Farming Notes.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 270, 20 May 1896, Page 2

Farming Notes.

According to the Wyndbam Farmer, the Edcndale Dairy Factory was recent, ly the scene of a series of experiment!/ : in tbo way of devising a more economic shape of cheese for export. The expert meats were superintended by Mr-Lang^ - v Government Dairy Expert. The cheeses, are in the form of cubes, ll^in in length bret d ;h, and depth. The ordinary ronnd cheese is about 13|in in diameter ai.4 ! and llin to ll&in in depth. . The cube, one chosen at random, weighed 591 b, tbe • old shape 691 b. The idea is that a cube '. would economise more spaoe in tbe: ship's hold than the round shape. Although it may be conceded' that the * cube has not so nobby an appearance as ; the round one, yet shape would possibly not count for much in this practical age if all other things were in favor! of the : proposed new style. Last week, among a shipment of 150 case's of cheese jfco London per s.s. Eaikoura from this fac<^ tory ware 10 special cases, each cheese / of which is in the form of a cube as de«r scribed above. The innovation is -Jtrfpv much interest to dairy produce men at k our town and the other end of the world. A French agriculturalist has disco v- : ■ ered a veiy simple method of pretervingi v all' kinds of grain from the ravages of ; mice. He states a few sprigs of wild/ mint in full leaf placed at the top arid t j bottom of each sack -will prevent the little rodents from attacking it, as they / .seem to entertain an invincible antipathy ' to its odour. He finds the herb equally beneficial for safeguarding bis cheese ; dairy. Wild mint possesses antiseptic properties in addition to. that which la attributed to it above. ■:..•-.' :i H• : " '<■■■ The manufacture of Stilton chpesb: in Southland is proving a great commercial success. The Times says "Mr George- ; Saxelby, owner of the cheese factory at Koslyn Bush, is, it is stated, abont tp enlarge' his operations owing to the demand for his cbeese'; which sells readily at Is per pound (wholesale). He is con^ templating the erection or purchase of another factory near Invercargill. Mr Saxelby is paying the suppliers of milk 3|d per gallon nncooled." Iftbemann* facture of Stilton cheeselpromises to be , a great commercial success it would be worth tbe while of dairy factory proprietors to give this method a trial. Selling this product at Is per pound reads well, and suppliers receiving 3 Jd per gallon for milk- .indicates that a Stilton cheese factory offers better prices for milk than any butter factory. The ' main point to consider is to what breadth the Stilton cbeese market could be extended. One factory might pay handsomely, whilst half -a-dozen turning out this quality might knock the bottom out of the market. ; 1 V ? '" "' Mr William Weddel, ofWieddel gnd Co., London, on being interviewed in Sydney with reference to the meat ex> - port trade, said "In Zealand: ''ifo '- ; output as regards frozen meai is distinctly ahead of New South Wales, and I in frozen lamb New Zealand lamb is a' long way ahead of Australia, both with regard to quantity and quality. /Sa long as the New Zealanders can net from 10s to 11s per head for their prime crossbred lambs the lamb trade will remain a valuable source of income to them. We were aware during the course of last year that the shipments of lamb from New Zealand were largely in excess of the previous year, but was only when 't we came to pick out the actual figures „. for our annual review at the end of 1895 that we fully realised the extent of the increase, which was quite 60 pec cent . over 1894, and yet thore had been no slump in prices, proving that froxen lamb had become a thoroughly established trade in England. The leading restaurants are now regular buyers of New Zealand lamb." '