NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10883, 6 February 1901, Page 3

NOTES FOR GRAZIER AND DEALER.

• .». Br Sthagglee. Jammry SO. I was as far south as Timara last week, and all along the line the crops are looking splendid, and as a field is opened out with the binder one can s;e what a wonderful kngth of straw there is, and carrying good heads. In South Canterbury the rape and turnip crops are much better and more forward than they are in the north, where resowing has had to bs resorted to in many cases. After an interval of seventeen years I renewed acquaintance with the Totara Valley, in the Pleasant Point district, and found this* rich piece of country looking splendid, and the grass and all kinds of crops showing great growth. The object of the visit was to Attend the clearing sal* »t Mr Wm. Hay'e

farm, Te Pukera. be having sold the property to Mr Owen Blackler, a member of a well-known family in the district. The sale was one of the most successful ever hdd in Smith Canterbury, and Mr Alex. Scott, salesman for the National Mortgage and Agency Company, who conducted the sale i;i°a most satisfactory manner,, had a heavy day's work to get through. As will be seen by the rssulte, published elsewhere, some exceptional prices were- obtained for Mr Hay's draught stock, while his purebred Hocks of English Leicester and Border Leicester sheep found buyers at very fair prices. MJ.- Owen Blackler" bought most, of the horses, including a six-year-old gelding at £76. Mr T. 0. Hay securing several of the mares, and the principal purchasers of the English Leicesters were Messrs O. Bladder, T, O. Hay. Bruce Garrick. W. Grant, F. H. Smith, and W. Cunningham. Mr Th'os. Mitchell took most of the Border 'Leicester*.

Mr W. Hay's English Leicester stud flock, which has b°en dispersed by this sale, was founded in May, 1890, by the purchose at the late Mr Andrew Grant's sale of forty in-lamb ewes, which were the pick of the lot. These ewes were 'guaranteed to be direct descendants of sheep purchased in 1882 from Sir Thomas Tancred. who obtained them from Mr Every McLean, of Auckland. Whilst in Mr Grant's hands, the sires used were from the flocks of Messrs Every McLean and P. C. Threlkeld. In 1894"sixteen ewes were add%d to the flock by purchase at Mr W.. B. Howell's clearing sale at Totara Valley. iMr Howell obtained the original of these at Mr Robert Wilkin's clearing sale in 1886. the latter having procured his sheep direct from 'Mr Every McLean's flock, so that these ewes were practically of the same strain as the original purchase from Mr Grant. Mr Wilkin's rams were imported from England, and Mr How-ell used sires bought from Messrs J. Bonifont, G. G. Russell, P. C. Threlkeld, and the Auckland Stud Company. The rams used by Mr Hay since 1890 were bred by Messrs G. G. Russell. P. C. Threlkeld. Donald Grant, W. Nixon, H. F. Grey, and R. Kelland. At the sale on Thursday, a two-shear ram, bred by Mr H. F. Grey, mads 28|gs, and a shearling of Mr Hay's own breeding realised 20gs. At the Christmas sale of her Majesty the Queen's fat stock, the following average prices were m:ide: —16 blue-grey steers. £31 16s 3d ; 10 Devon steers, £28 6s; 75 Highland wethers, £2 0s s£d; 50 Hampshire Down wethers. £3 10s 9|d. The sale realised £1130 15s.

At the Smiblifield Club's Show, held in December, the Champion Plate, for the best beast in the show, was won by Mr John Wortley, with a Hereford steer; and her Majesty the Queen won her own Challenge Cup for the best beast bred by the exhibitor. In longwool sheep, Mr John Pears won the Champion Plate with a, pan of Lincoln wethers. Lord Ellesmere's pen of Suffolk wethers gained the Shcitwool Championship, and also the Prince cf Wales's Challenge Cup for the best pen of sheep in the show. Lord Ellesmere's SufFolks occupied a similar position in the Smitbfield Show of the previous year, and tha Prince cf Wales'a Cup now becomes his property. A cablegram received in London, dated Buenos Ayxes, December 9th, announced that a decree had appeared declaring the disappearance of foot-and-nyjuth disease. Shipments cf live stock are to carry official certificates to the effect that the animals are perfectly sound. Four ewes in laanb 'from the noted flock of S'hropshires belonging to Sir Joseph Pulley, Lower Eaton, have been consigned to New Zeaand.

The Dorset horned breed of sheep has always been remarkable for fecundity, but it is probable that a record has been established in the parish of Cotleigh, Devon, where the first twenty-two ewes in Mr H. N. Pope's flock have produced forty-three lambs, including one quartet, one triplet, and sixteen twins.

The "Live Stock Journal" states that the report presented to the Shropshire Sheepbreeders' Association at its annual meeting showed that the Society is as flourishing and enterprising as ever. It maintains a strong position numerically and financially. It appears that although the closing of the Argentine ports affected the trade, still no less than 864 have been exported during the year, as against 1086 in 1899—the largest number on record—-and 921 in 1893. The sum of £85 was voted to, bo spent in 1901 for the purpose of promoting the interests of Shropshire sheep breeders, and making more widely known the special attributes of the breed. *

The frozen meat trade correspondent of the "Australasian Pasforalists' Review," writing under date London, December 7th, says: —"Market movements since I last wrote have been very simple; owing to various causes—wretched, muggy weather, free offerings of continental meat, frozen rabbits, etc. —a lack of briskness has prevailed in the buying department to a very marked extent; not for years has the colonial meat trade—speaking of market operations only—had a duller time than the last six weeks. But holders of meat are not affected as they would be in periods of normal supplies. At this time last year there was a big stock of "New Zealand sheep weighing down the market, which had to be considered. Now, hoAvever, stocks of mutton are light, and sellers are only anxious not to sell too fast. Prices have gradually appreciated since I last wrote, till to-day we have a price of 5d to sjd per lb for selected light Canterbury mutton. North Islands have advanced still more noticeably. Stocks of mutton and arrivals, when combined, in considering the requirements for the next three months, form such an insufficient total that one of the biggest housjs put up their quotations close on 4d a stone last week. They found they were selling tco fast: tha market would not quite meet such a daring step, but the upward movement will proceed, though by degrees. The prospects are undoubtedly for dear mutton : the opinion of experts in the market is that 5d may bs touched ere long, say before end of February. The high prices cabled out for lambs simply mean an absence of stocks. I hope New Zealand colonists have borne this in mind, otherwise they might get an erroneous idea of the position and the prospects for next season. The beef market has been the centre of interest during the month. Some interesting and, no doubt, very important measures have been taken regarding the working of the hard beef market. I call the special attention of your readers to my article later on. Suffice it here to record mv idea that the Australasian trade in this line of export is, owing to Plate competition suddenly developing considerable proportions, not as strong as formerly."

The same writer says: —"The River Plate Fresh Meat Company have in their third trial of shipping 'chilled' beef scored a distinct success. The Zuleika. which has a permanently-fitted chamber, brought 400 quarters, .at 30deg; the voyage was thirtytwo days. I have seen many market people, and they all agree that the'meat was really chilled/and not frozen. The meat realised respectively about 5d and 3|d per lb, hinds and fores." Probably these prices pay. American chilled was selling same time at about id per Ib higher. As I have mentioned, the same company have contracted with the Royal Mail Company, and four vessels will be fitted. The Liverpool Refrigeration Company are to supply the machines. As the Zuleika brought her meat in good condition in thirty-two days, it may be taken for granted that the mail steamers will in twenty-three days make the venture an absolute success, care being taken. It is interesting to know that beef can be brought on the edge of freezing for over thirty days. The mail steamers will be fitted! to convey about 2000 quarters each." The Metropolitan Cattle Market on the Monday before Christmas was decidedly disappointing. This fixture is fast losing Its character as a "great day. , ' there having been only 3020 cattle offered, a great drop from the" sixties, when the number was over 10 000. Of that day's consignments Scotland sent 1110: Midland. Home, and Western Counties, 1263; Norfolk. Suffolk, and Essex. 335; Devon. ISO; Ireland, 137. The trade was very slow indscd. the top price for cattle being 4s 10d per stone of 81b, which was rarely exceeded. Last year at the Christmas "market the top price was 5s 2d. At the close about 450 cattle were left unsold, and really good Scotch blasts were then selling at 4s 6d to 4s 8d per stoEe. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is attributed to various causes. Besides the weather being unfavourable, the arrivals at Deptford of very goed level cattle from the United States had been large, as many as 2CCO being sold on the previous Satuiday at a top rate of 4s 6d per Sib, which caii-e unpleasantlvnea rthe top rate at Islington. Many of the cattle at Doptford were of ths Christ - dv market character, a cumber being block

and polled. The "Live Stock Journal" remarks that the growth of the imported beef trade and the uniformity of the living cattle landed from the States and Canada are having a permanent influence on the current of trade, and one which home feeders mustview with some alarm. Sheep sold much better, making up to 6s as top price. The foreigner and colonist improves his mutton much slower than his beef, and many thousands of rams must go out before they leave such an impression on the flocks of competitors as the bulls have already done on their herds.

An important meeting in connection with the English wool trade was held in Bradford recently. There were representatives present of merchants, auctioneers, and growers from all parts of the country. The object of the meeting" was to consider a decision recently given in the Winchester County Court, "by which it was held that a purchaser could not recover damages for 2071b of dirt and other substances found in 245 fleeces of wool, which were bought at a sale by auction. Formerly the inclusion of dirt was an offence by Act of Parliament, but the Act was repealed, so far as England was concerned, in 1863. The Section had previously passed the following resolution: —"That this meeting of the Wool Trade Section of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce calls attention to the injurious practice of tying fleeces with vegetable band or string, and, owing to the risk of such , vegetable fibre getting into the manufactured material, urges the Foreign and Colonial Chambers to bring the matter to the notice of wool-growers had merchants, and to take any other action that may be considered desirable with a view to stopping the practice." The meeting resolved as follows:—"That this meeting of the English wool trade condemns in the strongest manner the practice of some farmers in leaving clags or dockings, locks or tailings, in fleeces washed or unwashed, as under the present arrangements it is impracticable for buyers at the auctions to make thorough examination of the interior of ibe fleeces." "The sheep as a source of our food supply," says a recent number of the "Meat Trades Journal," "is beginning to find a rival in the rabbit, particularly the Australasian animal. In two years the supply has more than doubled; and down to t\\e end of last month our imports this year reached the large bulk of 16,085 tons of dead rabbits. This great weight of dead rabbits is equivalent to about 600,000 New Zealand sheep, and to even a larger number of Australian."