FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume 2611, Issue 2611, 6 April 1889, Page 2 (Supplement)

FARM, GARDEN, AND ORCHARD NOTES.

Swindling the Government.—A new fraud, which the Washington Bureau of Animal Industry's mismanagement of the "contagion business" has tendered to suggest and foster, is noted by the Philadelphia Record : —" Tho swindle consists in the owner's stocking a farm with cheap cattle, inoculating them by contact with a deceased carcase aud then notifying the inspector and otaining the price of good eattlo as damages."

Profits of Shew - farming. — A Californian farmer Rays of his experience in sheep raising that 320 acres of lucerne will maintain 1000 ewes find their young, besides as many cattle, horses, hogs and poultry as any one would bo likely to want to keep. These ewes will produce about 1000 lambs, and the lambs will sell in the winter for 8s each, or £400, and sell readily. Besides, thore will be two clippings of wool oach season, which •will more than pay all expenses oE maintaining the sheep, Moroovor, much better sheep can bo reared thau under the wild rango system, increasing the profits on both wool and mutton.

A Rival to Chicago.—Kansas city is rapidly becoming a rival to Chicago as one of the great cattle markets of the United States. During the past year the receipts of cattle there were 1,052,971, an increase of 58 per cent, over the total of ISB7. On one clay as many as 10,084: were received. Of hogs the total receipts in the year numbered over 2,000,000, which is a slight decrease since 1887, attributed to the failure of the Kansas maize crop in the harvest of 1887. The number of sheep was comparatively small, only 351,170, but that showed an increase of 67 per cent, over the number in 1887. The horses and mules received during the year were 27,300.

Tiik London Wiikat Supply.—Of every eight loaves of bread which the Londoner eats, seven are made of foreign wheat—two being Russian—and only one of home-grown grain. During last year London received a total of 2,745,891 quarters of wheat, aud of flour a further quantity of 2,356,883 quarters, or a grand total of 5,102,774 quarters. Of this vast quantity, the largest since 18S3, but 60,000 quarters were native, the whole of the remainder coming from abroad. The most noteworthy feature of the London trade is the extraordinarily large imports of Russian wheat, and as striking a decrease in the imports from the United States.

How to Cure Bacon. —One of the best systems of curing bacon is the Wiltshire one. Bacon so cured possesses an excellent flavour, and keeps so well that it amply pays any extra labour or trouble involved. In this system, after killing the hog, it must hang at least 24 hours to stiffen. It must then be cut into two neat hams, and two sides or flitches. The backbone must bo taken out by first sawiug down the middle and then across the ends of the ribs. The ribs can be taken out or left in, as preferred. The hams must be neatly rounded and trimmed, and the whole four pieces must be well sprinkled with salt, and allowed to lie 2t hours to let the blood run out. Then mix the following ingredients: — 1-ilb. of course sugar, of bay salt, Cox. of pounded saltpetre, and lib. of common suit. This will give enough for half a uwt. of moat. L'iy one of the flitches on a stone table or floor, whore the biirie mm run oif, and rub a quarter of the mixture well into it; lay a second flitch on the top, and procoed in the same way ; lust.lv, the hams, taking care in every case to lay the inside up aud have plenty of the mixture sprinkled over. It should lie thus for a month, turning it every other day, putting the top flitch to the bottom, aud adding a little fresh salt if much brine has run off. It should then be hung in the smoke of a wood fire for about 10 days not too near the firo.

Selunci Cattlu i;v Wkiciht.—Sir John B. Luwes writes as follows to tho Agricultural Gazette, his remarks being based upon a letter by a correspondent of that paper who had attempted to prove that the figures of the "Block Test" afforded an arguineut against the sale of livestock by weight. Sir John Lawes says:—" Although I have been a strong advocato for the employment of the scales when live stock is sold to the butcher, I have always considered that it should be accompanied with a personal inspection of the animal to bd weighed, and, if possible, with some knowledge of the food used in the fattening process. The scales are intended to aid, not to fuporsede, the judgment of tho seller. To take the live weight of a number of unseen cattle, to assume that each ono will yield 91b. of carcase to each 141b. live weight, and from these data to assume that the buyer or seller will lose or gain in tho transaction, does not, I submit, show the worthlessness of the machinery employed, but of the data employed in testing the records of the machine. Your correspondent, Mr William Smith, says, "Let our learned agitators encourage tho weighing by the eye "; I say the same. As, however, the butcher's eye has an immense advantage over my eye, not only by its daily uso, but also by the judgment of his aye being corrected by the daily slaughter of the animal, I may surely call in the aid of the scales to assist me, more especially when experience tells me that by the use of thom my judgment is placed more on the level with that of the butcher."

A Bio Undektakin'ii.—A big scheme is being set on font, the object of which is to put into cultivation a large section of the so-called desert lands between Los Angeles and Yuma. The scone of action for the present is to bo a large tract of land, measuring about 230,000 acres, situated about IG miles west oi Flowing Wells, on the Southern Pacific. Scientists claim that all that part of Southern California was at one time a huge lake, and that the land there is as rich as tho celebrated region of the Nile, and could bo made as productive, if water could only be brought upon it. Those interested set surveyors to work some time ago to test the practicability of running a canal from the Colorado River, 53 miles distant, and it was found that there was an 80 foot fall from 6 miles below Yuma to Indian Wells, and that tho canal was quite feasible. It was estimated that a ditch 150 feet wide and G feet deep would be required, and as those backing the project wore all men of means it was decided to go ahead with the work. A difficulty, however, arose in the fact that 35 miles of canal would have to traverse Lower California on Mexican territory, and applications to the Government of the "land of God and liberty " for a right of way have resulted in such delays that it has been decided to abandon that part of the scheme altogether. An effort has lately been made to obtain water for the land by means of artesian wells, and experimental boring has resulted in finding suirfaoe water at 22 feet, and at a depth of 29 feet artesian water was obtained which rose to within 10 feet of the surface. The barometer shows that that part of tho desert is 12 feet above the sea level, and is, therefore, admirably adapted for the cultivation of oranges, walnuts, and in fact all semi-tropical productions. There is little doubt that the scheme will go through, as it is in tho hands of men of enorgy and oapital,

I This Necessity oi' Returning Something to the Impoverished Soil,—ln very many sections of California the fruit farms are of such an extensive character as not to admit of grain or other fanning or the keeping of stack aside from a few horses, rendering the manufacture of harnyai'd manures impossible. Stable manure is not to be had in any quantity except from cities or towns, and this supply is wholly monopolised by truck gardeners. In what is termed general farming, the land receives back from the various crops a certaiu proportion of its plant food from the refuse of the mop. In fruit farming it is different; the ground is kept under a high state of cultivation, and with the exception of the leaves of the trees, which are ploughed under once a year, little or no vegetable matter or plant manure is furnished the

soil of your orchard. A very good soil food is supplied by ploughing under some green crop; rye has been extensively used in the east, and proved to be valuable for this purpose. It is sown in the orchard and ploughed under while preen. Wliilc this is excellent, it only affords temporary relief. The necessity of replenishing the soil of your fruit farms is becoming more and mere apparent, and this deficit should be met by fertilising, If you have or cau conveniently get the materials, we strongly adviae a rornpost pile, which is excellent for plants and young trees. We would also advise you to study the artificial fertilisers which are in the market, experiment with them, watch closely the effect produced, and select and use the one which you fiud produces the best results. There is no use putting this matter off, thinking that after 20 years of constant cropping your land is as strong as over, and will continue to produce large, successful crops in the future as it has in the past. Your land has laboured long and well, and is now tired and hungry. If you cannot give it a rest, you can, at least, supply it with that which it so much need*— plant food.—California Fruit Grower.

The Frozea Meat Trade. The following interesting article on the frozen meat trade is from ' Fair Play' of January 18 Few people are aware of the strides that have been made in the last very few years in this new industry. It cannot be said that the proportion of frozen meat used in this country has yet assumed dimensions calculated to terrify the British grazier, but, none the less, the subject is interesting, for there is 110 reason to suppose that the development of which the trade is capable has anything like reached its ultimata limits. For much information on this interesting subject we are entitled to an ably compiled review of the frozen meat trade issued by Messrs W. Weddel and Co., of (6 St. Helen's place, London. The review is accompanied by a large chart, or table, showing the fluctuations in the values of frozen meat during the past six years —18cS3 to 1888. The table also gives side by side with the values of frozen meat those of Scotch and English mutton, and of Scotch and English beef. The review supplies the figures and data referring to the quantities of frozen meat imported, for which place could uot be found in the table. Taking a glance at the table, we find that the first importation of New Zealand mutton took place in February, 1883, at which time the price was 5s 4d per stone of 81b. In that year the price fell to 4s per stone, and rose again to 5s 4d. In 1884 the price commenced at 4s, rose at the highest to 4s 6il, and fell in the month of August to 3s 4d. In 1885 the price opened at 33 6d, rose in March of that year to 4s 4d, and declined in November to 3s. In 1886 the opening price in January was 3s 4d. A ris« took place in March to 4s, but in November and December the price fell to 2s lOd. In 1887 the first price quoted is 3s, and a rise took place in March to 3s 2d. Eventually the price fell to 2s Brl, at about which figure it remained throughout the year. 18S8 commenced at that figure, from which poiut a pretty steady rise took place until, in July and August, 3s 8d was iviiulu'd. This price was maintained until October, when a sieady fall ensued to 2s Sd in December, that quotation heinjr, we believe, slightly above the actual market price, which was then under 4d a lb. It should be said that this quotation, as the table explains, applies to prime North Canterbury wethers, and is in all cases the top quotation for the highest class of meat, the ordinary import of New Zealand mutton being something like threeeighths of a penny per lb bt'low the standard, From this it will be seen that the average prices for the years mentioned have been as follows :—lßß3—6Jd per lb ; 1854—5-Jd per lb ; 1885—5|d per lb ; ISS6—5d per lb ; 1887—4Jd per lb ; ISSS —4Ad per lb. It would thus appear that the graziers of New Zealand would be receiving 2JJ per lb less on their meat at present prices than they were receiving in 18S3; but this conclusion would be erroneous, because in the former year, and for some time subsequently, the charges on the transmission of the meat from the colony to London were veryclose to 4d per lb. At the present moment meat is imported at an expense of 2£d a lb. Therefore it is the carriers

who have lost the bulk of the reduction, and not the squatters. This is perhaps as it should be. At any rate it is in the natural course of events, which tend to cheapen carriage in every possible way. So far, as regards New Zealand mutton ; but it will be seen by a study of Messrs W. Weddel and Co.'s review that it is not New Zealand moat alone with which the English grazier has to compete. In 1880, when the New Zealand frozen meat trade had not commenced, 400 carcases of Bhcep were received iu London from Australia. In ISSI that colony sent us 17,000, in 1882 57,000 (we aro leaving out the odd figures), while New Zealand first appeared on the scene with 8,000 carcases. In ISB3 Australia sent 63,700, while the import from New Zealand had grown to 120,000, and the River Plate for the first time appeared in the records with. 17,000, making a total of 201.800 carcases. In 1884 Australian imports had risen to 117,000, New Zealand to 412,000, and River Plate to 108,800—total 633,000. In 1885 Australia had fallen back to 95,000, while New Zealand had risen to 492,000, and River Plate to 190,000. In 1886 Australia had further deoliued to 67,000, while New Zealand had risen to 665,800, and River Plate to 331,00Q to London, and 103,000 to Liverpool, In this year the Falkland Islands first appear with 30,000 carcases, the total import from all sources in the United Kingdom having been 1,155,547. Ia 1887 Australia shipped 88,000, New Zealand 766,400, River Plate 641,800, and Falkland Islands 45,000. In 18S8 Australia shipped 112,000, New Zealand 939,000, and River Plate 873,400. The Falkland Islands are absent from the returns of 1888 owing, it is said, to the inferior quality of the meat rendering it unsaleable. The total imports for ] B§S are given as 1,025,000 carcases. The most noticeable feature in these figures will be the rapid development of the River Plate trade in frozen meat, concerning which the oompilers of the table remark that on the whole the quality of New Zealand shipments has tended to deteriorate, while the quality of River Plate sheep has tended to improve year by year. The average weight of the former has steadily fallen away from about 701b in 1883, to about sGlb now, while the average weight of the latter has steadily increased from about 401b to 451b. This is a fact of which our colonists will da well to take careful note.

As regards the general outlook of the trade, it appears necessary to point out that the total import of live and dead meat forms an important percentage— probably 10 to 15 per the total meat consumed in the United Kingdom. Of that total (imported meat) Messrs Weddel say " frozen meat now represents some 20 per cent., about half of which comes from Now Zealand." .Roughly speaking, according to the same authority, tho total import of New Zealand mutton may bo reckoned as considerably leas than '2 per cent, of the total consumption of beef and mutton in tho Unitod Kingdom. The table to which we have referred shows also the prloes and fluctuations, at' we havo said, of other meat besides that of Now Zealand. It will be sufficient, so far as English-grown meat is concerned, to say that whereas in 1883 the price of primo Scotch mutton stood at 7s per stone of 81b, at the end of 1888 tho price was os -Id; while prime Scotoh beef, which at tho beginning of 188-i stood at 5s 2d, is now quoted at 4s 4d. The River Plate mutton always appears to rule at lower prioea than the Now Zealand. Iu 1886, while New Zealand mutton at its lowest poiiit stood at 2s lOd, River L'lato at tho samo period was quoted at 2s 2<l jx>y stone, This difference in valuo Las been

pretty eqnally maintained, and at thy close of 18S8, left New Zealand wuttou av 2s Sd, the Piute was

marked 2s 2d. It only remaina to bd Htated y as a proof of the perfection in which has been attained by makers of refrigerating machinery, that the proportion of loss on the frozen meat has become so *mall that premium* of insurance BgainsL nil risk hftvc declined from £G per cent, to t*4. It is possible that an tiiHu goes on improvements will permit of a further reduction in this rate.