FARM AND STATION NEWS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22114, 18 November 1933, Page 3

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

By Rusticus

i 933-34 SHOW SEASON ROSTER OF DATES Agricultural shows, have been arranged ror the 1933-34 season as follows:1933 Nov. 18 .. .. .. .. Taieri, at Outram. Nov. 21 and 22 .. Otago, at Tahuna Park. Nov. 23 and 34 .. Clutba and Matsu, . at Balclutha. Nov. 28 i, *« Winton. Bee. 2 .. Tokomairiro Farmers' Club at ' Milton. Dec, 8 and 6 .. .. Gore. Deo. 6 .. .. .. Centra! Otago, at Omakau. Deo. 8 „ ~ .« ... Wyndham. Dec 8 ...... .. Maniototo, at Ran- ’ furly. Dee. 12 and IS Southland, at • Invercargill. Dec. 14 Owaka. Deo. 16 Otago Peninsula at Portobello, 1934 Jan. 13 .. ~ Waitati. Jan. 20 .. ~ Waikouaiti, Jan. 26 Palmerston and Waihemo. Feb. 8. 9, and 10 .. Royal, at Auckland. April 2 .. .. .. .. Fairlie. April 12 .. .» .. Temuka and Geraldine, at Winches- ' ter, 1933-34 WOOL SEASON 1 ROSTER OF SALES Wool sales have been ’arranged as follows for the 1933-34 wool-selling season is New Zealand:— Place. Date. - Auckland „ .. November 27 Napier .. .. .. December 1 Wellington .. •• December 7 Christcnurch .. December 12 Timaru .. .. .. December 16 Dunedin .. .. .. December 20 Napier January 6 Wellington •• .. January 11 Auckland .. .. January 15 Wanganui ~ .. January 19 Christchurch •• January 26 Invercargill .. January 31 *> Dunedin ~. .. February 5 Timaru .. ~ February 9 Wellington .. .. February 15 Napier .. .. .. February 20 Wanganui .. .. February 23 Christchurch > March 2 Dunedin .« .. March 7 Invercargill ~.. March 9 Wellington .. •• March 19 Napier March 23 Auckland .. .. March 27 Christchurch .. April 6 Dunedin .. .. April 10 Wanganui .. April 17 Napier .. .. .. April 20 ' Wellington .. .. April 24 The April sale dates are tentative only, •übject to revision, and will no held only if sufficient wool is available, Australian Wool Clip From all centres the early signs of lighter wool clips are being confirmed (says the Australasian). It is the exception to hear of a clip within 10 per cent, of the weights of last year, and the majority are quite 20 per 1 cent. down. This experience of growers is causing a lot of discussion. Many of the buyers refuse to subscribe to the statements that-are freely-made predicting" that’ the wool; output Of Australia will be down this year by 500,000 bales or more compared with last season, but .growers are emphatic in their belief that it: will be down that much. Plenty of material is available to support the estimates of a great decline. There is, on the other hand, little or no evidence to justify the opposite view. -Some well-known clips have been carefully analysed, and it has been found that in the majority of cases the yield from the same sheep numbers is 20 per cent, less than last year. This is the experience all over Australia, where the season is far enough advanced to make reliable comparisons. If it be found that the average cut a head is 20 per cent, less, and there are no more sheep in the Commonwealth than there were last year, the shortage will be serious indeed. The shortage might reach 700,000 bales. Much depends upon the sheep numbers, however, and it is impossible to do much more than " play with the estimates "—as one buyer slid—until the Woolgrowers and Brokers’ Councils set the trade at rest by issuing another official forecast, of the current clip. Authoritative Statements The statements of these councils (the journal continues) are accepted as authoritative, and influence the buying eeotiJh of the trade to some extent; but members of the councils are not inclined to alter their previous estimates made in June till they are fully convinced that a marked

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discrepancy is likely. It may be assumed by the textile trade oversea that no greater shortage than was predicted in June is likely to occur or the growers and brokers’ councils would lose no time in revising their previous forecasts, for these councils are largely representative of The producers who might obtain better prices if the wool shortage is known to be greater than was expected. Many growers therefore are somewhat impatient at the delay of the councils in making another considered statement. They feel that there is ample data available, not only from growers who have completed shearing, but among the brokers statistics to satisfy the authorities that a shortage of about 300,000 bales is much

and to ensure accuracy they must be in possession of more reliable data than is yet available. This data, it is understood, the councils are busy collecting, with a view to making another announcement as soon as possible. A Backward Season ' This spring in Gisborne has been one of the most backward the district has experienced for a long time. Early indications were promising, a brief mild spell at the end of July and again in the beginning of August, suggesting an early start of spring growth. In fact, the winter all through was mild, and the hills had a touch of green throughout. Since the early mild spells, however, the very changeable weather and frequent cold 'blasts have kept the growth of pastures back. There is no actual shortage of feed in the Gisborne district, but the grass is making very slow progress. Despite this, dairy production throughout b9th the Gisborne and coast districts shows an increase. The cream supplies to factories are not very much larger than those of the corresponding period a year ago, but the increase is general, suggesting that when the ; weather permits the frass to come away with a great flush the actories will be kept very busy indeed. Ninety Successive Crops The Rothamsted experiments on the growth of wheat were designed to discover what foods the wheat plant requires, and how it can be made to 'grow well, said Sir John Russell, director of .Rothamsted, to the Repina Wheat Conference recently. The experiments were begun in 1843 and are still continuing; moreover, - they continued to yield new and valuable information. The best known of the fields is Brodbalk, about 10 acres in area, on which wheat grows continuously every year without. any_ change; the present crop is the ninetieth successive crop and is looking extremely well. The field is divided into plots which are differently manured. One plot has had no manure or fertiliser of any kind since 1829. For the past eight years it yielded an average of 17 bushels to the acre and 11.7 bushels an acre for the first 80 years. Last year its yield was 11.6 bushels. There is no evidence that the wheat plant will ever be killed out by starvation. This good result, however, is obtained only because the land is cultivated, said Sir John; whenever weeds are allowed to come in, the yield falls. By use of suitable fertilisers, the yield can be raised to an average of 34 bushels. A Novel Competition A novel identifying competition was conducted at a recent North Island show. Four sets of eight photographs were provided —one set each for horses, cattle, sheep, and dogs. Competitors wore required to identify the breed of animal represented in the illustration. The competition really amounted to a general knowledge test, and was instituted as an attempt to encourage the public to take a wider interest in, and outside, their ordinary vocation or hobby. The interesttaken in the sections for sheep -and horses was satisfactory, but in the cattle and dog sections it was rather disappointing. However, the fact that the competition was something new, and the difficulty of bringing it directly before the notice of a large number of people no doubt accounts for this. In the sheep section the following breeds were represented:—Lincoln, Kerry Hills, Wensley Dale, Hampshire Downs, Border Leicester, Suffolk Down, Southdown, and Romney Marsh. The horses illustrated were:—Percheron, hackney, Welsh pony, Suffolk Punch shire, hunter, Dartmoor, and standard bred trotter. The cattle were Blue Albion, Red Poll, Long Horn, Friesian, Park, Jersey, Aberdeen-Angus, and Southdown. The dogs were;— Schnauzer, Papilion, Saluaki, Shetland sheep dog, Bedlington terrier, Schipperkes, Kerry Blue, Dandie Dinmont.

below the mark. They argue that if it can be shown now that the shortage will most likely by 400,000 bales, 450,000 bales or more, no time should be lost in making an announcement to the effect, because the market might be expected to hdrden as a result. On the other hand, if a revised official estimate be deferred for another month or six weeks, about half the clip will have been sold. Sound as contentions of this kind may be, however, the members of the growers and brokers' councils no doubt feel that any announcement they might make at this stage of the season must be very close to accuracy,