FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 327, 20 January 1909, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY

THE BIiIUTAkA'S CARGO. The liimutaka, which sailed from Wellington on Thursday last, look another cargo of dairy produce, 52,075 boxes of butler and 19,710 crates of cheese, against 44,252 boxes of butter and 18,722 crates of cheese by Hie l'apaioa, the corresponding fortnigntly steamer of last season. The Rimutaka's cargo was made up as follows: Butter. Cheese. "Boxes. Crates. Auckland .. 15,150 743 Xew Plymouth .. 12,841 2,220 Patea .. 5,237 0,809 Wellington ..13,085 3,7«U . Lvtteltou .. 1,074 444 Duuedin .. 3,188 1,221 Bluil .. 52,075 10,719 This brings the total shipment for the season to the great total of 300,074* boxes of butter and 103,002 crates of cheese, against 280,000 boxes of butter and 80,445 crates of cheese for tne corresponding period of last season—a splendid development hi the export of both commodities.

The following amounts will be disIribnted to-day amongst milk suppliers to the undermentioned factories: — ■Stratford, £810.3; Ng.iire, .C 3002; Caitiff, £2193; .Lowgarth, £1801; lluiakajna, £b's7. States yesterday's Stratford Post:— Stratford's monthly hide, skin, wool, md tallow sales have grown mightily n ini|K>rtancv »incc they were inaugurited by Mr. Newton King nearly tliree rears ago. Then the Taranaki farmers' Slides and skins drifted into any distant narket, as they were picked up by the •asiial buyer, or more often they were utterly wasted and left to rot. But ;rial sales were started, and proved good ■nough to continue. Buyers came from Far and wide, and each sale grew in importance, until to-day at the Stratford sales there arc more hides eataogued than at any other individual sale in the Dominion. The situation of Stratford makes it the natural centre for a, big market, and we shall doubtess vet see other advances. To-day tire Stratford hide sales are taking place md they certainly surpass all previous records." Xot only was every department on all floors of Mr. Xewlrrn Ming's Bxtensive premises in Cloton Road jrowded, but in addition the horse baaiar had'ylso to be utilised for this. <a!e. A feature worthy of note is the marked increase in the quantity of wool offered at this sale. All over the Dominion there is an inclination to sell wool at the local sales instead of to ship it to I/radon at tue owner's risk, and in Australia between 70 and SO per cent, of the wool produced is sold locally. It would be out of place here to; attempt to give reasons for this; but the fact remains, and it ought to provide something for our fanner friends to think over. To return for a moment to our local sales, it has to he remembered that Messrs. Young, Ilobbs and Co. also hold monthly skin and hide sales, and their sale to-day was a big one too. The actual numbers of hides, elsius, casks of tallow-, bales of wool, which to-day were submitted at Stratford would astonish attendants nt the largest city sates. Cocksfoot-cutting has commenced in several plaees in the neighborhood ol Aharon, and generally in some of the bays. It is reported that the seed h very fair, but will be no cleaner than was anticipated. The recent rains have brought the "fog' and light-headei wrasses up amongst the cocksfoot. " The fiovernment poultry expert (Mr D. 1). Hyde) informed a Wellington re porter that there would be comparative ly little export of poultry this year He attributed this to the increased de inand for local consumption, followiii; upon a marked improvement in quality The increased price of wheat, he con sidered, had something to do with it as ' poultry-keepers had thereby heel stimulated to adopt more scientifi methods, such as sending the birds ti U.e table before they reached the age (• I six mouths

".Student," writing from Konini to the Sew Zealand Tlnu-. a«ks whore lie ca;i sec the plan of an up-to-date milkin.' shed with the object of taking it fl " a model. The Xcw Zealand Times renlnw:—i.'\Vu C.-171 direct, our correspondent to tiie very tiling he desires-thc shed of Mr W. 11. Martin, Eltham road, between Kltlmiii «n«l Mimgatoki, Taranaki. This progressive milk producer lias erected st cowshed in exact conformity with the ideas of the Stock Department, containing everything the inspector in charge of the district, Mr. , Deem, considers necessary to enable milk to he produced under ideal conditions, ami Hi)* «t a very moderate tost The Department is having plans of t'he shed prepared, and these will shortly he available for those, like ■••ritudcßt," wno require a practical 'model. ~ l 1.. „f >, Queensland tlip annual value ot the diiryiii" industry now approaches CI 1100,000.° The mi nber of factories registered under the Dairy Products Ac during the pa«t year was rfxty-n.no, nm diiries 0880 Dairv cows increased in number from 103,275 to 220,422 during the year-