OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 1920, 4 December 1890, Page 7

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(By Oub Oantebbdbt AGBicaiTOBAL COBBBSPONDENT ) Chbistohukoh, December 1. THE SEASON.

The weather thiß spring baa consisted principally of high winds without moisture. Cereals have withstood the drought remarkably well hitherto, only here and there a poor, spindley plant prematurely brushing into ear being visible. The nrost critical period is at hand, and the showers that have fallen during the last few days have been most welcome, and have benefited the farming community by tens of thousands of pounds. It is earnestly hoped that the glass will not goto "set fair "again until the ground gets a thorough soaking. Grass i 3 already very scarce, and in moat localities too far gone to Beed for much growth to ba expected before autumn, and the ground is bo hard that those who have been trying to get turnips, rape, &c, sown for early autumn feeding have baen greatly retarded in their operations, several instances being known of its being found impossible to plough old graes. There haa not been enough moisture in the ground to make seeds germinate, but the showars falling upon the hot earth will cause rapid growth if the seeds retain their vitality. There has baen a regular cold snap in the Northern districts, and the commencement of shearing was postponed on many of the stations. Snow fell on tho higher country, and some rather severe losses of lambs are reported. Shearing is now in full swing on farms and the early runs. _ The clip from station flocks appears to be in capital condition ; but the effects of the high winds have made farm clips very earthy and bad coloured without adding to their weight. Sheep are in good condition, i and there has been a good lambing. WOOL. The Christchurch wool Bales last Friday were looked forward to with grave misgivings by growers, Some of the largest buyers of previous seasons were absent, and the one newcomer merely acted in the place of the former agent of hia firm. Biddings came slowly, the condition of the quarter part of the wool offered

being an effectual drag to competition. Of about 1000 bales offered before lunch not much more than half was sold, and even half bales and " fadges " were passed in— a most unusual, course. Subsequently some better wools appeared in the catalogues, and more disposition being shown to meet buyers, a good proportion of the wool was sold, and prices became a shade firmer than in tho forenoon. You have already been advised of the prices current. Greasy half bred and merino wools were down 20 to 25 par cent, from last season's prioes, and ooarse crossbreds 25 to 30 per cent. Even at this decline many of the badly-conditioned wools realised nearly as much as latest information shows them to be worth in London. The trade seems to be in a very bad state at Hof»p,

LIVE STOOK.

The fat cattle market has quite collapsed, and prime bullocks are worth quite £2 a head less than they were a month ago. Importations from the North Island still come in, some of the large butchers having contracted for regular supplies. There has also been a drop in the prices of fat sheep, which are 2a or 3a a head lower on the month— this being due to the annual cksicg for repairs of the freezing works Doubtless prices will recover when freezing is resumed, but it is a question if prices will reach the high level of the last few months until the Home market improves. The losses on mutton shipments lately have been very heavy, Store cattle and sheep have declined sharply owing to the threatened Boaroity of feed, and unless good rains come soon there will be little less than a panic among holders who are fully stocked,

SHOW STOOK.

Some good private sales of stook were made after the show. His Excellency the Governor bought Mr R, W. Chapman's Rangiora prize lambs (Southdown*) to send to friends at Home for Christmas dinner. Most of the sheep- breeders find that they can all sell beat at the North Island shows, and they have returned this year well pleased with the results of their trip. Messrs Mallock and Lance's second and third prize fine combing merino rams were Bhorn en the ground after the Ohristchuroh show by the Wolseley maobine, and cut 121b 14 oz and 141b Boz respectively, the former bright, clear combing wool, and the latter denser, black tipped, and of medium length, Both had 358 days' growth. Sir John Hall's exhibit in the same class, which was passed over by the judges as being too strongwoolled for the section, clipped by hand at home 191b 6oz, and a four-tooth son of his clipped 191b 2oz. It may be mentioned that the strong- woolled judges considered Sir John Hall's ram too fine fcr their section ! Mr E. Menlove bought Mr F. M, Riokman'a Sht opshire ewes with lambs at foot, and intends to

form a stud flock of this most valuable bi eed. The Home papers report almost unprecedented prices for Shrops rams at the sheep fairs and Biles. GRAIN. Wheat is well cleared out, but there are heavy stocks of oats in etoro in town and country, and there is little or no demand. Feeding oats to sheep has proved payable at present values, and unless feed and crop prospects improve soon, there will be an outlet for stocks for this purpose. Oats should be crushed before being fed to sheep— indeed it is true economy to crush them for whatever animals they are fed to. Ou one 4000 acre farm that I know of, 5000 sheep, crossbred hoggets and ewes, finished the turnips by the end of July, and were kept on oats and what grass they could pick up until a month ago. The manager of the property made a public offer to back 1000 of the hoggets against 1000 from any one farm in the colony, and it would have taken big ones indeed to beat him. Thoy will begin to be sold fat about the New Year, and will fetch top pricoa. If tho turnips had held out, and chaff and oats been unnecessary (according to previous ideas), the sheep would not have been as heavy to-day by 81b or 101b each. Oaten sheaf chaff or oats with turnips and grass will be more and more used as a means towards a quick turnover of sheep and tbe production of prime mutton. HOBSKS. ! The market is dull just now, and for certain \ sorts, such as carriage pairs and good hacks, the Dunedin market haa lately been tried with fairly satisfactory results. The class of horses seen in traps, buggies, dogcarts, and other light I vehicles has very much improved of late years. Tha American standard-bred trotting horses [ and the stock of such horses as the imported Diomades and the New Zealand-bred Spot and Dexter have done muoh to effect this improvement, and when we get size and style from I such horses as the imported Orpheus and Nobleman we will be in the. fair way to reI trieve our lost oharaoter for hack and light harness horse-breeding. Draughts we can hold i cur own in, although a few really first class Btallicns would do much to keep up the standard.