STOCK NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVI, Issue 11049, 29 August 1896, Page 7

STOCK NOTES.

[By Tussock in “ Canterbury Times.”] The weather continues favourable in the highest degree for the lambing flocks, and ’accounts to hand speak not only of good percentages but of an almost total absence of deaths, both ewes and lambs being unusually strong and healthy. Sir G. S. Fleming is determined ■ that wool sales shall be held at Lyttelton, even if he has to hold them himself. There • should have been no difficulty in the matter if the Wool brokers’ Association had taken it up and made joint arrangements. It would be very simple to arrange that carriage to Christchurch would be paid on y any wool bought for local manufacture or d scouring. The charge of cruelty to ewes, by driving and yarding them when at the point, of lambing, is not pleasant.' The inspectors of the S.P.C.A. cannot be everywhere at once, and those who witness acts of cruelty should give the names of the offenders to the society, and their own evidence in Court, and such barbarotts practices would soon be stopped. » Amongst other New Zealand' draught stallions sold at the Melbourne sales at the beginning of the month were Pride of the Glen at 205 gs, Coolgardie at 200 gs and Carlisle at 200 gs. Count Mattei, described as a massive, short-legged horse, out of one of the- best mares ever bred in New Zealand, and Bell, a fine, lengthy mare (the only mare entered), do not appear to have been sold. The Contagious Diseases (animals) Amendment Act has passed both Houses of the Imperial Parliament, and comes into force on Jan. 1 next, It simply deprives New Zealand, Norway and Iceland of the chance which they had, as countries free from disease, of free admission of live cattle into the United Kingdom. It does not make a very great deal of difference to New Zealand, but the unfortunate Icelanders will in future have to find some means of fattening their sheep themselves —-they have hitherto been unable to do so, and have sold them in Scotland as stores. The Meat Marking Bill appears to have been dropped. The imports of New Zealand sheep and lambs to the United Kingdom from Jan. 1 to'June 30 of this and last year were as f0110w1896, 785,362 sheep, 570,351 lambs ; 1895, 886,169 sheep, 536,294 lambs. There is a decrease of sheep and an increase of lambs from Canterbury, a slight increase of both from Otago, and a decrease of both from other provinces. The British Board of Trade returns for June show an increase in the imports for the month of June of 5500 head of cattle, over the numbers received in May, made up by Canada sending 6837, and Argentina 1081 head more in June than in May, while the United States exported 2421 fewer and other countries three less. The totals for the six months show that the imports from the United States are larger by 83,548 head—215,575 in 1896 and 132,027 in 1895 ; Canada by 550, from 25,457 in 1895 to 26,007 in 1896 , Argentina by 27,753, from 16,734 in 1895 to 44,491 in 1896, the total imports of cattle showing an increase of 111,705 head in the six months, 175,598 being received the first six months of 1895, and 287,303 in 1896. The numbers of foreign sheep received are much the same as last year, 443,048 in 1895 and 443,361 in 1896, America, however, has fallen off, sending 200,642 this year and 247,143 in 1895, or a shortage of 46,501. Argentina has increased 40,484, from 183,827 in 1895 to 224,311 in 1896, while in the first six months of 1894 her imports were 39,496 only, and Canada 3884, from 10,630 in 1895 to 14,514 in 1896. Dressed beef has increased 164,679 cwt, from 840,665 cwt in 1895 to 1,005,344 in 1896, and for this increase the United States are responsible. Ample reason here, says the Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company, for bad trade and lower prices for Home-bred stock in British markets. The sale of the Prince of Wales’s Shorthorn cattle and Southdown sheep took place at Sandringham on July 3. Such prices as 200 gs, 175 gs, 145 gs (twice) and 105 gs were obtained for cows and heifers, of which thethirty-threeheadaveraged .£6l. Bulls fetched 170 gs, 155 gs (for a white full brother to Celt), 150 gs, HOgs, 105 gs (twice), &c., the average for sixteen being .£BB 19s 9d. The sheep also sold very readily, the top price for ewes> being .£lO, paid for each of a, choice lot of five shearlings. Sir James Bligh gave 92gs for a shearling ram. The averages were: 146 shearling ewes, .£5 Os sd; twenty-five three year ewes, £2 12s 9d; twenty-five fullmouth ewes, £2 8s sd; and eighteen shearling rams, =£lß 18s. The total sum realised by the sale was .£4485 3s. Foreign buyers were strongly in evidence. The rapid spread of the Shropshire Downs sheep at Home and abroad is most remarkable. “ Merlin,” says that “the breed has acquired almost complete possession of the great stretch of pastoral country in England north-west of Birmingham. Prom probably small beginnings in the extensive county from which it derives its name the breed has steadily risen in estimation, and before its unbroken march of progression in dll directions from the original centre other and older breeds have had' to move outward or completely succumb. Striking evidence of the great headway which this very popular and serviceable breed has made during the last half century is furnished in the records of the shows held under the auspices of ■ the Shropshire and West Midland Agricultural Society. At the show held at Bridgnorth in 1857, a prominent .feature of the sheep section was the strong display of Leicesters, which were then alluded to as the coming breed. At this year’s show, held at the same town, not a single Leicester or sheep of any kind other than Shropshire was exhibited, while the entries of that breed exceeded two hundred. The compact, hardy Shropshire has assuredly proved a good friend to the farmers of the West Midlands.” We all know how the breed is • valiied in New Zealand, while in South' Australia and Tasmania it ranks second only to the merino in favour. In North and South America, South Africa and in Spain and some other European countries it is being extensively used for crossing, principally with the merino. The Eoyal Show at Leicester was the most successful as regards sales of pedigree stock that has been known for years. Shorthorn breeders especially will have good cause to remember the meeting. To them, or at least to such of them as produce the best class of hulls, the occasion has been noteworthy in that it has furnished them with a market for their stock, the like of which, in respect to activity and liberality, has not been experienced for many years. The demand for good bulls of tho breed, says the Field, seemed to be- almost unbounded, and the same remark may be fittingly employed in speaking of prices. After a long series of years of comparatively dull times in tho cattle trade, it was indeed a pleasurable sight to see the fortunate owners of the prize animals beaming complacently as they watched and gauged the"efforts of the rival buyers to procure their exhibits. Successful stockowners are adepts at playing the part of the careless, independent man of business when cognisant of the fact that they are surrounded by a number of ready buyers, and they turned'their longdeferred opportunity to good account on'this occasion. ' Three-figure prices were comparatively plentiful,-while the Prince of Wales reluctantly parted with his two-year-old hull Celt for the exceptional price of IOOOgs. The buyer is to be congratulated upon, his pluck, and the seller upon the highly remunerative character of the bargain. The Queen’s Marmion (first ■(, pitize yearling), and Mr George Harrison’s Champion Cup and Wiltshire Count(second winners in the aged and two-year-old classes respectively) also go •to South America, and others of less account were bought by French breeders. Sales of sheep were also on a large scale of both numbers and prices, though the latter' are not published. It is known that Mr H. Budding refused .£l5O for his third- ' prize shearling Lincoln ram, and sold forty rams in one line for Argentina. Messrs Pears also sold forty rams for the same destination.