AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIII, Issue 12158, 23 March 1900, Page 7

AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(“ Canterbury Times.”) -■ Mr Stephenson (London manager foi Messrs Nelson Bros.) states that, on an average, .1100 to 1200 tons of meat pass through the London markets every day. The Australian exporters have as yet only a comparatively small stand oh the market, and cannot safely dictate terms. This will be seed by a reference to how the ordinary meat supply of London is made up. Thus, in the last weeK of 1899, the quantity which ■passed through the market from all sources was 8371 tons, comprising 2464 of country, killed meat, ’917 of town-kiUed; 2122 from America, • 1463* from European countries, and 1405 from Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Kiyoshi Nonaka, of the Japanese Customs at Yokohama, now on a visit to Australia, to a Sydney Press interviewer, says “ People in Japan have learned that it is good to eat more meat, and the beef from this country in tins, is becoming much appreciated. A 21b tin" of beef can be bought in Japan for Is, mutton being a little dearer. We have no place for storing, the frozen meat yet in Japan, but we will have it soon. Wools are admitted free to Japan, but on some other goods the Customs charges are dear. We send a lot of eiilk and rice to this country, and receive many importations of wool and other pro* ducts. We are going in for making our 'own' woollen garments. -Before, we imported them from Europe, but factories naVe now started, and the suit I am wearing was made of Australian wool, in Japan. My country arid yours must come hearer in matters of commerce and trade every year. We find the people deal honestly with ns. Cotton clothes are giving place to woollen in Japan.” Lambs are coming to the freezing works in. great numbers, and the killing accommodation at some of the establishments .-has had to be extended. The storage is rapidly , filling, and the ships now loading will afford hut temporary relief. Meantime, the country is fast drying up, and farmers are anxious to get off their lambts as fast as they fatten, which, in the present warm weather, is very rapidly. The ram fair last Thursday was an even , greater success than had been anticipated. Breeders’ experience of the last few years, when the demand was filled by private sales in anticipation of the hammer, led them to sell most of their rams privately in the two months or so before the fair — several breeders, in fact, sold as early as last November at the Metropolitan Show — consequently the number offered was small, and as farmers have generally replenished their stock of ewes, the demand was greater . than the supply. There were frequent instances iof a guinea or more per head ad- , vance being obtained at the fair on the price at which a pick of the rams had been previously sold, and altogether those breeders who were loyal to the fair had this year much the best of it. The favour shown for English Leioesters was the outstanding feature of .the day. Large numbers of the breed have this season been bought for the North Island, Blenheim and Nelson, and Canterbury farmers will have some difficulty in supplying their requirements. SouthdoWna sold well, but the general run of Shropshires did nob and quite so much favour, comparatively, as for the last year - or, two. Buyers were present from all parts of the country. The sale did not start till a little later than the advertised time, yet was finished the same evening. One of the most noted sheep-beeders in the world, Mr James Archibald, of Overehiels, Midlothian, died on Jan. 27. The ‘Archibalds of Overshiels were, in the seventies, perhaps the largest sheep-farmers in '•Scotland. They will, however, be best remembered by the improvement which they effected in the Black-faced (or Highland) 'breed of sheep.’ Several members of the Archibald family are in New Zealand, and have distinguished themselves in various spheres as sheep-breeders. The date of the live stock show in connection with the Paris International Exhibition has been changed to June 9 tc. 18. This only partially avoids clashing with •the Royal Show at York, the opening, and 'judging, day of which is June 18. ? A Canterbury dealer who lias been in the south for some months returned to Christchurch last week. He bought a large number of sheep, and re-sold the whole in Otago. There,- as in Canterbury, the demand for 'store sheep is greater than the supply. . The lamb season in the south has fairly ! opened ; about 500 a day are going through ' 'the Mataura works. The rabbit season has also begun, and, though not yet in full ; Wing, all the works from Oamaru south- I Wards are receiving rabbits. |

■ Messrs Gordon, Woodroft’e and Co. (whose London staff Mr Robert Galloway, late London representative of the Christchurch Meat Company, has joined) report under 'date Feb. 9 that the new season’s Canterbury lambs- per Gothic sold - at 5d to sid, But stale ' Canterburies hang heavily on

hand at to (nominally). They also refer to the glut of stale Canterbury mutton in store, which.was being sold at 2|d to 3d. Parcels ex ship had sold at 2jjd to 2|d for C. M. Co. and Belfast, and 3d for Eclipse. Otago and Southland mutton had been a drag for weeks, past, and was being offered at 2|d ex store. Considerable quantities of North Island had come to hand during the last month, and prices were weaker for all brands except W.M.E. s, which, in spite of a few. weak sales, were slightly firmer. Forward business had improved, and considerable parcels of W.M.E.’s had been placed for FebruaryMarch at satisfactory prices. Several parcels of good quality North Island sheep had been, offered, ex, ship at from 2£d to 2 9-164 per lb without .finding buyers, , while W.M.E.’s had realised 2|d for best weights, and 2jjd for heavies under the same conditions. Smithfield “ spot ” values are quoted as follow : —Canterbury mutton. Eclipse 48-641 b 5 3-16 d, 64-721 b 3 l-16d'; C. .M. Co. and Belfast £d less. Otago mutton, 48-641 b 2 13-164, 64-721 b 2 11-164. North Island mutton, W.M.E. 45-651 b . 2 15-164,. 65-701 b 2 15-164; Longburns, etc., 45-651 b 2|d ; other brands 50-701 b 211-16 d; Wellington ewes 2|d. The same firm reports that for frozen beef the market remains firm, competition for parcels as they arrive is satisfactory. Forward business has been brisk, and large c.i.f, sales have been made of New Zealand beef at the following quotations : —Canterbury, February-March shipment, 3|d to March shipment, 3£d to 3£d • North Island, January shipment, tc. 3|d, FebruaryMarch shipment, 3d to 3£d. Spot quotations are—New Zealand hinds 3|d to 4d, fores 3|d to 3£d ; Australian hinds 3|d to ■ 3i<l, fores to 3^4. Writing on Jan. 26, Messrs W. Weddel and Co. attribute the unsatisfactory position of the Londop frozen meat market to large arrivals during the preceding fortnight, excessive stocks in store and slack demand. A large proportion of the stocks were becoming stale through long storage. These stocks had been held under orders from shippers on the other side, and the policy of holding, which in nine cases out of ten ia attended with bad results, had again proved most disastrous. Some of the Canterbury sheep could have been sold in October at 3|d to 3£d per lb, but although heavy storage charges had since accumulated on these goods, only small numbers could, at time of writing, be sold at. 3d and per lb. On Feb. 9, Messrs Weddel say that these old stocks, which had until then been fairly firmly held with a view to strengthening the position, had become an element of great weakness by coming on the market stale and off colour.

Messrs Weddel state that the position of Australian mutton was strengthened, by the good condition in which the bulk of recent shipments had been delivered. The quality also showed considerable improvement; indeed, some of the Victorian sheep lately marketed had been too fat and heavy, weighing from 601 b to 701 b, their excessive weight and fatness rendering them less saleable than 401 b to 501 b carcases. One of the reasons for the fall in wool at the London-January sales was that, concurrently with the opening of these sales, enormous selling transactions (of a forced nature) took place in “ Futures ” at Roubaix (France), about 14,000,0001 b of “tops” being sold within a week, and a fall of nearly 15 per cent took place. This naturally had a disturbing influence, and everywhere created great distrust. The cause of this selling was,owing, it was subsequently understood, to the necessity of one or two large speculators in Australian and River Plate wools having to reduce their commitments, .but as Boon as the reason of it was ascertained the London market slightly recovered. Still, the harm was done. The, sole exception to .the decline in wool’prices in London in January was .coarise, bright New Zealand cross-bred, which was in request for the States at very firm rates. The finest New Zealand crossbreds were scarce, and declined only slightly, the greatest fall being in medium qualities, which fell Id per lb, or 10 per cent. Superior greasy merinoes were also in demand for America at a very slight decline from December values.

The following are the average prices (as compiled by the “ Australasian ") of some of the principal New Zealand clips, (greasy fleece only, unless otherwise stated), sold at the London sales on Jan. 26: —Crossbred ; Apley, 179 bales 9|d, pcs 32 7^d; Avondale, Marlbo, 136 bales ll|d; AHR, Twyford, 86 bales B|d; CGC, 78 bales 8d; ESC, 130 bales 9|d; Fiaxmere over P. W. Feathers 98 bales 7|cl, pcs 17 bales 6|d. JNW in dia, 67 bales 9-id, pcs 10 bales 6|d; Marainanga, 405 bales B£d; N.Z. and A. Land Co., Pareora, 59 bales 9|d; Olrig, 245 bales 9d; Poukawa, 144 bales B|d; SL, 256 bales B|d,‘ pieces 17 bales 6|d ; Tekamru, 107 bales 10|d; Tauroa; 178 bales 9£d; Triangle C J N, 322 bales BJd; JHL conjoined, Tuki Tuki, 60 bales 9|d; B in

heart, Elms, 186 bales 12id, pes 20 bales 9jjd; Anchor, JGG, 254 bales B|d. Merino : Richmond Brook, 45 bales, 12|d. The Australasian wool exports, from July 1, 1899, to Feb. 20, 1900 (compiled by Dalgety and Company, Limited, Melbourne), are as follow :

The net decrease is 93,773 bales. For the corresponding-period of 1898 the shipments were 1,390,747 bales..

DeColony. 1900. 1899. crease. crease. Victoria 358,754 342,003 16,751 — N.S.W. 464,375 576,285 — 111,91.0 S. Australia . 112,034 102,526 9,508 — Queensland . 76,491 93,951 — 17,460 New Zealand • 256,197 • 286,859 9,338 — Total 1,307.851 1,401,6-24 35,597 129,370