NOTES BY THE WAY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21975, 26 December 1936, Page 7

NOTES BY THE WAY

THE WOOL MARKET There is no slackening in the wool demand. The southern sales, indeed, show a firming tendency. Japanese competition is not declining, and it is apparent that there is increased competition from other sources. America is now in the market, confirming the suggestion some time ago that the stocks of wool in the States were down to depletion point. Russia is also more actively in the market, probably for the same reason that Japan is buying such large quantities, and where local mill owners can comp^ 0 against foreign interests they are also anxiously concerned —anxious for the reason that Japan is uuymg the particular class of wool wanted for local use and stocks of it are becoming less as the sales proceed. New Zealand wool at the present time is dearer than Australian, and Bradford representatives have been able to operate only to a small extent here. The comparative cheapness of average Australian merino may cause some importation to the Dominion to meet local wants if Japan’s absence from the Australian auctions continues, but it is notable that the class of wool to appreciate the least in New Zealand is merino. It is understood that a proposal was considered recently to ship Australian wool to the Dominion to participate in the Japanese competition, but it was rejected. Even if a margin were available for importation it is difficult to see how such a scheme could be worked. There would be no likelihood of hoodwinking the Japanese in the matter, and the trade '‘relations of the two countries are not so close that the authorities would stand by and allow a possible surfeit of the local market to develop from outside wool. The analysis of the recent Christchurch sale in the matter of returns, is not yet completed. It is apparent, however, that a previous estimate of £25 a bale return was somewhat excessive. One firm’s figures worked out at £23 odd and another small catalogue with a fair amount of coarse wool in it at slightly less than £22. Possibly the average value ranged between £22 15s and £23 a bale, as against £l4 11s for the first sale 12 months ago. For the 28,000 bales disposed of this means a distribution of about £635,000. On the same basis the Timaru return for the 18,000 bales sold should exceed £400,000, so that the )■ return for the province, even allowing for the Marlborough wool sold at Christchurch, should be round about a million of money. It will assist to meet the new form of depression that has developed. WHEAT PRICES The intimation by the Minister for Industries and Commerce that an advance in the price of wheat is inevitable will allay a good deal of apprehension by growers, and at the same time operate towards a retention of the present acreage sown, or possibly an increase. That the area must decrease no further is absolutely essential if wheat growing is to continue as a leading industry, and an increase is almost equally essential if the position now existing is to be made'safe. Although an appointment of a commission catne as a surprise it was necessary in view of the steadily increasing costs of production and ot the risk of farmers diverting to less costly forms of production, requiring much less labour, and incidentally yielding more profit. There is no suggestion so far as to what the price may be, but the commission’s report has been presented and an announcement can only be a matter of a week or two, as in Marlborough the new crop will be coming in almost at once. Mr Sullivan’s promise that if the costs of production increased the price position would be reviewed has been faithfully kept. If the fixation of the price is to be influenced to any extent by the value of wheat in other countries growers here should have no occasion for concern. In Sydney nine days ago sellers were asking 5s 7d a bushel for silo wheat, and business was reported at 5s 6|d, although the bulk of the sales were on a basis of 5s 6£d. Bagged wheat was sold at 5s 7d. These, of course, are Sydney prices, but at many country stations 5s a bushel was paid, The intriguing point is that if wheat had to be imported to-day from Sydney it would cost, in the. Dominion, without any duty, 6s 6d a bushel. Incidentally the quotation for flour on the same day was £l2 15s a ton, and of bran and pollard £7 ss. SUBTERRANEAN AND RAINFALL A correspondent writes asking for some information on the rainfall requirements of s ibterranean clover, and quoting a “rather vague’ opinion, based on the experience of an unnamed Australian farmer, which appeared in the correspondence columns of “The Press” a few days ago. As has been suggested on a number of occasions, the wonderful growth of subterranean clover in Canterbury this season has been assisted by the heavy rainfall, but to claim that the moisture has been almost solely responsible for the success need scarcely be taken seriously. Most of the growers who have exceptional stands of the clover this year have been growing it for four up to eight years, and in that time they have passed through very dry seasons. If the seed is sown in extremely dry soil conditions, and if the important points stressed in the method of sowing are ignored failure is probable. Failures in such conditions have occurred-—-temporarily, at all events, as in cases the subterranean has eventually come along three or four years later. There is no need for farmers to worry over theoretical advice on the matter, which not infrequently arrives long after the ground has been ploughed and harrowed. Instead they should inspect the many successful stands and see for themselves what has been done, done. Articles in Australian papers show that the clover grows well with a

rainfall of 14 inches, and as the Canterbury average is 50 per cent, more than that it would appear that failures are not likely from this cause in properly established stands. The period when subterranean may lose its value is in a very dry autumn, but Australian experience is that the dried hay can be grazed in such conditions profitably and economically. Then, when the seasonal rains come along the winter growth enables the clover to .be stocked much sooner than ordinary grass is available. An aspect in which Australian experience cannot provide a guide is the amount of frost the clover will stand. Landowners on the foothills would like authentic information on this aspect. “Straggler” has seen the plant flourish in 20 degrees of frost. A stand put down last autumn in the Waiau district on a hill up to 1000 feet above sea level is now a fine sight, having weathered the winter without a check. This week a North Canterbury farmer mentioned an instance of where seed was scattered not far from the foot of the ranges, and the clove! - has come away amazingly. This, in the informant’s opinion, dispelled any idea of the clover not being able to withstand rigid conditions, as the frost in this quarter frequently registers 25 degrees. > CLUB ROOT A southern writer mentions some instances of the extreme difficulty attached to dealing with club root in turnips. A farmer near Queenstown grew seven consecutive swede crops on the same piece of land with straight super each year without developing club root, while crops on the adjoining farm suffered from the disease and no super had been used. At Charlton, one-half of a swede crop sown with super and lime was free from club root, while the other half sown with a 50-50 mixture of basic slag and guano was badly infected. At Inchclutha four different types of phosphates were sown in strips under a swede crop, and the only ones that showed club root infection were those where the straight super was used. Just recently the writer was informed of a case where complete control was obtained by drilling 15cwt of burnt lime an acre, some two months before the swedes were ridged, but in another experience at Mataura, where 25cwt of burnt lime an acre was used in the same way clubroot caused a complete crop failure. These inconsistencies in results will serve to illustrate the complex and difficult problem investigators of the club root disease are up against, and suggests that no special manurial treatment causes club root, and none will apparently prevent it. The recently-formed Onion Marketing Board in Melbourne fixed the price of Globe onions for last week at £l6 a ton, the price fixed for the preceding week. Five Ayrshire bulls and one heifer have been shipped for New Zealand by Mr A. W. Montgomerie, Westburn, Cambuslang, a prominent Ayrshire breeder, writes our London correspondent. They are going via Canada, where they will be quarantined for three months before transhipment.