EXPORT OP CHEESE AND POTATOES.

Patea Mail, 26 October 1881, Page 4

EXPORT OP CHEESE AND POTATOES.

The following letter from the Captain of the Pleiades has been placed at the disposal of the Canterbury Times : Ship Pleiades, London, July 23. My Dear Mr Hall, — Although yon will have heard of the safe arrival of the Pleiades long ere you receive this, I am sure you will be pleased to receive a few lines from me, giving you an. account of the “ dairy and garden ” produce. In the first place I’ll commence with the “ dairy.” I think I told you that I intended taking a ton of cheese on my own account, which I did ; and I am pleased to say, got it Home all right without any loss, I took a great deal of trouble, or am afraid should not have been successful. One half was new, and the other old ; it was supposed to have been all of the latter. lam not a, judge as to the age of cheese in general, but in order to be clearly understood I will class mine thus—“old,” “ older,” “ oldest,” old being what I shall call'“new,” they being quite yellow on the outside ; “ older,” discolored on the outsidp without being decayed (and which I consider a safe cheese for exporting) ; “ oldest,” much discolored, very hard and old-looking. I had shelves put up in the foremost cabin, close to the salodh door, being about the coolest berth in the ship During the cold weather the cheese remained firm and solid, although I took the precaution to turn them every week. Going through the tropics was a most trying time, the thermometer being 86deg. in the cheese room with the port and door open. The oil came out of the new cheeses very freely, arid several pieces fell out of them through the opening in the shelves in one night. I filled the shelves in and took the precaution to turn the cheese every morning. The older cheese remained firm, although rather greasy on the outside. The oldest ones remained perfectly dry and hard, although I noticed that one of them had “hoppers” or small “maggots ”in it; and, after getting through the hot weather, I noticed that some of the cheeses cracked and sank down in the middle, which I conclude would be on account of their fermenting during the hot weather, and going back to their original state in cooler weather. T may remark here that the old and older cheese was as good (if not better) after passing through the tropics as when it came on board.

I now thought it advisable to open the case that Mr Ewart sent, which 1 did on April 20th, in latitude 15 south, being then at sea 53 days, and having had a fortnight’s very hot weather. There were four cheeses of the quality that I have classed as “ old," and which I call “ new” ; two were packed in another box inside the other, with long tussock grass, and which were tolerably dry and firm; the other two were soft and oily, especially one that was encased entirely in calico—it had turned black ' and smelt hadly. ’ I do not consider it a good plan to cover them entirely with calico, as it retains the oil and becomes putrid, and also keeps the cheese too moist. It is quite necessary to have it around the cheese, as it keeps it together I feel positive that one would not have kept together another week had I not taken off the covering, scraped it, and put it with mine. The others might have turned out in good order, but I doubt it. After the experience with ray own, I did not think it advisable to close them up again, so I put them on the shelves with mine, and they kept splendidly. I am of opinion there" would, not be the slightest difficulty in New Zealand cheese standing the voyage to England, provided it was tolerably old (say the ones that I have classed as older, which would be between the newest and oldest) sound and dry when packed, weight not to exceed 251bs (over that the fermentation appears greater; indeed, smaller cheeses would be preferable), packed in long tussock grass (not bay), and sent so as not to arrive in England in the hottest,. months, as they would then have an opportunity of becoming firm and hard again after passing through the tropics. It may be as well to note the different temperatures they were subject to. After leaving New Zealand it gradually got cooler, and when off Cape Horn the thermometer stood at 46. In a fortnight after, and right through the tropic of Capricorn, it was 86 with the port.and door open ; through the tropic of Cancer 80, with the windsail leading into the room, and port open. After passing the tropics, and in latitude 30 north, the temperature was 70, in latitude 40 north 65, and on my arrival in London on the 3rd June it was 60. The cheese, firm and solid, I sold to a friend of mine for 6d per lb, so that I cannot exactly say what it would fetch in the market, but I should think 6d to 6£d.

Yon will be pleased to know that the potatoes you so kindly sent ns kept splendidly; we had no occasion to throw a dozen away, nor did we pick them over once, whilst some pnrchased by the carpenter and boys from the man I intended buying from turned out very bad, what with picking and sorting before half the passage they, had not one left, whilst I had five bags on my arrival in London which were as good as the day they came on board, and were very much appreciated by my friends. Going ronnd the Horn we had hot potatoes every night cooked in ashes from the cabin stove. They were very much appreciated by the officer of the watch, as they warmed his hands as well as his inside. I think there would not have been so much difficulty in getting a cargo of those over as there would be a cargo of cheese. I should like to have had 50 tons of them six weeks earlier. The beet-root kept splendidly. I put them in the soil you sent me for the plants, and the last one was as fresh as the first. I ro-potted all my plants, and they appear to like the New Zealand soil. I have a creeper which I am training along the skylight, and it is covered with blossom. The cabbage was also fine. Wo had sufficient to last ns home, as well as to be able to give some to the boys, which was a great relish, and helped the salt meat to digest. Everything you so kindly gave us turned out famously, and I am sure we shall never- be able to repay yon and Mrs Hall for all your kindness to us. We sail on Tuesday next, July 26, for Canterbury again, for which I am very pleased. Mrs Setten accompanies me. I hope to be out again by Nov. I.—l am, &c., W. Setten.