THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21165, 24 October 1930, Page 4

THE RURAL WORLD.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

FORTHCOMING SHOWS. The following is the roster of A, and P. •hows for the 1930-31 season in the South Island:— October -29, 30. —Timaru.' . -'' October.3l.—-Amberley.; October -;3l.—Marlborough. November ’ s.—Kelso. November 6. —-Ashburton'.; • November 7. —Rangiora. \ ' November Vl3, >. 14.—Canterbury Metropolitan. V;. ■ ' , : • . ' ■ November 18.—Waiinate. -' { November ; 20, 21.—North Otago November; 22.—Courtenay. November. 22.—Taieri (Outran)'. November 25, 26.—Otago (Dimedin).. November.; 26.^-Winton. November 26.—Wallace. November 27.’ 28.—Clutha and Matau. November 28, 29.—Nelson. December 2.—Tokomairiro Farmers’ Club, . \ / December 2, 3. —Gore. December. s.—Wyndham. December s.—Maniototo (Ranfurly) , December 9, 10.—Southland '(lnvercarf ill). December 10.—Central Otago (Omakau). - December 13.—Otago : Peninsula. December 26, —Tuapeka. December ’ 30.—Waitahuna Jubilee Show, . 1931. March 17.—Lake County. - March 26.—Temuka and Geraldine, . April 6.—Strath-Taieri (Middlemarch), April 6. —Mackenzie County, June 2,3, 4, and s.—Otago A. and P. Society’s Winter Show. 1930-31 WOOL SEASON. The following-'is the - list of sales' and ' *llocation6„for, the, 1930-31. wool selling season:— ' ' • 1930. Bales. November—25—Auckland ~ ~ .. 25,000 28 —Wanganui ~ 22,000 December— ";.; • 3—Napier , .. .. .. 30,000 B—Wellington .. .. .. 30,000 12 —Christchurch .. ... 22.000 15r—Timaru .. 15,000 19— Dunedin .. ~ .. 25,000 1931. January—7—Wellington .. M .. 30,000 12— Napier * 27,000 17— Auckland 25,000 20— Wanganui 25,000 28—rChristohurch ■.. ~ ~ 25,000 30— Invercargill ~ .. - 25,000 February—3—Dunedin .. .. .. 30,000. 6—Timaru 18,000 13— Wellington- .., ~ 30,000 18— Napier .. .. .. ... 24,000 . 23—Wanganni .. .. .. 23,000 1 March — ,2—Christchurch .... .. 22,000 v 9—Dunedin'-.. .. 35,000 11—Invercargill ~ ~ No limit 18—Wellington ~ .. .. .30,000 ; 23—Napier .. .. .» .. 20,000,27 —Auckland .. .. .. .. No limit 31 — Christchurch „ .. No limit April— = . 10—Dunedin .. . .. No limit 13—Timaru . .. ..., « .. No limit 17—Wellington ‘ ti* No limit 21 — Napier .'; i- No limit 23—Wanganui ' .. -- .. No limit

Stud Sheftp foir 'SOuUi America. The shipment of' stud sheep from various parts of New Zealand to Uruguay and Argentina was delivered, in excellent condition, and with no losses in spite of a rough journey by Cape Horn. The shipment was made by toe Hororata, the pioneer, vessel in- the use of pulverised coal, Mr E. H. Kirk, of Dunedin, was in .chatge.of the shipment. Breed to the ideal. Where possible, always make one lot of' breeding, ewes, 1 which facilitates the rain purchase as well as making the management easier. No one really wants to breed short-woolled sheep. Every sheep farmer should class up to his ideal. The secret of breeding a flock or even, uniform type is to persist in culling all sheep that do-not conform to the desired type. If the ideal aimed at is a big, plain-bodied sheep,, big-boned (not coarse) on high legs, with clean, open face, .carrying a medium type of combing'wool, and after darting a mixed type is apparent, then each year a big plain-bodied ram, carrying, a good 60. S . to 64*8 combing wool, should be purchased. By doing this the ewes should, with a few exceptions, throw lambs not only an improvement on themselves, but nearer to the'desired type. The lambs,'in turn, should again be mated to rams purchased from the same breeder their fathers were brought from. In this way the type is improved and the blood becomes purer.. Let it be emphasised that when purchased rams do well, persist in buying from the same breeder, and not, as . is so often done, change from one breeder to another each time new rams are required.- - ' •• r N Lamb Castration.. The loss of lambs under careless operators at marking is very considerable, and almost wholly avoidable. It is the germ of tetanus which is most to be feared, and the yards should be thoroughly raked and swept, and all debris burned. ... If considerable losses have occurred in. such yards previously a fl'ew site should be chosen. The hands, knife, and parts, should be dressed, with a good disinfectant.' One of the best preparations is lysol, in strength of from 2 to 5 per cent, for instruments, better the latter strength for cleansing the knife, which should not be allowed to touch the earth or clothes or fence after disinfecting. One per cent, lysol is strong enough for dressing the purse after the operation, which is an important point. Some flock owners swab. the wound with a strong bluestone solution, which disinfects it and keeps off flies. The solution should be kept out of the purse by squeezing it with thumb and finger. Lambs should not be castrated while hot from over-driving. Operations should' cease early in the afternoon, especially in frosty weather. The combined operations of tail-cutting and castration are a shock to the system, and this is aggravated in very cold weather. Shelter should he provided, such as straw stacks, sheds, etc. The usual method employed in castration is to cut off the end of the scrotum,- which permits of free drainage. Many owners of small flocks prefer to. perform this operation without mustering' the sheep. The method adopted is to treat the lambs when a few days old. They can usually, be caught easily in the paddocks, and at that age the testicles are so email that they can be removed by making a small slit in the purse. There is no risk of lambs being separated *from their dams,' and there is practically no check to the lamb from the operation.

Make the Farm Feed You. Regular cash crops cau be measured in £ s. d- by the farmer. la fact, he usually, measures his income by the money which comes from the sale of his crops, live stock,; and-.produce. If the farmer would .keep .‘an account of what the farm furnishes his family in vegetables, meat, milk, eggs, cream, fruit, fuel, etc., he would be surprised at the 1 total. That is, provided he is thrifty enough to have a few milk cows, some pigs, good poultry, and a first-class garden. ‘ Selection of Rams. In selecting rams for use care should be taken to procure the best, either home bred or, purchased from other flocks. It does not always follow, says an English writer, that the most expensive ram will prove the, dearest, when it is considered that a good sire produces a large number of lambs, and the extra money expended ought to be more than repaid by the improving value of his stock. Those rams should be selected which have good points in which the ewes are deficient. The rams should not I be too fat, and should have plenty of exercise before the season begins. When ewes are put to the ram, it is generally believed that if a liberal supply of food be allowed them they will produce more

By RtrsTicra. Items Offatemt to thow engaged In agricultural and pastoral pnrouitfc with .a view to their publication in these columns, will be welcomei They should be addressed to “Rnaticus,” Otago Daily Times, Dunedin,

twins; there is a difference of opinion as to what food is best, but most flockmasters and shepherds have their own ideas -upon the matter.

When to Market the Lambs. , Marketing the lambs is a'very important part of the management of the farmer's flock when, crossbred lambs are t j ’ • In early districts or when early fodder crops have made it possible to lamb;early, it. should always be. the aim of the-farmer to get as many iambs as .possible into the market early', .'and so obtain. the benefit of the high prices .that early spring lamb always bring. In regard to the weight of the lambs, the exporter demands a certain weight, but the -butcher _is not- particular, so long as the quality is there, and it is much more profitable for the grower to market a 301 b lamb at 9d per lb, than a 401 b one at 6d. These are all points that the farmer must take into careful consideration. It must also < be remembered that the lamb is depending great deal on its mother for nourishment, therefore, it is important to-market the lambs' as soon as possible after they have been taken from the ewes; because if they are not marketed quickly they will lose their bloom.. Every-effort should ;be made to get the whole of the crop of Idtnbe away as fats, because crossbred lambs which have been got with a Down’s bred ram are not a good shearing proposition. After the lambs are marketed the next thing to consider is the shearing of the ewes. This should not be left too late, because the ewes will be needed to help keep the fallows clean, and they will do this better with their wool off. Another important reason why the shearing should- be done reasonably early; is the fact that it is usually -advisable to dispose of some, of the oldest ewes, and' when shorn before the -flush of the spring feed- has passed, they,, can be quickly . fattened and , so passed but • to advantage. Stock Markets.

There is not much movement in the stock markets at the present time, as ewes and lambs have not commenced to come on to the market in any considerable numbers.' There'would not be very much demand in any case as few graziers have sufficient feed available to justify them increasing their flocks. Prices so far have been ; disappointing, but should; improve when the feed supply question becomes less acute. Store cattle appear, to be commanding good prices, and recent sales in different parts of the province have heen quite satisfactory for the time of the year' when comparative prices are taken into account. . Despite the feed shortage, the fat stock market appears to be well supplied, and prices are showing a downward tendency on this account. Good quality beef and mutton have not maintained the values' of a month or two ago.

THE WOOL MARKET. PERIOD OF LEAN PRICES. WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF? PAST EXPERIENCES CITED. “ Reference to previous slumps in the wool market and recoveries infuses a spirit of reasonable optimism into the present outlook,” says Dalgety’s Annual Review. Having found definite points of resemblance between the 1929-30 season and the pre-war slump of 1907-8 it is a comforting reflection that in the season following the recovery was remarkable. It was. brought about, not by temporary expedienta, or attempts to bolster up the position, but rather by accepting the inevitable, meeting the market, and fostering increased business. , ' “In: 1907-8 wool levels were at zero;, nobody appeared,;to want wool; stocks were accumulating', ‘ and heavy supplies were on hand both in Australia and’London. At shearing time things looked black, and the season’s intial demand was poor, with the market for goods dull and lifeless.' k “Notwithstanding all this, prices steadily advanced, and at the close of the season were 25 per cent, higher than in the year before. No one in the trade anticipated such a sharp recovery, or deemed it possible. Indeed, most people expected a bad time, and the only comforting reflection was that prices could not possibly show as great a fall as the previous .season.” ' v , . ’ , ' EVERYBODY AMAZED, ’ The general view was that recovery would be a slow and gradual process, covering several years (says the review), yet at the■ end of 1908-9, everydne connected with the trade was more or less amazed- at, the rapidity, of the change from depression to activity. Wool history presented many instances of a lean year followed by surprisingly good results, aiid the fact that users had lived from hand to mouth for a season cleared the way for active buying when normal conditions were restored. That possibility bad been a big factor in the recent partial recovery or wool values. The position in regard to the .slump in 1920-21 Was different.' ' It was the first season after the acquisition scheme, and economic conditions throughout the world rendered the return to the ordinary laws of supply and demand after an altogether artificial period exceedingly difficult. A small proportion of the clip sold at reasonable prices, but values for the bulk of the season's wool ruled so low, and the demand was sp slack, that it could not be quitted at anything like the estimated value, and the year was an unprofitable one to all sections of the industry. It led to a big carryover of unsold wool. The 1921-22 season revealed a complete restoration. It was described as a remarkable change from a phenomenally depressing wool season to a thoroughly sound and satisfactory statistical wool year. There was nothing sensational at any time; the demand developed strength as the season proceeded. Confidence in the international outlook cleared the way for a restoration of trade. A Commonwealth carryover of 537,946 bales'was cleared by November, and by the end. of the wool year the current clip was also cleared. There were the ravages of war to make up, and the demand was altogether abnormal. NO ARTIFICIAL AID. In recording the wonderful recovery in 1921-22, it was made clear in the Annual Review, the writer adds, that without the economic improvement in the outer world the Australian season could not have been a profitable one. The fixing of price limits below which wool should not be sold or exported did not influence the change in the wool position at all. The cause of the restoration of trade in wool was that wool manufacturers were .able to obtain raw material and pass the product of the mills into the hands of millions of people deprived of woollens during the war and .after. The continuation of , that demand to make up the ravages of war caused the phenomenal level of wool .values during recent years. The inevitable reaction . had to come, however, and the progress of artificial

fibres was one o£ the factors which undermined the position. “History has a hahit of repeating itself in these-matters,” says the review, “and if it does, the wisdom of having avoided any artificial aids to restoration will be apparent.”

SOIL IMPROVEMENT. IMPORTANCE OF TILLAGE. INCREASING FERTILITY. The exact cause for the condition of temporary unproductiveness varies according to local and climatic conditions in different parts of this country; but the underlying reason is the same in every case; it is due to r -,°l fertility. Some factor ot soil fertility has been disregarded owing to want .of knowledge, carelessness, or bad farm management, with the result that the land has become partially depleted or exhausted. As these soils were once productive, they still possess possibilities, and may be restored to high productive power at a reasonable cost, provided attention is paid to the principles which underlie the maintenance of: the fertility of tie soil. Practical methods how this can be carried into effect will now. be considered. The physical improvement of the soil is the first step needed in the ■ work of rejuvenation, Plants can give but a small harvest if their soil home is distasteful to them, and’ a soil offers little to the plant ,if its physical condition is unsatisfactory. This is one of the chief causes of soil unproductiveness. To solve the problem and banish the .trouble only requires that the cases be correctly diagnosed and the remedies applied.' If it is a question of drainage, then the land should be drained; nothing else is likely to avail, the stiff, wet soils are useless for the majority of our farm crops. Such lands can be.drained with profit, and nothing is gained by postponement, except that the income obtainable from the farm is lessened.

If the cause is due to sourness, then the remedy is to lime them, which will sweeten and put them into a condition fit for the healthy growth of pjants. The soil environment must be made satisfactory if good crops are to be grown. CALL TILLAGE INTO USE. Insufficient attention is paid generally to_tillage. The plough is not kept going sufficiently, and when; the land is ploughed it is too often too. shallow, and not sufficient variation is allowed in depth. Tillage should occupy much of the time and the thoughts of our farmers, as it is the connecting link between production and the soil. Deep breaking of the soil and frequent and intelligent' tillage are the foundations of soil restoration. Often the plough is not sent deeply enough into the soil, and deep tillage is frequently the remedy the land needs* A farmer who has been accustomed ' always to plough shallow should the next time he ploughs set bis plough in such a way that it will go deeper into the soil—at least two inches r—mid the next time he might plough two inches deeper, and continue to do this until a plough body of .land is obtained at least nine or ten inches deep. This work requires to be done gradually, a little at a time, as the'land might be injured instead of benefited if a quantity of soil is turned to the surface too great to be purified and aerated ip a single, season. The most thorough sort of culture requires to be combined with this good ploughing, and every sort of preparation tool that is needed to secure a good tilth and a good seed bed should be used.

GET HUMUS INTO THE SOIL. Getting humus into the soil is another step in soil improvement. It is impossible to farm successfully without the co-operation of humus, which is the backbone of the soil. Stable manure is the best means of securing humus. Many of our soils are rapidly becoming depleted of their original stores of humus, partly through want of proper conservation of the organic matter which is produced on the farm, and partly through toe increased use of chemical fertilisers. The soil bacteria, v whose importance in soil fertility is becoming more and more appreciated,' requires a constant supply of organic matter in the soil in order to obtain the carbon food which they are unable to manufacture , for themselves. Although there is difficulty in securing a constant supply of. farmyard manure under farming conditions, nevertheless farm manure and refuse is saved, stored, and utilised to the benefit of the farm. The greater part of the animal manures on the farms of South Africa are' distributed on the land; by the stock themselves, thus contributing to the upkeep of soil fertility by the return of valuable elements of plant food to the land. The droppings require to be properly distributed, and considerable benefit results from the frequent use at short intervals of ' thq tripod harrows on our pasture lands. If'the soil is robbed of the humus which it contained, and admission is denied to the humus which rightly belongs there, the land will become stubborn and unproductive.

WOOL POSITION. THE DROP IN PRICES. A SERIOUS PROBLEM. Results of the London September series of wool sales, just closed, make dismal reading. The fall in the value of the wools, constiting some 92 per cent, of those grown in New Zealand, is from 10 per cent, to 15 per cent, on the low range' of prices current at the close of the July series. Proceeds from wool sold in New Zealand for the 12 months ended June 30 \ a st were £5,130,000, as compared with £12,217,000 for 1928-29. But the market since last June has gone from bad to worse. A new season is beginning, starting with sales m Auckland at the end of next month.. Besides this newly shorn wool, there is an estimated carry-over of fullv 122,000 .bales of last yearV Unsold wool to be dealt , with. The New Zealand Wool Committee has limited the quanpities ot wool to be offered at all sales in the Dominion for the coming local auctious, and the unsold wool must be taken in account in reviewing the market. Unfortunately, some of the owners of xf m * fi judged the market. When they could have obtained, say, Pi “ m December, they elected to hold on to their wool until to-day its market value is from 6d to 64d. Comparing results froin London sales held in September for a number of years, it will be seen how sharp has been the fall since 1921, which was a bad year for wool; September, 1921.1922.1924.1929. 1930. „ d. d. d. d. d. Halfbred 56’s Is£ 184 34 14| 94 Super Xbred, MfixbVid;- 114 13 271 131 84 44/46’s .. 7f 8J 22 13 8 Coarse Xbred, 40/44’s .. 02 72 204 12J 7 Low Xbred, 30/40’s ... 6, 7 19 112 62 Growers, brokers, and manufacturers will bo scanning the course of the wool market even more eagerly than they have been doing for the past eight or nine months for any signs of improvement. Australian sales results will be some help towards replying to the great question, Have prices reached bottom? But not until the next London sales resume on November 25, simultaneously with the of the New Zealand sales at Auckland, will a clear view of the market for New Zealand wools be obtainable. Much will depend upon the prices going at the end of next month. COMPARATIVE RATES. Messrs Murray, Roberts, and Co., Ltd., are in receipt of the following wool market quotation from their London agents, showing closing rates of last SepteraberOctober. series, compared with those for the closing July sales:— Sept.-Oct. July. . Yfß, . , Per lb. Per lb. N.Z merino 60/64’s .. 94d 103 d Halfbred. 50’s .. .. g|d io d Super fine crossbred, 50’s B|d 9ld Med. crossbred, 44/46’s 8d d Med. crossbred. 44/46’s 74d 9- d Coarse crossbred, 40/44’s 7d 9-d Low crossbred, 36/40’s 6|d -® l ®, New Zealand Farmers’ Co-op. Distributing Company. Ltd., has received the following cablegram from their London office: — Wool sales closed to-day, and prices compared with opening rates good. Merinos 5 per cent, down, others 7J per cent down; scoured 10 per cent, down, greasy crossbreds 5 per cent, down to 7J per cent, down, scoured 5 per cent, to 10 per cent, down, slipe 6 per cent, to 10 per cent, down.”