FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD NOTIES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2998, 1 October 1891, Page 4

FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD NOTIES.

© - — Ai.c >v.k<» ii.vt. Bci rhi: with W.vri.i:. —Jn .I. r-.'y and liii' n, -i y butter i< made much nvirc h'llt, than f> «ciii.r»lly the i:a.>c in Jn■ r 1 ■,Jlll, and ai tin. jecent, Dairy I,' mlorenej a jocose remark was made 1 ,-i.ra" ot' tin; pro-pority of the is ! ioders w.e. tin.' to Hi" int that t!i"V ware aim- 1.., hay - ill a' I ■ - lit in a ha!i penny a round. arid to S"ll it; in tin- butter at 1". I'd. Tii. y were ailvi., •>! t" x'ivo even more :.i!i. ii' I i,■ ■i' i" uni' t'.- ■ i! I'l i'. and uin: in-li aalhoiity nil daii v m;u!rr> rimiwt:!- || d lie i:ilUiiu iir; of ill.' baiter black if it na:i a-r.cd for. According to a recent coo, lii;.h Km,v/ hi-w to iiianipalate till' butter, ever, if it. is imt exactly in ac'"l'd illi: with tin' d- sires of tile ]:".:'i-iia-i'r \ iv'iay farmer lias been wvn'.lv limd for srndin:,' to market, with uiLuii'. in mi in i l a fraud, a lirkin uf butter run I ainin,u* per cent, of water. The pt I'l.intage allowed by Somerset-, homo is l'J, and anything over that incurs a prose anion. Faulty manufacture would not, it, was stated, account for the presence of such a quantity of water, and the ordinary poreeiita go was Vt or 10 per cent. I'or the defence, it was submitted that no ease of fraud had been made out against the farmer, who was a re.-,peetablo man, and had never before been charged v.illi such an olienee, although ho had for forty years been sending butter to the Cork market. The magistrate, in giving liis decision, saul that a mau who had been for forty years sending butter to inarki I, should know more about tho business than to mth! in such a firkin. The water could not have got into tho butter ov faulty manufacture, and as the reputation of tins market must be bus' taiued, tho defendant was mulcted ill a iino and cost". I'A'I'OKT 01-' POTATOES The i'ol!owi/i:r < :<• client article written by " an expert. " v."> take from the New /.caland Mail. •' Itlias been pointed out on several occasions in this journal that there is a la'at" and prolitable trade to be done in iv;;>ortinjf potatoes to the London market. But this export l'eijuires to be prop"ilv understood, At present the people in this colony si.-ein to have but a very foggy notion how to proceed. I read in tho N. l imes of Now Zealand potatoes reaching Loudon last week, and realising X,! per l'eoplo will at once say that export at these prices will not pay. Of course not. No one in bis sober senses would thiuk of seudiu:; old potatoes to London at a time when tho market is almost frlutted with new ones. It is perfectly ridiculous to send potatoes to London except at that time of the year when the market is prepared to receive them. TLe opeuiiur for our potato trade ij to send new potatoes at a time when ■nothing but old ones are procurable in London, and that is to commenco about a fortnight before Christmas. In the Auckland, and probably in the Taranaki disLi'ica, now potatoes can safoly be lifted for export by the end of October, and shipped so as to reach London just before Christmas. L have bought new potatoes in Covent Carden market on December 18th, at Is p; r pound. I liavo seen them marked at higher prices than that, for I remember ou one occasion seeing in Mr. Solomon's aliop in the market, c!.ioieo kidney potatoes packed in lib baskets marked "is Gd per pound. 1 know from experience as a buyer that new potatoes from New Zealand at Christmas time would readily fetch from od to (id per lb. wholesale, or at the rate of £-J;i to ,CoO per ton. Of course the clicapcr they were sold fie greater tho sale. I'ho tirstiiew potatoes to reach London (in i|nant,ity) this year (IS;>1) wore some imported from ,ler-:oy and (iueruuey. My Ku;:!i-It correspondent, who keeps rnccouftaniiy posted up in tho details of the provision trade, informs mo thai, these potatoes wcii' of l.ho kidney and early round variety, and the Borough Market fetched whajevaie (ia to 7d per lb., packed in 71b. ; i 'id I 111,, baskets, This v.'as on Saturday, April ISth, IS'»L. At the same time ;mall round now potatoes, an inferior quality imported from Malta, wero selling at £7 per lon. They-were packed iu bajjs, and had 'swated' on the voyage. Crime old Scotch and English potatoes were selling on the same date at from l2us to loos per ton. I'ioiti an experience extending over many yit'i's 1 have scarcely ever known good neiv potatoes (it, hoik) sold in London before the first week in April, and thtoo wero very early grown ones sent from Iho south of Spain. Then after that dai • new polities poured m by hundreds oi lus uom Ai;.:ii.:'s, Malta, and Capo '» t'lih: Islands, then ,1 urscy, duernsoy, anil the south of franco. Later on came train loads from Cornwall, tho Scilly Islands, and warm spots in the i-uuih of England. To do a profitable trade with our potatoes t hey most roach Loudon a weck;bofore I h.i-tiaas in order 10 catch tho Christmas I rode. From then to licj beginnin" of A: nl we have a steady market without the teal' of any opnnsil ion. |>ol to ship pyt/i toes to reach London niter dune has set in will be a losiiiu' game. There is no other country to compete against the colonies for new potatoes for the iirst four months in the ye n', aller [bat half the world is sendin;r pol ai oes to Loudon. That potatoes can carry safely to London in coo) ohsiidn is is an i: t ibiished fact. I.iie mistake that 11 en made, and will probably be lnede, i.- 10-.einl them inbags. I'n! aloe., ill ! )>,; 1.. :i a Ion:: ,'ji-1 i;cc to do -on line-: li" 1> •;•!,,'i| in tio.-.e-s, I , a-;, la.\ e, t i.-;; .! in ."t'y potatu_ 'v. • ed lo 711 per lb., while a 'a, ;u ba:.'s sold at 1 iH-i jnr •• m ef the many proofs '1, t ; ; i. ;• e. iuinous to sea borne j • .!'..«•••. ..ail in cool ciiambcM they '..ueat.'if ' enliaed in bags. \Yc cannot improve upon the Spanish Method of packing potatoes. I have seen thousands of cases landed in the Borough and Tooiey Sin et Markets after a delayed, roll}jli pa.s.jij»e frina !lie s-'uilii of Sjiaiu— stowed not in cool ehambers, be it understood, but in the ordinary hold of the ves.'cl, with the hatches bat.tailed down by reason of bad weather, and yet those potatoes were in excellent marketable ; condition.

Thr Spanish box Jb about iftljill tu I<. i;;/th, J] inulic,; vide, :iud 10 inches ■ loop, with a division in the ccntro of the unirtb. The box ih nuule of unplaned timber, and tin; pieia.s bavo a space of <{iiite half an inch botwoun tho.se on the top, bottom, and spaces provide siula-it'iif, ventilation, for with ho ;iir freely through the pota-'-went' Ic'S li.tbh* lo occotir. The i th" lm>: is .''ifwti with :i few t'lrini'. ».«' dry fi vn, and a hiver of f»rn i-; laid 01 j ((,;■>. It' trir potatoes are baud-* parked, .:iid ;;;•■■ ol ieed in ilr? box with du-T caro and rmi.iih r;:t i"ii, and a winp of lorn placed ii. wrdj.ru hero and there, and a ::ood layer nf f\ rn on the top before tho lid Isnaihd down, it. N next to impnssiblo for tiic potatw-s to <*et bruised or darnuffod. With entvful paokimr, potatiu i M'lif. in t <10 manner 1 bavo described v. ill carry wilh safety to London The I uivfuinent mivrht do something to riic-ouiMiro thu potato t-rside. JfLbey appo'id. a but!■ ■i* Lxi'i'it, Ihu .sum; imin I'Otilil s<"! that putsiUifS worn properly ni'.k il uuil nliiiipi' l, nnj such boxes hr.lll<i<! willi ini oiliciiil murk, would ho ivc'iifiiivil l>v I.cmrJou buyers, '['in! f«ct of (tovrriimwit MipiTvi.-iim «nd "irtiantco Mia f . tin" uoiiUnU were i:i good condition when shipped would ereatu 0011fid- n"' i?i t'i" t"Tli" "Mini! expert with ;:iv.U ,i'h'.i[i!.:u-c I'ctiiro in tliu potato sriowiuir s un tin; boat Mctbi-h: of nrti'.iriiig them for tliu di.« l;uil 1:1.11 !:i r.