CAMBRIDGE DRAINAGE AND THE LAKE. THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE. AN AMERICAN LECTURE ON THE DAIRY COW.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1583, 26 August 1882, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE DRAINAGE AND THE LAKE.

THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE.

AN AMERICAN LECTURE ON THE DAIRY COW.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — With your permission, I beg to refer you to a statement in your leading column of Tuesday's issue, re the drainage near the lake, which is diametrically opposed to my idea. That is to say, " the public, while eager for any system of drainage that would remove the water which lies on the surface during the rainymonths, entertain .strong, and not altogether unreasonable objections to Mr Ho&king's idea of converting the only sheet of water in the district which has been reserved for ornamouta' purposes, into a gigantic cesspool for the reception of the dtainage of the neighbourhood." Now, sir, having stated that this is not my idea, whose ever it may be, if any person's, I prefer much not to have the credit. There is no Cambridge ratepayer that would more strongly oppose any kind of filth being drained into the lake than thu writer. I have no desire toobtrude on the general remarks in your leader with regard to the drainage, bat will, with your permission, briefly state, first: The drainage area is about 50 acres, of which the natural lowest level point is near the church corner, with an impervious stratum generally o* shallow depth. Second : In every rainfall of greater extent than the soil is capahle of absorbing the surplus water finds its way immediately to this point, and within a few minutes rushes over the banks of the* lake and into the water, taking at times tons of the bank with it, which does very considerabledamage to the town property, besides filling in the lake. Now, if this water wore conducted through a channel under command it could not get into the lake sooner than it does. It must be surplus water, and at the church corner before it can be dealt witli in my drainage scheme— consequently the water would not be more impure and not more likely to foul the lake water than if it. were allowed to run over the bank as atpresent, carrying the bank of the lake; with it, and certainly would not destroy the property of the town and of the domain board by washing away the banks and filling in the lake. Up to the present, many acres of the lake have been destroyed by being filled with its banks. Apologising for trespassing on jour valuable space. — I am, &c, . G. F. Hoskixg, C.E, Glynn, Csmbridge, 23rd August.

The new pure cash system being nitiated by G. and C. will certainly provt a benefit to the public. Tt has been a great success in Sydney and Me,lbourav and when strictly earned oat the cmUmiJk who buys at an estuWishment where HheT goods are marked low taWWure a rapid sateinWt be a. treat gainer. Q, and C. selftSeir drapery, millinery, and clothing: at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative s.ociet* without the risk of beinr called upon to bear aportion of the loss should the jears business prove unsatisfactory. „ Garlick 1111^ 0 F et ain' the confidence which the public have hitherto shown fhan, and are determined to give, ,the pure , cash sjsivm a. fair trial; whether theygaihor lose' thefirst year Country buyers on remittin^caslTwlthotdex tril* be. supplied with g-bpds at^co-on^ve. pric« ? iust the same as though the/n»de aperioiialsefl£v° M«f* ? a^AA? g /%&&,!&& i . moor r cloths, b^teadsJabeadinr^and^ffeneral houfe furniture AVj^^K^^f, 1 turned out at ourownTactor^olb<s m'arlced at the lowrat remuneiativoi^ces,tand'rdiscount of five pci i cent.,willhp ll a ltawMtoftKb'«* who' payat l t 5 e J™?Pf,PUrch^e,g ; (S^a:CfKkVin'g realised .the i entire valuo^AecltSckyanilftg/tyir late 'i°BS?--^^^*i^wyit<|S : .eAR4ck and

The London correspondent of the Dunediurj!%'{n\Tiles :— The successful impcrtatu>ju «fi fro/A-uf ro/A-u meat if rom tlie colonies in general, and New Zealand iv" pai ticulnr, has already created jealousy on the p,u t £>f 'English cattle dealers. In the House of Lords on June 14, Lord Lamington a-sked if tiie attention of the (joveiuinuuf lfM' bden called to tlie recent impmtation of frozen slicep fiom New Zealand ; and asked whether, in the intr-retss ot the British producer and consumer, it might not be desirable to introduce a bill compelling retail dealers under heavy to specify the description of were selling, and imposing fines upon any person selling un%bYted meat as Home produce. Lord C(ftlsjrigford said that the Board of Trade jhM ho', 1 official information of the impb'rptio'n of foreign moat, and wie Government did not consider it desirable to introduce the bill indicated. 'The" Dttkc of Rutland remarked that 'there was' no doubt that agriculture was in a depressed, if not alarming condition, "iiid anything likely to benefit the agri'ciilturist and enable him to compete with foreign importations ought to receive the attention of the Government. The question is no doubt shelved for the present ; but with a number of powerful landlords of 'tlic Duke of Rutland stamp opposed to imported meat it will be odd if an attempt to impose a duty is not made ere long. One London weekly pithily re,marks re this motion that "the fact of colonial meat being sold as English is the best proof of its excellent quality, but it is unlikely that the Government will interfere to enforce honesty on the pait of the butchers when no question of the sale of unwholesome me.it is involved." Anglo-Australian, iv the European Mud, says : " The success which has attended the intioduction of New Zeahnd mutton into this country shows that if the thing ,is w orth doing it is woith doing well. Owing to some very indifteicnt shipments from Australian ports the public were beginning to rcgaid the meat with aversion, and it is therefore satisfactory to note that the flavour of the New Zealand meat has acted like a ehaim in re1 storing confidence in the practicability of supplying this countiy with good and • wholesome meat by means of the ie- • ifrigerating piocess from ihe Antipodes; and it is hoped that eveiy thing possible will be done by shippeis in New Zealand to sustain their confidence. When it i& remembered that 33 per cjnt of the meat ~ we consume is imported, it is clear that 'we can' offer the Antipodean Colonies a splendid market for their surplus beef and mutton, and for their hams, if they 1 have any to spare. The only condition of success, however, is that the food must come to us in good older. If the meat is frozen up-country and paitly thawed be fore it reaches the port of shipment, it would be better to tlnow it into the sea than run the risk of damaging the trade by bonding it to the London market to be condemned as unfit for human food. The chief feature in connection with the shipment by the Duucdin is that the appliances for keeping meat wholesome are bo effective and loliablc that it can bo conveyed in .sailing vessels over long voyages with perfect safety, and at a cost very much less than by steamer. Great, however, as the piogrc&t made in icfliberating machines has boon, it may be said as ot clcctticity that the science i.s as yet in its infancy, and that as time goes on, such improvements will be made in it and the facilities for tianspoit, that will ultimately lead to a vciy pi oli table trade. Meanwhile, thoicfoic, it is essential that nothing bhould bo done which might tend to err ate a piojudico against the meat. Nor the least result of the excellent shipment by the Dunedin is that eonsumeis like it so well that they arc asking f<u more, and shippers may be sure that w lien the Matama iv lives her consignment \a ill come to a capital market it the meat should lie deliveied in good condition. Those nitcicstcd m New Zealand aio \ciy anxious upon tins point. IJut, it has been argued, if the lines adopted in tho picpai.ition and stowage of tho meat per Dunedin me followed in tho cw-o of the iMataura, there should be nothing to fcai on the scoic ot buccess. i'lic refiigeiatmg companies aic fully alive to the impoi tanco ot this tiiidc, and cic \ lei iilc Mith each othci in respect of ellicicncy. ' The London Ohniio piclicts that the scai o caused by the impoit of New Zealand fio/en meat w ill soon die out, and that Now Zealand Lumen, like the Anglican fanueis, having laiscd the price of meat m their own market, vtrj little more will bo heaid of Hie expoit to England.

A J,rrnnu. on "The luiiy Cow" lias boon deli\cied at Cedar li.ipids, Towa, by the llou (a. I). Loiing, i'mtcd States Commissioner of Agiiculiun 1 . from a\ Inch, as ropoi ted in the 7wW ////// Lur fit oik Ui'iord. a\o take the follow m;,< extracts :—: — " 'l'lu launci w ith his limited moans and with the claims that pu . ii|ou him 10gauls his cattle as a valuable portion oi hispiopoit\, , on which c\oi\ thing should appear in n.itiual keeping and be tinned to the best ad\. Ullage. The best beast for hums that which suits his farm the best, and with a \iew to thi, he .studios, or ought to study, the points and quahtic t. of his oami cattle and tlio^e of otlicit.. AH good stock must bo hied with attention' and a\ ell fed. It is nccc&saiy that these two essentials in tins '-pooies oi improvement should ah\ ays accompany each other, ior without good resources of keeping it Mould be \.un to attempt to suppoit a \aluable stock. It 13 jet more e\ ideiit that w hen unini.il-> aie absurdly hi might from a better to a pooler soil, the original stock a\ ill lose ground en en moie lapidly and to a far gi eater extent. So far as I have bucn able to judge, enf-nin grades of shorthorn families make Iho best foundation of a daily held, and, ciossing them AVith good Jciscy bulls, will pioduce a laiger piopoifcion of goo«l cows than any process of breeding, pine or mixed, which 1 have scon. The cow pi-oclnced I>3' this cross possesses a laigc share of those points. I have laul down as belonging to a good cow. lit this way an inexpensive mode of breeding is secured, and the results are obtained also economically at a price that the lejoetod animals can Avithout loss l)p turned into the market for beef. A dairy cow, moreover, never reaches pei fection in hct line until she has ai lived at matuiity, and ehe must reach this period of life Avith all her faculties unimpaired if we expect her to be as good a cow as Natuie intended her to be. Her powers mature slowly, and depend very much on the strength of her constitution. When this is unpaired, cither by breeding or feeding, her \-alue is diminished, for in the Avork of bearing young and giving milk, in which her whole life is passed, the tax upon her A'ital forces is such that none but the most robust can endure. In establishing a dairy breed, therefore, oav]y maturity with its accompanying evils, is not deBhable. On the contrary, it should be avoided, and that mode of feeding should be adopted which will be conducive to health in the individual and to the breed, and which will in no way exhaust the poAvers and shorten the life of the race. — Mark Lane Exprets,