pig from one of their broods. Of course they naturally say as the Chinaman " one no savee." THE BUTTER TRADE AND FACTORIES. . It is somewhat discouraging to dairyists to take such low prices for their butter just now, bui I feel confident that Pi-ice.". will improve _'_ortly. The exprriiev'i have uot regulated the supply according to t •. c de_»and, but it will aU co =.'c rr<_t ia t ?, e pear future. The co_!;._ci; wlrc^ tbe vjhair-uan of Directors of tae Cbelte? ' v-n Factory made sou»e time a__o v».'' : t a iirm, and which pro/ed a portable tcau .action for the Cjd'p? v. i-_^?.j_i. d at the end of Ja.'tu v. .0 S i'.'e i a ten tion of the Co jp. jy to fatoce Bbo at fifteen tons of bu-,jei' ti ll suci time as the market improves. Tbe milk suppliers, who are all shareholders in the factory, will, of course, have to be satisfied with a slight advauce against their butter for the time being. I think the shareholders of this factory have no cause to complain of its management. I hear that most of the shares in the Campbelltown factory have been subscribed, and within that locality. This speaks well for the confidence of the Campbelltownites in their factory. This is as it should be as Campbelltown is essentially a dairying district. The butter made there has always been noted for its rich flavor. Mr William Bailey, who -ately visited "Victoria, informs me that butter makers in New Zealand should learn a " wrinkle ". or two from the butter makers over there. He never tasted such beautiful butter in his life. He visited the factories there and made enquiries how they managed to get such a pleasant flavor in their butter, and was informed that it was a matter of study. In answer to the query whether auy foreign substance was introduced tq make the butter look so clear and which produced such flavor, he was answerd in the negative. Of course there are freezing chambers in connection with each factory, and the butter is put on tables in the hotels surrounded by ice. I have heard that Victorian and New South Wales butter is much superior in flavor to New Zealand butter.