FARM AND STATION

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20956, 9 September 1933, Page 18

FARM AND STATION

ADDINGTON MARKET STRONG DEMAND The general keenness of the competition on Wednesday is further confirmation, if such be needed, that the epririg of 1933 is heralding a much brighter era in price levels than has ruled for a long time. In each of the major sections, keen competition either caused an advance in values or maintained them firmly at existing levels. Generally, it was the most encouraging market for months. In the store sheep pens the entry was very mixed, comprising mostly nondescript lots. Most of the adult ewes were poorly-woolled and conditioned, and without attractive mouths, and in reviewing the market the lack of quality has to be taken into account. Prices were on a par with late rates, and most lines in a yarding of approximately 2300 changed Jiands at auction. One of the attractive lines—s9 six and eight-tooth Homney cross, showing well in lamb —brought 19s 6d. The best of the sound-mouth ewes brought up to 17s Id. Ewes and lambs offered did not ahow any outstanding quality, but sold xeadily enough at values ranging up to 9s 7d—a very satisfactory price to vendors no doubt in the circumstances. The demand for hoggets was very Jteeen. One of the most attractive lines of ewe hoggets—Corriedales—seen this season, made 235, which represents the highest price for more than two seasons at this period of the season. A line of English Leicester ewe hoggets made 19s. Only a few pens of wethers were entered, but their sale was the keenest of any class, and low-conditioned halfbred sorts brought as high as 14s sd. (Values ranged from 13s 3d to that figure for the three small lines offered. , The following table gives a comparison of prices ruling at this week's market with those of the corresponding market last year:—

1 Fat Sheep. "k The size of the fat sheep market ttvas normal, -with more sheep from southern provinces than at the preceding market. The demand was brisk, especially for ewes, which were a little dearer. All classes, except extra heavy wethers, were very firm at late rates. The easing for the class mentioned was slight. The feature of the sale was the establishment •of a pre-slump price for fat ewes. An *Otago line of 49 Komneys brought up ?to 33s Id—lo at the top figure—and |he draft averaged 29s lOd a head, iFhis is the highest price, and the best for a large line secured at lAddiiagton since 1929. Wethers brought up to 35s 4d.

Fat Cattle. " By advancing £1 a head on late 'Tatea, the price of fat cattle has more »lhan regained the level of a fortnight ago. The market was not over- ' supplied for the first time for weeks, and butchers had no opportunity to slacken their bidding at any part of the auction. The top price of £l4 12s 6d for a Gisborne bullock was the best of the year at an ordinary market The very best beef in the yard was Bringing 25s to 28s per 1001b, and it is encouraging to note that that level is 4s to 5s per 1001b better than that ruling at the corresponding period last year.

Reports from practically all parts of the province state that rain is urgently needed. Spring is now well started, early shrubs being covered .rwjth blossom, and crops are looking .well. However, they must suffer a setback unless a good downfall of sain takes place shortly. The subsoil is exceptionally dry for this period of the year, so dry, in fact, that it will not absorb a heavy downfall so freely as it would have done a month or so ago.

By "Straggler."

NOTES BY THE WAY MORE LUCERNE Evidences exist that the acreage sown in lucerne will be substantially increased in Canterbury this spring. One farmer who has about five acres in crop, considers that, in addition to a little autumn graring, he cut 20 tons of hay. Some of this he sold at £3 10s a ton in the stack, and the remainder he fed to his stock, but assessing the 20 tons at £3 10s the value represented is £7O, £l4 an acre. "I only wish the rest of the farm gave me as much an acre," he remarked to "Straggler." Similar experiences have been fairly general this year, and many farmers who had a stack or two of lucerne hay for their stock intend doubling their acreage this spring. It is astonishing to reflect that in the whole of Canterbury in 1932 only 4673 acres of lucerne were cut for hay and ensilage, the total area in New Zealand being 32,568 acres. The slow extension of the crop is perhaps due to the idea so prevalent that it was a difficult plant to grow. There was a lot of ink wasted on "unsuitable lucerne soils," etc., and they were only unsuitable soils because the grower had ignored certain fundamental rules. Successful stands have since been grown in these districts. • September is a good month for sowing, as the benefit of an early sowing is that the seed is likely to receive the benefit of the earlier spring rains. With a clean, welltilled seed bed a cut should be ready within 15 weeks, and two more" before the autumn growth disappears. . The Proposed Cheese Restriction. The season (1932) has been a particularly favourable one in England, and there has been a surplus of milk in the southern counties, and it is being manufactured into Dairy farmers in England are complaining bitterly of the competition of New Zealand cheese. An emissary of the British Farmers' Union is visiting New Zealand to urge New Zealand farmers to cease exporting cheese to England, and as a return British dairymen will not compete in the batter market. The plight of some droughtparched villages is serious. Cattle are dying, and in spite of winter feeding, dairy herds are giving a rapidly-falling milk yield. It is feared that if the drought continues they will be unable to supply the towns. Water in many villages is being sold at 6d a churn. The foregoing items of information have come by mail and cablegram from England during the last 12 months, the final one no later than Thursday of this week. They tell us a good deal. The 1932 season was an exceptionally

good one in England, and the big surplus of milk, for which no market could be found, was turned into cheese. Result: An exceptional production of cheese which assisted to create a glut, and which could only be marketed at reduced prices on account of New Zealand competition. The next act is an outcry against New Zealand importations, which are "ruining the British farmers' market." The next development is the effort to restrict New Zealand's arrivals, and the emissary appointed to visit New Zealand with that object is to hold out as an incentive to dairymen here that if they agree England will not compete in the butter market. (She does not, in reality, in any case.) But since all this was arranged the season in England has come to the rescue of unrestricted export, and it would appear from the final message quoted that there will be little surplus milk in England to turn into cheese. In such case there will be no need to restrict New Zealand exports. The ruination of the irregular cheese industry, judging from this sequence of facts, may be of a very temporary nature. Doubtless the Dairy Board will have acquired all the information in the direction mentioned by the time the British representative arrives. Another factor that may reduce the output of milk in England is the stimulus given to wheat growing by the Wheat Act, which ensures British farmers receiving 5s 7Ad a bushel. The last mail reported that in some parts of the south of Scotland the wheat acreage this season has been increased by 50 to 100 per cent. Increasing Dairy Herds. It may be possible to curtail meat exports without seriously disturbing the industry, as the fall in sheep numbers will naturally react in that direction. Moreover, there is an urgent need for the retention of more ewe lambs in the flocks. But any curtailment of dairy export will be extremely difficult. The lack of variation in North Island farming must of a necessity maintain, if not increase, production at its last season's level if a general slowing up in the industry is not to be adopted. Anything compulsory in reducing herds would be almost impossible to apply. In a cropping programme the farmer can change his crop within a season—a dairyman cannot turn a part of his herd to another purpose in a season. Ordinary economic factors and the exceptionally low price of butter this last two seasons have had no effect in reducing the number of cows in commission. As a matter of fact, the number has increased. In 1931 in the Dominion there were 1,601,633 (in milk and dry); in 1932, 1,702,070; and in 1933, 1,839,441. These figures do not give much hope of a reduction of output without a serious dislocation of the industry.

Kc|><... 7, Sept. 6, Ewes— ;03'2. 1933. S.M; fbred 84 to 10i _ — < Good B.m. half bred — — to 17i ','. Ocd, B.m. halfbred 8 to 94. 13* to 15 4,S. and f.m. 5J to 7J 10 to 13 Good 6 and 8th xbd — — — to 194 V'Ord. 2-th halfbred — — 17i to 18J ' Aged . .. 4 to 5 4 to 7 '; Ewes ' and lamba av (all counted) .. 4 to 'H 7i to 92 ;■ Good «we 13J to 15 V Good .in.s. .... — to 11 _ ; Ex. good Corr. ewe _- — — to 23 i Good Eng. Xi. ewe — to 19 * Ord. Eomncy ewe — — to 17* £.. Good wether — — 1« to 15? fs Ordinary wothor .. — 10 to 13 ';' Inferior wether — — to 92

Jfffethsm— Show .. ' — to 24i /— — 5 Extr* prinm 181 to 20 — to 35 J 1 Priiao „ 36 to 18 28J to 31 : Medium weight 14 to 15J 25i to 28 * Ordinary .*. 12J to 13} 22 to 25 g. Xiight n 11 to 12 18 to 21J 'JRwea-i— >ji" Extra prime *• 15i to 17 — to 83J |. Prima , lot 135 to 15 254 to C8 :|; Medium weighi ». 11J to 13 22* to 25 •i Ordinary v 10 to 11 19 to 22 1 I/ighfc .. 8J to 9J 141 to 18J

feleera— £ £ £ £ Extra prime „., — to 11 — to 14J Prime '*** n to n 9i to Hi • Medium weight t*« 6 to 7i 8J to 10 - Ordinary um 44 to 61 5J to 8 Light IMI — to 4 — to 5i lleifera— . Extra, prima mm — to 9 — to 101 , Prime !»« 3| to 7J 6| to 8J Ifedinm IM) 4 to Si 4h to 6i Light MM — to 3J — to 41 . C«>wb—■ Extra prime !•• — to 9 — to 92 * Prime HM 5£ to 7 5i to 7.1 ' Medium M* 3J to 8 31 to 5 Light .. 2£ to 3i — to 31