AGRICULTURAL

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 41, 16 February 1918, Page 10

AGRICULTURAL

ARGENTINE BEEF PRICES.

A statement made by Mr. John Macdonald, of Otautau, at last meeting o£ the Invercargill branch of the Farmers' Union, and published in a Southland paper, _to th.c '.effect that present-day Argentine beef prices were juat double those ruling; in. New Zealand has earned some criticism. The paragraph was reprinted by tho Otago' Daily Times, to which Mr. James Begg wrote in. these words: —The facts are that the Argentine , prices are about 33 per cent, or 34 per cent, lower than those current ia New Zealand. Tho Review of the River Plate, in its issue of 14th September last: gives the quotations as follow:—Bullocks: Special, £17 10s to £19 ss: fat, £15 15s to £17 Is 3d; freezing, special, £16 12s 6d to £18 ,7s 6d; good, £14 to £14,17s 6d. The Pastoral Review of 16th November, 1917, quotes the Argentine prices as: Bullocks, special, £15 15s to £17 10s; good, £8 15s to £10 10s. To this Mr. Macdonald replied:—Mr. James Begg .gives tho prices o£ cattle in the Argentine, Tunning ■ from £8 10s to £19, and' figures out that cattle are 34 per cent, cheaper there than here. As 'Mr. Begfr give* no weights'of the cattle, I cannot soehow he can give a proper estimate of their, value, ac they may. run from one-year-old store cattle upwards. My authority for tho statement I made at the Farmers' Union meeting at Invercargill waSi an article in the Otago Witness, written by Mr. Harding, socretary of the American Shorthorn Breeders' Aesocia-; ; tion, after a Tecent visit to the Argentine, in which he said that cattle were Belling there for prices almost equalto tho prices paid in America. Knowing Mr. Harding to be a practical cattle man and in touch with the cattle market every day, as his business address is Exchange Building, Stock Yards, Chicago, I supposed he ought to know what he was writing about. I took a report! of tho cattle_ market of 12th September at Kansas City as a basis to work on. I took a. 14001b' live weight steer. Tho prices are as follow: —Choice to prime, 14001b- live weight, at 70s per 1001b, £49 ;> good to choice, 14001b live weight, at 60s 3d per as follow :—Choice to prime, 14001b live weight, at 52s 6d per 1001b, £36 15s. In New Zealand the freezing weight and price of a 14001b steer, live weight, are: Dressed, 55 per cent., less 3 per cent, shrinkage, prime net 7281b, at 475; £17 2s.

The. conditions brought about by the ■war have caused farmers to depart from many of 4heir old ways (says a South Island exchange), and last ye»T several small blocks o£ rape were allowed to go to seed in order that a. sufficient supply should be available for sowingl this year. At the Amberley market recently, Mr. H. James yarded 67 lambs, which were fattened' on rape from colonial-grown seed, and topped the market, securing 30s 5d per head. No doubt in future rape seed _ will bo extensively grown in ; the Dominion, as experiments made of growing this fattening commodity alongside English seed have proved that the colonial seed is superior.,

Such growthy weather! exclaims the Wyndham Farmer. Mr. John S. Lamont informs, us that on Saturday last, 2nd February, he sowed 37 acres with turnip seed on his newly acquired farm at Edendale ; and so stimulating was the prevailing heat that on Tuesday following he noted a 6plendid strike, while several of the plants had nicely developed leaves.

_ An appeal for greater Government consideration of those factories manufacturing whey butter has been mads by the Woodlands branch of the Farmers' Union. At a recent meeting this branch resolved to draw the executive's attention, to the fact that whereas the . Government has offered almost le 5d per Ib, together with 50 per cent, cf the profits on all: butter - exported, for the whole milk article, tho offer for whey butter ie only Is 2d per lb, with no share in the profits. . ■ ...

Harvesting has commenced at Mokoreta—Mr. W. W. Knapp driving- his reaper into a nice 25-acre patch of oats on Ist February. The Wyndham Farmer fanoies this a record for Mokoreta in the nature of early garnered grain.

Excellent showers have fallen in various parts of the Waiau district during tho past week (reports the Tautapere Guardian). Pasturage has been refreshed, and Iturnip crops have benefited. Were it not for fear of damaging- grain and grass seed crops a largo percentage of farmers in Waiau and Orepuki districts would still be open to order a few hours' steady rain if it' were on tap.