THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20388, 20 April 1928, Page 4

THE RURAL WORLD.

By EtJSTictrs

Wool Situation. In a recent- leport, Wincbcombe,. Carson, Ltd., stated that the purchase of tho season's wool clip has not slackened the demand for the staple in Australia,. New Zealand and .London. " The good market; in New Zealand generally, has .proved doubly welcome. There 98 per cent, of the cliD was crossbred wool, for which relatively low prices have ruled Since' 1924. In 1926-27 the New Zealand clip averaged about Is a. lb, whereas' in Australia the areiag© was 17Jd a lb. This season, however, the price of crossbred has advanced 15 to 25 per cent." The firm considers that the revival in competition, for. all classes of wool can be accepted affan indication that wool is in short supply in the •world. Consumers therefore wore not able to pick and choose. Bides and Leather Prices. During the past"' three months the price ©f hides has increased rapidly, and this has been ascribed to the shortage m the United States -.where - stocks have been heavily drawn «P°n. In that country ir January, the price bad, advanced to M*d a lb. which was 'i new high level for recent years. Comroeniing V upon .the situation, the president pf.the Tanners' Council of tho United States said that durmc last year stocks of leather "of. f"*n ds V ln;tho States decreased ,»-. percentages . ra , ngins from 32 per cent, in th* case of hides to 10 per «*»*,, m:-other. lines. , In sole leather, ■which -was pa,rtiovil«rly; vital,, because of the tfrno produce it. there wa* nracticallv no visibly ,supply unw>ld. tanners had,:orders for at hltt 30 supply on January l;,of «,ppro»mafely 1,700,000 sides corres§inde4 t4* : » fe BM s&. t £ a s„ , t month's normal'conspiflpHon. What had Ted 'to such-' a situation had not been tho •hortage of cattle or debased imports, but the fact .that increased consumption liad gone ahead-of supply. jersey Association Office. The New Zealand Jersey Cattle Breeders' Association apparently believes in the motto 25 years ago its■ Policy -has. been ope of caution, always .b>ing within tts meanfe and putting a little'by e**h year; and li» *» snowball, the accumulation haMevgopea with increasing rabidity as its growth has eoatinued. Though at some general meetings of the members, critics, piave. urged that the purse strings be no>iso .tightly held, wiser counsels*.;have, prevailed, with the result that jrepenUy,,tbe council of the association tmrohased a • oentrally situated section in w>» " JW*" aee of 33ft and-;a~ depth of five chains. A still further been made, and a contract has been let for the erection «f a handsome three-storey concrete building on the section at a cost of £8444- " ground floor has been let to the Alfa.l/aval Separator Company for a period of 10 years --the second floor comprises a number of offices for letting.' and the top floor will provide ample accommodattfin for the association's o&cm, and absolute Protectoon aeainst fire for their priceless records, iho 1700 and odd members may congratulato themselves upon their -impregnable position. ■ •;' Waikouaiti A. and P. .Society. Of the eight., trophies competed, for at ihe Waikouaiti A; and P. Show, tx> fewer ihan five were-won outright., ITJie. opmmittee intends to arrange, for a social evenina when, in addition to the ■ usual attractive programme, these trophies will be presented, it is hoped, by the donors. THE/ BEEF MARKED BETTER PRICES RULING. ENCOURAGING POSITION IN NORTH, v, INDUSTRY OF VTTAL 'i^i'ORTANCE. The brighter" Outlook indicted At the weekly stock saes throughout the North Island, and experienced in a slightly K degree in Canterbury and Otago is a development with a value to the tannine industry that cannot easily be overemphasised.. And,whe» ihjstejjhter .aspect. is remarked and mon s of rhenin close touch with the trade.-the rising market can safely be accepted as a hopeful augury of the future. It is not generally known what a blow the pastorallst received a few years ago when the export.market for beef dwindled almost to nothing. ; , Settlers were Tielpless. Beef did not pay, and they cp.iiJd.,iio .longer afford- to run cattle The gravity of the position can be measured by the fact that many farmer, throughout New Zealand.were settled on land which was prim arily< suited to iat cattle-raising. The collapse of the market, therefore, Spelt serious trouble, lhis mucft was proved very .dearly by the Deteriorated Lands Commission in its Tecent report, when the. opinion was emphatically expressed th'at the./deterioration wa s to a. large extent being caused by the decreased vogue of dry cattle grazing, which left the land to -the menace of fern and other advanoo guards of a secondary 1 : vaaion. It is a widely accepted fact that the continuous grazing of dry cattle is one of the most important factors in checking the tendency of certain classes of land to rovert to forest. . Another reminder of the parlous stato into which the beef industry had .fallen was given to the farming community by the Meat Producers' Board riot long ago, when Mr W. Perry roused a storm of opposition by his suggestion that the board should provide settlers with a bounty for growing beef. The idea wa 3 suggested by the alarming extent to which the shrinkage in <lry cattle, crazing was affecting the Cleanliness of pastures on sheep pountry From the above examples it can readily be realised that the beef . industry must always be a vital factor in the primary production, but important as it may be, any recourse to artificial aid could not be regarded as hopeful. The, greatest urge that the farmer can have to heavier beef production is a reasonable prospetc of a profitable return from his herds when they go under the hammer. This can be relied upon to produce in. one season, a inuch greater improvement than could be expected in five years of bolstering the industry with bounties or subsidies. For this reason it is an extremely hopeful sign to find that better market conditions are now being experienced, with fee promise of better still to come. FARM TERMS. A PESSIMIST'S GLOSSARY. SOUTH AFRICAN SATIRE, " He certainly may be an incurable pessimist who penned the following satire on South African farming conditions, still there is sufficient of the.truth in them applied to New Zealand to appeal to the humorous side of readers of these columns. Though written by someone with more .than a fragmentary knowledge of farming, thev must not be taken, however, a 3 a true indication of South African farm life. a . Settler.—A person suffering from a peculiar form of delusion who leaves his native land with its comfortable gift of an old age pension, .and conies to South Africa thinking he can make h lot of money by farming., -. Farm.—A conglomeration of stonea. old iron, sand, snakes, pot clay, mud huts. odd bits of barbed wire, rotten wattle poles, burr weed, cut worms, blue ticks, grass taggers, kafir*. and innumerable other evils. Chiefly used hh a burial ground far cattle and sheep. Another common name for it is " A splendid pro position." Milk Cans,—Vessel" us"d in factories as* footballs, "sledge hammers, musical instruments. Branding.—« The, process employed by a former when stray cattle and sheep are found on the 'farm; of making them his own. «.'.,. Bar.—The &lsce where last week's, this

FARM AND STATION NEWS,

Items of Interest to those engaged in agricultural and pastoral pursulte, with a view to their publication in these columns, will be welcomed. TJjey should be addressed to "Kusticus," Otago Daily Times, Dunedin.

week's, and next week's farming is done, and where all the latest information is obtained not about farming. . Overdraft.—One of the bulwarks of the country. The disselboom of the farming industry. The source of all fairy tales. (See Bank Manager.) Dipping Tank. —A large hole half-filled with, dirty water through which cattle are driven when the inspector is in the district. A few dead ticks are thrown I into it to give an air of realism. An accepted cause,for perjury, false swearing, perversion, and prevarication. Implements—Playthings provided for kafirs. When an unbreakable implement is invented the kafir race will become extinct owing to race suicide through breaking their own hearts. Mealies. —An ornamental plant grown by farmers to feed cut worms, top borers, neighbours' cattle, stray kafirs, rats, fowls (see Farmer's Wife), and weavils. The staple diet of farms after three years of farming. Bank Manager.—A sceptic,-or " Doubting Thomas," to whom all farmers show the greatest politness when they meet him, but about whom they strain their vocabulary behind his back. His sole j work is to listen to fairy stories. (See Overdraft.) Cow. —A female bovine animal used 1 chiefly to decorate a farm. An enthusiastic collector of ticks and has a voracious appetite if kept alive' by copious inoculations. Has been known to produce milk and an occasional bull calf. • Bull. —A cow's husband. Work.—An .abstract quantity. That which is supposed to be done. That which should be done.... That which.is not dope. The chief topic of conversation between farmers when they meet on Saturdays,and what they spend their time thinking about all the test of the week. Farmer's Wife.—A female, helpmeet. One who is under the impression that the farm is run solely to. keep a few fowls alive, and to grow flowers for the sitting room. One who employs all the farm labour on the kitchen garden. A fruitful. source' of rebates on the income fax.- -...., "„,,■' Farmer. —An insurable optimist. ;The source of the" country's 'inodnie; and also of everyone in it but' himself. Income Tax. —A trophy of the income. A full statement of a farmer's outgoings, made out annually on numerous sheets of paper. A return giving the correct number of -.wives, children; dependents, and life, insurance policies. *No "postage stamp is required, as the place for it is reserved for a complete statement of in; comings. . T portion, of a farm which is unsuitable for grazing, and which is used chiefly to exercise oxen. A burial place for bolts and, nuts, oil cans, and spanners. A place where " ten bags to the acre" will be grown next year. ••.'•;,•' ;\Next year.—-One of the chief reasonfe why farmers .keep on. farming, '-'he good time coming, which, like to-morrow, never comes.-. •■>/ - '> ■■ Auctioneer. —One Who sells something to a farmer for £2O, and then sells it for him for £5. A dispenser of marvellous bargains, >:'.',splendid propositions, • an<? grand opportunities. His chief, occupation is teaching ladies to wink. ; Wool Pack.—A receptacle for cannon balls, millstones, .old iron,, burr-weed, kraal manure, mutton, and wool. Some* times filled with hay and conspicuously marked by farmers who send a wagon load around the town when credit is bad. I A RECORD YEAR. FROZEN LAMB TRADE. MARKET FOR 1927 SEASON. :. . DOMINION'S HEAVY.EXPORTS. ' ■ In a general survey of the influences that affected the fat lamb markets in the United Kingdom during the past "year, and the fluctuation of prices that was recorded during that period,' the annual review issued by George' C. Kean and Co., London, states that all past, records in the- history of the frozen lamb trade were broken by the total imports ■ during- 1 1927- the receipts from Australia, New Zealand, and South America amounting, to the substantial figure of 10,228,331 carcasses, thus showing &u increase of 1,397,830 •on the 1926 arrivals. A record quantity arrived from. New Zealand during 3,927,'; the total, imports being 5,3W,168 carcisses. ■• or an- increase of 353,656 on the figures for the previous 13 months. The stocks of»old season's' lambs carried o<ver train 1926 Were' .comparatively light, and only moderate supplies came to hand during January, consisting mainly of North Island now season's lambs. The quality of these was not quite up to the usual standard, . but, J as in the case of mutton, a more serious drawback was the faulty dressing occasioned by labour difficulties at the: works immediately they opened. Selling was somewhat hampered by this defect, and. although first arrivals realised 1,14.' a" lb/-for';"prirfie Downs' under 361 b. and 10fd a ib for crossbreds, values quickly fell away to 10id a lb. During February a_ decided improvement in quality, was noticeable, some of the Down lambs'were maintained at 10id a lb for now season's Canterburys until towards the end of the-month, but the release then of the accumulate supplies, ex several vessels held up' by fog. rather overstocked the market, and this, combined with the anxiety of some sellers to affect sales, resulted in a considerable easing in values. _New season's' Canterbury lambs made their appearance about this time, the first recorded quotation being 10id a lb. but one or two i small first arrivals realised up to lid Plentiful supplies still came to hand in 1 June, and the demand, apart from that for light-weightE. having slackened, per lb. The knowledge of heavy shipments afloat caused buyers to adopt a cautious policy of only purchasing sufficient for immediate' requirements, and price's commenced to fall, the very large March imports (over 825,000 carcasses) giving fresh impetus to the decline,'and by the end of that month values were fully ljd per lb lower. In April and May, although arrivals were still heavy, there was an. easing off in quantity as compared with March, and a good demand persisting throughout the period it was possible tq.maintain prices; in fact, in the latter month North Island values are appreciated slightly, being assisted by the greatly improved provincial demand. There was at this time a very strong inquiry for light-weights, almost irrespective of quality, and in consequence South Island lambs, with their somewhat heavier average did not reap so much advantage as did North Island carcasses. Plentiful supplies still came to hand in June, and the demand, apart from that for light-.-, eights, having slackened, prices moved slowly downwards. Arrivals were again heavy in July, 823,650 carcasses being imported, and while Canterbury prices were more or less maintained at the previous month's level. North Islands fell Jd per lb, the result of the arrival on the West Coast of four vessels carrying nearly 250,000 carcasses for provincial requirements. August arrivals were close on 450,000 carcasses less than in July, but this was due chiefly to slight delays to carrying vessels, and September imports were in consequence heavier than is usual. Prices in ■ the former month were comparatively steady so far as Canterburys were concerned, while North Islands recovered from the July setback and advanced to within id per lb of Canterbury quotations. Both descriptions felt the beneficial effects of the better demand during September, and values rose steadily throughout the month and also in early October, although arrivals were still heavy for that time of the year. lincreased home supplies on Smithfield market were, however, beginning to have their effect-on demand, and by the middle of October these had reached very substantial proportions, in consequence of which frozen, lambs rather lost favour, and prices, especially for. North Islands, became somewhat easier right "through November. Home supplies were less plentiful in December, particularly in the