SPECIAL SALES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 7

SPECIAL SALES.

March 1, 2, 3.— Donald Reid and Co., store sheep and lambs at Hyde, Kyeburn, and Wedderburn respectively. March 2.— Wilson, Cameron, and Co., farm near Puerua. March 15.— Farmers' Agency Co., at Wedderburn, store sheep. Farmers' Agency Company.— At Clinton on March 1, stock ; at Middlemarch, March 2, store sheep ; March 29, at Middlemarch, the whole of the Barewood flock. For Private Sale.— Wright, Stephenson, and Co., Greenvale estate, 22,600 acres, and Popotunoa 10,740 acres. Farm at Highcliff. Stronach Bros, and Morris, 5500 acres of good sheep country run 50 ruilea from Dunedin. Mutual Agency Company, store and stud sheep. Carswell and Company, Invercargill, properties in Southland. Bates, Sise, and Co. have for sale farm at Moeraki, of 1526 acres ; and also dairy farm in the same district of 220 acres. Donald Reid and Co. — Run of 7600 acres at Middlemarch ; 622 acres at Hindon. The manager of the N.Z. Agricultural Company invites offers for town, surburban, and rural lands on the company's estate. Stronach Bros, and Morris hold their first sale of the season at Wedderburn on March 15. The executors of the late Mr Angu3 M'Donald offer Pakihi Homestead, 1659 acres, within seven miles of Temuka. Sales of store sheep for this season are arranged by Wright, Stephenson, and Co. to take place as follows :— At Leask's Yards, Blacks— Tuesday, March 6. At Caldwell's Yards, Wedderburn — Wednesday, March 7. At Cox's (late Maisey's) Yards, Kyeburn—Thursday, March 8 At Mr C. B. Hay's Deepdell Yards, Macraes, on Friday, March 9. [Communications of interest to stockbreeders and dealers arc cordially invited. All communications to reach Witness offioo not later than Monday night.] The letter from Mr Boreham in last week's issue on the subject of shearing wet sheep again places the matter in the light in which the shearers look at it, and confirms what was written to me by a shearer several weeks before. On one side we have the station

owner anxious to get on, not only because of the expense caused by delay, but possibly because he has entered into arrangements to deliver his wool by a certain date, to catch a 'sale or possibly a ship. On the other we have the shearers, presumably equally anxious to go ahead and cut out, but unwilling to do so because of alleged risk to their health. The difficulty appears to lie in deciding what a wet sheep really is. Mr Boreham's test is whether the fleece wets his clothes through or not, but I do not think that test an infallible one, for on a warm day you will find very few men coming from the shearing board with absolutely dry clothes, between perspiration and grease. It is incredible that an owner should be willing to risk the baling of wet wool, but it is not so incredible that men should want a day's spell, more especially when the station feeds them, in the rush of a heavy season. The solution of the difficulty is the calling in of a qualified independent person ; but I confess lam not prepared to offer a practicable suggestion as to how one is to be obtained.

That disputes are nearly always capable of amicable adjustment is illustrated by a statement made to the Taieri Advocate by a shearer who" has just raturned from the Waitaki district. In one of the sheds a difficulty arose out of the employment of certain shearers against whom objections were raised. The owner of the shed was asked to interfere, and decided to hold an inquiry into the case. A kind of court was held, the employer acting as judge, while men in responsible positions on the station acted as jurors. Evidence was given pro and con,, and the result of an amicable inquiry was that the shearers who were objected to were asked to leave the shed.

It is alleged that sheepowners in various parts of the province have made the discovery that the sheep-stealer has been very busy during the year. The Tuapeka Times alleges that one flockowner found, on mustering, that 3000 sheep were missing from a flock of 12,700. This, which really seems incredible, is said to have happened on a station between the Tuapeka district and the Taieri. In another case an owner was short of 500 out of a flock of 6000, and not very long since one of this owner's sheep was found nearly 100 miles from his own station, "having apparently been lost out of

the flock which was being taken to market to be converted into cash by the sheep-stealer." I fear the assumption that the shortages found at mustering in many parts of Otago are due to sheep-stealers is hasty. All those qualified to know with whom I have conversed on this subject — and I have gone into it frequently — concur that sheep-stealing on a large and systematic scale is practically unknown now. There may be pilfering on a small scale, and many districts contain at least one undesirable neighbour who ib generally believed to know more about losses than he cares to tell. In this connection I might remark that owners might to a large extent protect themselves by tattooing their sheep on some part where little or no wool grows, and where at the same time any excision from the skin would be detected. Tattooing on the brisket has this objection, that the piece containing the brand might be cut off in skinning the sheep without anybody noticing the difference, and this applies to tattooing anywhere on the under side of the body. Barmarks are easily defaced in most cases, and tar brands are not permanent.

There is not the least doubt that there were heavy losses in Otago among breeding sheep. I mentioned this at the time the loss was ascertained, having gained the information from a visitor qualified to know. It is now confirmed by the report of Mr Ritchie, Secretary for Agriculture, who states that there has been great mortality among sheep consequent upon a great flush of spring grass following very severe winter, weakened stock being unable to stand the "scouring" effect of the abundant young grass. Breeders also found it unprofitable to mate small ewes with rams of large breed, great oss in lambing resulting.

Last week's sale at Burnside saw only 92 cattle yarded, all of them being of medium quality and below it. The best were quoted at £9 to £9 10s, equal to about 22s per 1001b. There were 1943 sheep penned. Some of these, which would have brought £1 a little while ago, reached 14b 9d to 15a 9d, the difference being represented by the fleece. Even at the price mentioned the mutton brought more than 2d per lb net,* which doesn't leave the butcher much profit. Lambs are gradually diminishing in numbers at Burnside for the season. Anything good would still bring about 10s. Only

57 pigs were submitted, suckers bringing 10s 6d, I and slips 14s to 17s. I hear of great activity in I breeding pigs. I

At Addington on the same day, 9347 sheep and lambs, 299 cattle, and 287 pigs were entered. Dairy cattle showed a decline. Good beef remained at 24s to 25s per 1001b. Fat lambs recovered their decline of the two previoHS sales. The sale of these was so pro- ; tracted that it drove the fat sheep sale back until late in the afternoon, and many buyers left, with the result that most of the lots were withdrawn. Prime crossbred mutton was worth 2d to ££d, and ordinary lsd to 2d. The following are the prices current: — Fat cattle— steers £6 to £9, heifers £5 5s to £8 10s, cows £5 to £8. Store cattle — Weaners and yearlings 16s to 35p, two-year-olds £3 to £5, dry cows £2 to £F» good dairy cows £7 to £10, inferior £3 to £5. Fat sheep — Best crossbred wethers 14s to 153 Id, secondary 10s to 13s ; best croesbred ewes 11s 6d to 15s Id, secondary 9s to 11s ; good merino wethers 8s to 10s Id, medium merino ewes 5s 7d to 6s 6d. Fat lambs — Prime 11s to 13s, secondary from 7s 6d. Store sheep — Twotooth crossbreds 10s 2d to 12s 9d, crossbred lambs 6s 7d to 9s, aged crossbred ewes 5s 7d, merino ewes and lambs 3s to 3s 7d, inferior merinos Is 4d to 3s. Pigs— Baconers 35s to 62s 6d, porkers 25s to 38s, stores 14s 6d to 295.

Mr J. R. Scott has received cable advices to the effect that dairy butter ex Aorangi realised 90s, and factory butter 102s to 106s.

Messrs H. Tren grouse and Co., writing under date January 5, intimate that the prospects for cheese are hopeful. A " cold snap " had sent butter up 4s with a bound. A great deal of controversy has been going on in London as to the relative advantage of shipping butter in cool and in freezing chambers, and the conclusion had been arrived at that the freezing chamber was the more advantageous. In reply to inquiries as to a possible outlet for fodder in England, they wrote that hay and other fodder was a complete drug in the market, and wheat was lower that it had been known for 300 years. They were not sanguine as to the advantages of shipping New Zealand apples Home under present conditions, but Tasmanians usually did well, and would come

to a good market this season. It may be mentioned that a device known as the "ejector" is now fitted to vessels of the Shire line. By this appliance the temperature can be maintained at about 48deg to 50deg without the injurious injeotion of cold air.

Sir, — la your issue of February 1 I see an account of Messrs A. and J. M'Farlane having sold two Ayrshire cows to go to New South Wales, and giving their pedigree. Master Jack is said to have been bred by Mr John M'Kewan, Ballewan, Strathbeam, Scotland. This is not correct. There never was such a man in Ballewan, nor is the name of the parish Strathbeam, neither is Jaapston in Ayrshire. — Onk Who Knoavs.

The error in the name and place of the breeder of Master Jock is purely a literal one. He was bred by Mr John M'Kean, Ballewan, Strath Blanc. Jaapston, however, is in Ayrshire. It is the name of a well-known farm, and the sirb of Marquis of Ailsa was named Duke of Jaapaton by Mr John Holm, of that ilk.

Mr P. C. Threlkeld, of Inglewood, Canterbury, has disposed of 20 purebred Leicester ewes to the New Zealand Land Association, for the Woodlands estate, A uckland . They ace the first direct descendants of the original stock that have left Inglewood except a few that were sent to Sydney last year.

The same steamer took a superb pen of five Border Leicester ewes from the Hon. M. Holmes's flock, and also 15 first-class two-tooth Border Leicester ewes from Mr W.Boag.of Burr, side, Canterbury, as well as a stud ram of the same breed from Mr Little, of Ngapara. In addition to these the association forwarded two consignments of Romney flock rams for the North Island.

The s.s. Maori arrived at Lyttelton with six purebred sheep, all that remained of 17 originally shipped, the others having succumbed to injuries received during exceptionally bad weather. Of those landed two were Shropshire rams for Mr F. Cunningham, and were bred by Mr Joseph Beach, of Battons farm, Shropshire. One is by Frontier, and the other by Forest Ring — both noted sires. The other four consisted of three English Leicester ewes and one Border Leicester ram for Messrs Little Bros.

The ewes are three of six purchased from Mr E. Jordan, of Eastbum, Driffield, Yorkshire, one of the most successful breeders and exhibitors of the day in English Leicesters. A Lincoln ram, said to be one of the best in England, was among the sheep lo6t on the voyage.

I saw the other day in one of the stores a well-cured opossum skin which had bean found on opening a bale of rabbitskins. The skin was well furred, and was from an animal of the Tasmanian kind. The consignment came from the Tuapeka district, so it is probable this skin was obtained in the bush to the north of Tapanui, where, I understand, opossums were liberated some time ago.

It is well known that the law will not allow anyone to practise medicine under a title calculated to give an impression that diplomas have been obtained that have no existence. None bub a duly qualified medical practitioner may assume medical titles. But the law will allow any person to hang out his shingle as a veterinary surgeon and put all the letters in tho alphabet after his name whether he is qualified or not. And such a person may practise with impunity whether qualified or not. The amount of animal suffering that must be caused by tyros physicking and blistering and dressing wounds is appalling, and it is a matter that could easily be set right if those interested made an effort. Veterinary science is not now a matter of "giving a ball," or "firing him and turning him out." It is a science demanding knowledge of chemistry, comparative anatomy, and many other branches of knowledge. In short, the unqualified vet. occupies the same relation to a qualified one as a rural bonesetter does to an authorised practitioner.

For instance, the horse is the mott susceptible of all farm stock to tetanus or lockjaw, and the mortality of those attacked is 90 per cent. Tetanus is due to the presence of a bacillus, and an Italian professor has, it is said, discovered an antidote, which he calls Tetanus antitoxin, and it.has proved curative in man as well as in the lower animals. Horses or other aDimals are first rendered immune, and from their blood the antidote is prepared, and the patient is treated with a hypodermic injection of the substance. When veterinary science takes up thiDgs in this way it is evident that

years of preparation and education must be undergone, and it is unfair to the profession to allow unqualified persons to practise on the public credulity.

Mr J. W. Wright, who has for the last five years had charge of the stock department of the Mutual Agency Company, is about to sever his connection with that firm for the purpose of joining that of George King and Co. (Limited), of Christchurch, in the same capacity, in addition to which he will act as the firm's auctioneer. Mr Wright was for 13 years with Matson and Company, so that on returning to Christchuroh he will be rejoining old friends who will be glad to see him again among them. The gentleman named has such excellent qualifications, both business and personal, that his departure will be much regretted, but it is gratifying to be able to state that he is materially bettering himself by the change.