FARM AND STATION.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15657, 1 August 1916, Page 9

FARM AND STATION.

(BY KOP.aiu.)

THE AUSTRALIAN FROZEN MEAT

SEASON

Tho "Pastoral Review"' gives a re " view of the Australian meat operations during the past season, and points out that the outstanding feature of tho year is the smallness of the output of frozen mutton and lamb. . Tho fombined clearances to all oversea ports did not reach 1,000,0G0 carcases, and one has to go back eleven years, to the lo'o4-G season, to tinu its parallel. As will be shown later, the shipments were barely 20 per cent, oi tHe total for tno preceding season, or, in otner words, live carcases were exported during If 14-15 to one last year. The rc ~ duction i:i thc beet output was not so striking, although serious enough. Tho total was considerably smaller than for tiio previous three seasons, and represents roughly half that of 1914-15. Tne reason tor the falling-oil whs t,lc heavy losses of stock through tho drought. Statistics show that there were 61,506,000 sheep and S,l-9,0u0 cattle in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and iis>uth Australia on December 31 st last, as against 78,675,000 sheep and 10,019,000 cattle ac the closo of 1913. Thus, there arc 17,169,000 sheep and 1,890,000 cattle lois than two years ago in thc States 1 that arc main.y interested in the export trade. But that does not represent the wholo of the loss, for bad conditions been normal tho total head of live stock would have naturally increased. According to the I'car Book, the annual average rate of increase during tho nine years preceding tho drought was 6.3 per cent, with sheep and 5.9 per cent, with cattle. Had . that rate been maintained during lt»14 I and 1915 there would have been at the ond of last year 85,889,000 sheep instead of Gl,oGG.oo'.), and 11,230,000 cattle instead of 8,129.000, which gives the real loss as 27,383,000 sheep and 3,106,000 cattle. With a drop of 30 per cent, in live stock in two years, it is hardly to be wondered at that oxports should diminish. With regard tn the coming season tho "Review ' considers that South Australia may be left out of calculations when considering the prospects for the export of mutton and lamb. Thc climatic conditions in Victoria and New South Wales aro eminently satisfactory, but the trouble in "both these States is, and will ho for the next couple of years, scarcity of stock. Tho oversea demand for meat is certain to bo sufficiently insistent to assure some meat being exported, but in what quantities it is impossible to *say. Everything depends on the f.o.b. pricf the Imperial Government is prepared to nay. assuming, of course, that tho Government intends to retain control over the output. Should the Home authorities bo prepared to grant a fair increase over last year's rates (mutton 4d to 4jd, lamb to s'), it is probable that a considerable export may take place. 'Ihe sliipmehts - cannot possibly bo as large as during 1914-13 when carcases mutton and 1,750,000 carcases lamb were sent to the United Kiugdom fiom New South Wales and Victoria, but they should certainly greatly exceed tho total of 600,000 carcases } clearod last year. If, on the other i hand, tho Imperial Government 'does not increase tho f.o.b. price, the output will again' be small. With thc country understocked and wool values high, those who aro not pressed for money will prefer to hold their stock j to seil on an artificially restricted market.

WHEAT GI.IOWIXG IN AUSTRALIA

Comparisons have several times been drawn between the cost of growing wheat in Australia and New Zealand, and were it not that the latter country has a marked advantage in the yield, it would be impossible to compete with iho• Commonwealth.- The lilanagcr of the Condobolin Demonstration Farm in New South Wales gives details of tho cost and returns from 410 acres of wheat grown for grain and for hay. It is shown that the cost of growing the crops amounts to about 30s per acre, including rent, which is based upon 5 per cent., and in tho case or this farm amounts to only 4s per acre. Tho rainfall in tho district for the year was only 9.53 inches, and late frosts were very severe, and caused heavy losses in yield. The crops were sown in April and May, and the grain yields ranged from li bushels to 13A bushels and tho hay from 12 cwt to 15 cwt por aero. Ono paddock of 50i acres of wheat for grain cost £74 15s 8d to put in, harvest, and deliver to the rail, and the return from tho 586 bushels' of wheat sold was £165 3s, leaving a profit of £90 7 S 4d or £1 15 s ll}d "per acre. The costs in connexion with a 25 acre paddock of wheat for hay were £42 19s 9d, and the returns for 15 tons of chaff were £86 ss. leaving a profit of £43 5s 3d: or £1 14s 5d per acre. A 33 acre paddock for grain cost £59 9s, and bushels of wheat sold off it realised £59 9s, a profit of £16 2s 9d, or 9s 9d per acre. Another paddock of 124 acres or wheat for hay cost £276 14s lid. produced 74 tons 8 cwt of chaff, which j realised £427 16s, a profit of £151 Is Id, i or £1 4s 4d per acre. The fifth pad- j dock 160 acres of which was reaped for grain and 18 acres for hay, cost £220 -is 3d, but it only returned 215 bushels of wheat and 10 tons 16 cwt of hay. and the returns, £117 10s, left a debit balance of £10.3 3s 3d, or a loss of lis 7d per acre. Tho net results were a profit from the 410 acres £197 13 s 2d, or &s 7td per acre, which must be considerably below the average in a good season in Australia, especially when it is considered that the wheat off this farm sold at 5s and Gs per bushel, except 9 bushels of chick wheat at 3s per bushel that the chaff was valued at tno market rnto of £5 15s per ton. The details of cost per acre in connexion with tho 178 acres df wheat, of which 18 acres were cut for arc interesting:—Ploughing 6s per acre, harrowing 9d, drilling ls.6d, 94 bushels of seed wheat at 6s 6d per bushel, pickling 3d per bushel, superphosphate £21, harrowing crop Is per acre, harvesting 160 acres with harvester 3s per acre; 84 bags at 7s 6d per dozen, twine Is Bd. eartagc Id per bushel, cutting IS acres with binder 3 s ' 6d per acre, stooking Is per acre binder twine 10s, carting aud stacking 6s per ton, cutting 10 tons 16 cwt chaff 10s per ton, hags £5 JLSs 3d, twine 3d 4d, cartage to rail 5s per ton, rent 4s per aero. _ At the Cowra JSxperiment Farm is New South Wales the crops were very much better, 349 acres of wheat averaging 20.4 bushels per aero; wheaten.and oaten hay averaged 2 to 3 tons per acre. Tho oats cut for grain averaged 20.7 to 31.7 bushels per acre. The lower yield was from a variety called Sunrise, which made the remarkable growth of over 7 feet, and went down badlv.