Commercial.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3266, 26 July 1889, Page 2

Commercial.

Sydney, July 24, The grain markets generally are inanimate. The demand for wheat is slack. Chick feed, 8s to 3s sd; New Zealand milling, 8s 8d to 4s 2d, Californian 4s sd, Adelaide 5s 2d. Flour: New Zealand, stone made L 9 15s to LlO 10s, roller made LlO lOstoLll 15s. Oats: Feeding'2s 10s to 3s Id, milling 8s 2d, Maize is scarce through floods; prime sorts 8s Oil. Barley, Capo, 2s 8d to Bs, Bran is plentiful at lOd, pollard 10|d, Chaff: New Zealand, straw, £4; 1 onten L 5 to Lslss, Potatoes: New Zealand, L 5 ss; Circular Head, L 5 10s, Onions: Victorian, L2l to L 22; New Zealand, L2B. Butter: Imported dairy made 8d to fid, imported separator made lOd to Is, local dairy made, la to Is Id, local separate* made Is 2d, factory made Is'lkl. Ohoese: Now Zealand 6'd to 7|d, local 7d to Bd, There is a largo supply of cheese in tho market. Bacon: Local hand cured 7d to Bd, mashino cured. Sid to 6|d, Now Zealand fid to U&~\ hams Is.

Melbourne, July 84. The grain market is dull, Good milling wheat 5s (Id; flour, stone made, Lll 10s: roUov made LlB ss. Oats, Calcutta, 3s!)d; Victorian feed 3s lid; Neiv Zealand, prime stout, 4s Id; maize, 4s 8d; barley 5s 7d; bran lOid; pollard Is Id. Sugar is dull. Rations quoted L2O 15s, Adelaide. July 24,

Wheat is firmer. Farmers lots for out ports, 4s 8d; at Port Adelaide 4s lOd; shipping parcels 4s lid to 4s Hid; Hour, stone made, Llolss to Lll; roller made Lll 15s to Ll2; bran lOd; pollard Is Id.

Messrs Freoman R. Jaclson and Co's Johnsonville stock report:— The cattle markot comprised medium fatted steers and store bullocks, inferior sorts going to the grazier. There was a decided spring in the tone of tho bidding, and good beef would have sold woll. Sheep wore ii] late supply—all wethers-chiefly good quality. Mr Luptou's pigs were keenly competed for, baconers mailing good rates, Strong stores were also in good demand, Bullocks, £i 10s to £sl2s Cd, averaging £5; stores £8 to i'B, Sheep—the differout lines of wethers averaged 14s 9d 15s Id, and 16s. Pigs—Baconers £1 18s to £3 7s Gd; smaller, 27s to 85s; largo porkers, 20s to 245; others 18s; large stores 15a 6d; small 9s Od, Beet made Ms, mutton 2Jd. THE FLAX miIVSIKT.

The dressing and preparation of native flax for the Homo market is being steadily carried on at Temuka, and the works of tho Linseed Company have now assumed quite a busy appearance. At Orari Messrs Bruce and Stumbles also carry on operations, and the industry affords regular employment to about forty men. Competition is keen, and nearly oil the (lax in tho district is bought up, Large quantities are sent away daily from the Kiverslea estate and from Mr W. Eollestoii's property. The bulk of this is consigned to Messrs Jephson and Moore, of Tinwald. From the Pleasant Point district considerable quantities come to the Temuka works, tlie prices paid being considered fairly remunerative. The benefit to the district will be groat. Mr J. B. Binley, of Temuka, in view of the importance of tho industry, has for 1 some time turned his attention to tho preparation of some simple and noninjurious compound for removing the gummy substance from the flax, and a trial of his process lias turned out very successfully. His modus operandi is as yet a secret, but about five cwt of flax was treated at slight expense. With improved appliances and a larger quantity to operate upon the cost could be considerably reduced. The process occupies only a few days, and the flax so ti'e'atod appears fully equal to that which lias undergone tho longer process,

Agricultural Laboratories: A'paper issued by the Agricultural Department of the Privy Council describes the working ' of State Agricultural Laboratories in Belgium, of which there are now seven, arid in which every person [living in Belgium, who purchases not less than half a ton of manure, pr not less than a ton of feeding stuffs, can have samples of them' analysed, free of cost; at the agricultural laba'ratory which' exercises jurisdiction in the proyiiicojii whjph the' purchaser resides. These establishments' haye already l|ad beneficial results to fanners, npt pnly informing them how to make rational use of fertilisers, on whipl) ate is given, but also by showing them the antiwl quantites of nutritive matter in feeding stuffs, and of the active agents in artificial manures and their proportion to the entire bulk, thus enabling the farmer to avoid those jjhjph. are adulterated. All the farmers, unfortunately, will not be guided by this advice and information andjudgo manures solely by.their price, preferring 'a 1 fertiliser they can buy for 8s id for 2001b, to oin at

Ms 8d Lr tho same quantity, regardless of tlioir relative analyses. These farmers are liable to get aud apply to their land a compound ot which the Director of tlio Liege Labatory tells, which is called " the famous fertiliser of the Boil, a manureof double power." The vendor of this miraculous preparation gives no guarantee with it, but ingenuously remarks that" it was made to enrich the soil and not to_ be analysed" Notwithstanding this objection, says the Director," we >A have had tlio indelicacy to analyse it, . and have found it to contain o'l9 per cent of nitrogen, 1.02 per cent of phosphoric acid, and 1.14 of potash," Among the manures submitted for analysis, some of-*&lie samples of sulphate of ammonia were much adulterated, One of these is quoted, as the Director says, to show to what extreme limits the apathy of farmers is curried, and also to illustrate the audacity of vendors of manures. A rfarmer purchased sulphate of |l ammonia to apply dlone to beet, to the extent of ten tons of this costly article. Upon analysis it proved that there was only 10.20 per cent of ammoniacal salts in the composition of this manure, instead of 20 to 21 per cent,, the normal quantity in pure sulphate of ammonia. This would have entailed a loss, of at least £BO, besides tho inefficient result upon the crop. A sample of oilcake analysed at the (land Agricultural Labatory contained no less than 21*28 per cent of mineral matter. In some of the cases where gross adulteration hSif beon detected tho offender has been prosecuted, aud one offender got sis months' imprisonment, was, fined MO, and had to pay £2BO for costs and damages. If such institutions as these were in active work in this country, it would be curious to note the resulcs of all their analyses and to see whether or not any of the vendors would use the language of the compounder of tho "famous Fertilizer." , Jb