STOCK & GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2104, 21 June 1894, Page 7

STOCK & GRAZING NOTES.

By Dkoveb.

Weakly Stock Sales : Burnside, Wednesdays Invercr rgill, Tuesdays Ashburfcon, Tuesdays Addington, Wednead'ys ■ Fortnightly: Balclutha, Fridays Gore, Tuesdays.

Monthly: Clinton, Palmerston, and Winton. Periodically : Heriot, Kelso, and Kyebura.

[Communication* of interest to stockbreeders and dealers are oordlMly Invited. All oommunicattons to reach Witness offlee not later than Monday night,]

Just about the same quality of fat sheep and cattle was yarded at Burnside at the sales of the 13th as reported last week, and there is no change in prices to report.

I notice that prices at Burnsidc for cattle and sheep are fully higher than at the Invercargill market, where rates, more particularly for sheep, range much lower, and I should think that the freezing companies there must be securing good mutton at very payable rates. This is quite a change to the state of affairs which obtained some time ago, when we used to hear so much of the long prices ruling down south. One would think that with two freezing companies, having three establishments for freezing, prices would be well maintained at higher' rates than here, but evidently it is not so.

The market in Canterbury, again, seems not quite so good as at Buruside, the average quality of the fat cattle and sheep being about the same, so that on the whole Otago farmers have not so much call for growling, although it is, it appears, absolutely necessary for farmers to growl at something.

Of fat cattle 155 head were yarded, and of these only a very few were prime, and these sold at from £9 to £11, the balance, being only me-'ium quality, going at £6 10s to £8 10s. Of fat sheep 2338 were yarded, and extra prime mutton went off at 16s 6d to 17s 6d, extra good crossbred ewes bringing 16s, prime crossbred wethers 14s 6d to 15s 6d, good crossbred ewes and wethers 12s to 14 s, the ordinary sheep

market for fat lambs was decidedly good, considering that the quantity was much larger than at the two previous weekly markets. The freezing companies secured the best of these, as they also did of the fat sheep.

There were no bacon pigs, which are in demand, and there was a poor demand for slips, suckers, and stores.

Store cattle of all grades are in plentiful supply, and buyers don't operate at all freely. It is said that owing to the soft condition of the ground after so much rain cattle on turnips are not doing well, and are giving a good deal of trouble to farmers. This may account partly for the excess in supply of store cattle, but I think more is due to the apparent tightness of the moneys market, agents showing a s"ight anxiety to reduce advances. Of course I am not a financier, but, in my opinion, this stringency in the money market ought not to exist, and it will be bad for all concerned if it is carried on much longer. It is said that the Australian banks doing business in this colony and holding the bulk of New Zealand money on deposit are using that money in Australia, and at the same time restricting advances here. If farmers and others doing business in the colony are thus made to bear a part in the depression in Australia there is, in my opinion, some cause for altering the banking laws of the colony, to prevent a fall in prices and hard times arising from such a state of things.

This stringency in the money market at a time when farmers need accommodation to a greater extent than usual is causing a good deal of talk among settlers, and the various schemes for State banks and Government advances are freely discussed. This is the reason I have mentioned the matter here, but I think there can be little doubt that if all the banks will only carry on their business properly, and not merely collect money in New Zealand for use in other colonies, there will be no need of any of the more modern ideas such as State banks and Government advances.

There is at present little or nothing doing in store sheep, the only kind inquired for being good crossbred wethers and maiden ewes, and these are by no means too plentiful, and holders of them know their value and prefer to keep them.

Mr C. R. Valentine, chief dairy expert, (of which quality the city of Dunedin is now supplied iu_ great measure) going at 8s Jto 10s for

crossbred, and 4s 6d to 9s for merinos. The has, it appears, left the colony to take the place of Mr Lowe, the gentleman who was appointed by Government to watch and report on the shipments of New Zealand produce landing in London. Mr Valentine, then, is not going to take his coat off and teach cheese and butter making, as was suggested at the meetings last week, but has taken himself oft". He is evidently more of the civil servant than of the dairyman, and on the whole must have had a real good time. A n enjoyable trip from England and a run through the colonies during the summer at Government expense, a fair salary, and a trip Home, with a nice little billet to keep him going till he gets something better to do — very nice And what is the New Zealand taxpayer to get for all this ? Well, we are, when Parliament meets, to get a report which ouv departing inspector has kindly left behind him, and which I hope may be worth its weight in gold.

The Dairy Association and fanners generally are disappointed. "When the cheese and butter [ makers here, through the Dairy Association, -asked for an expert from London, it was with a view to his being able to put the present makers, particularly of butter, up to the latest and best method— Mr Sawers, the expert in cheese, having carried them on as far as he could, and that well too, judging from Mr Reynolds's remarks at the show. Mr Valentine has taught nothing, and some people are wicked enough to say that he could not help them. With men like Mr Reynolds and others in London and the provinces watching our interests and reporting we scorn to be kept well posted up, and the general opinion is that if Mr Valentine could do no good here he is not likely to do any good in London. It has been suggested that the Government have an idea of acting as butter and cheese merchants for the colony, and that M r Valentine has gone Home as advance agent. I, however, don't think there is much in this " gooseberry."

On all hands it is agreed that the result of the show judging of cheese was a feather in the cap of Mr Sawers (now, I suppose), chief

dairy expert, as the first three prizes in the M'Nairn's cup competition went to his two brothers and a pupil of one of them (the pupil, Mr Graham, of Waikouaiti, being first). The other cheese prizes went to the two brothers again and another pupil. So far as I could judge the result seemed to satisfy nearly aU interested," even to the large number of unsuccessful competitors, most of whom were very nearly winners, and the show of cheese was a most creditable one.

I had a chat with several National Dairy Association delegates, who appear to have enjoyed themselves and had an interesting and profitable meeting. The chief matters for congratulation were the arrangement for the fortnightly service and the union with the North Island, the latter arrangement adding considerably to the strength of ail already powerful combination Some people seem to think that the F airy Association are giving the Government rather a large order in asking them to do so much for the dairy industry. It must be understood that our competitors in trade are very largely helped by their several Governments. In all the Australian colonies large sums have been and are being spent in^this direction, and New Zealand must be put on a fair footing with them ; or possibly take a second or third place, to the detriment of all farmers and the possible hindrance of settlement. The Government of Denmark supports several dairy schools, special dairy experts, laboratories, has an agent in England to watch her interests, spends about £2000 annually in exhibitions and experiments, and subsidises steam ships to carry the products England, Scotland, and Ireland do much the same, and it seems as if our Government must follow in the same direction, and if svisely done the expenditure will be money well invested.

It ai^pears as if Otago and Southland are going to be fairly represented at the Sydney Fair. A considerable number of Lincoln, Leicester, and Romncy rams and ewes have gone there by several steamers from various breeders, and I hoj>e that they will find a good market and do credit to New Zealand, and I believe this will be the case, although there are some prophecies to the effect that the market will be overstocked. I don't think, however, that this will be the case in long-wool sheep, although no doubt Tasmania will send a lot of merinos to the fair. In this, as in other things, •'blood will tell," so I look forward to see-

ing the enterprise of those who have sent well rewarded.

It is satisfactory to note that rabbits apj>ear to be not quite so plentif ul as heretofore, this being due in some measure, no doubt, to the past rather wet season, and possibly to the summer poisoning which to a small extent prevailed ; but I also note that they are suffering considerably from hydatids, and also from tape worm. I notice that the hydatid cyst (if that is the correct term) is to be found just under the shoulder, and anyone can see them on skinning* the rabbit. Sometimes the cyst adheres to the skin. I notice that" poisoning is not going on, but that the rabbits are being trapped and sent to town, where a good demand exists owing to the reputed clearness of meat and the general hard-upness of the community. It strikes me that the townsfolk would do far better feeding on the old ewes, &c, which go off cheaply enough at Burnside every week, than on the rabbits— as these old sheep are good, sound food. It is said that quite a scare against eating meat has been caused since the abattoirs question became rather a burning one, and that consequently rabbits are in demand. It is quite reasonable, I think, to suppose that were the question of abattoirs and diseased meat satisfactorily settled, this diseased rabbit question woiild still have to be dealt with In my opinion the rabbits are more to blame for the spread of nasty diseases than the sheep and cattle.

Some time ago 1 had a little to say re the bill now before the British Parliament on the marking of foreign meat, and I advocated it as advantageous to New Zealand sheep exporters. I have now seen Mr B. Dawson's patent adhesive labels for this purpose, and I believe that they will turn out of great value. Farmers could by this process if sending their own sheep Home have them distinctly marked on every joint if required The meat would be in no way damaged. If the bill alluded to passes, and Dawson's labels are used, New Zealand frozen mutton will be sold for what it is, and not as prime Scotch or Welsh, and inferior mutton

will not be so readily palmed off as New Zealand in the future.

In alluding to the unpleasant topic of the sheep-stealing "industry" the other day, I advocated a tattoo ear mark, and I was pleased to notice on Stronach Bros, and Morris's stand at the late show a little instrument for tattooing which I think is deserving of attention It costs only 15s with owner's brand on, and sufficient dye to do a large flock costs 7s 6d, so that I think farmers and graziers, particularly in districts where the .above-named "industry" is carried on, should give it a trial. 9 he tattooing can he done on the brisket, thigh, ear, or under the tail, or any part of the body that is free of wool. Great pains have been taken to get a dye that will not fade and will resist the action of ammonia, which is so largely present in all sheep, and this end appears now to have been attained 'by careful experiment. The machine seems to have given satisfaction to such men as Mr Donald M'lean, of Laghmor, Canterbury, who has done his whole flock (30,000) with it. The Government of Cape Colony approve of it, and are, I hear, making it a legal brand..

The question of branding and ear-marking is a very important one, and anything that will help to enable identification of sheep is of such importance that I think this machine and any others theVe may be for tattooing should command attention from those interested, as it may be that the tattoo mark will prove to be the best legal brand, and it cannot be denied that tbe present mode of branding and earmarking is ineffective and eminently unsatisfactory in securing the results for which the Branding Act was framed.

or the corporations, and they are fitted wit) every convenience. In Victoria the haulage cost by the railways is about one-fifth of the cost here.

The contribution of the Wellington district to the stud sheep sales at Sydney left by the Talune on Saturday. They number over 1000. Of these between 800 and 900 will be sent under the auspices of the New Zealand Land Association. These are from stations of the well-known breeders Messrs JEJ. J. Rtddiford, A. M'Kenzie. G. Wheeler, G. M'Kenzie, Donald Grant, and several others. The Land Company's portion consists chiefly *o£ Lincoln and Romney Marsh rams, with a sprinkling of ewes. Messrs Laery and Co. send 184 Romney Marsh rams, U Lincoln rams, and 26 Romney Marsh from Mr Burrows's station, in the Wairarapa.

In an article on " Flax-growing in Ireland," a writer in the Belfast Witness, after pointing out the futility of looking forward to a return of the old-time prices and dealing with the prospects of the crop in the future, makes the following remarks on its cultivation — -" j n the preparation of the seedbed the surface soil should be reduced to the finest possible tilth, and beneath that we should have that firmness —not hardness— which growers know is so essential to success. If there is much foulness in tho land, it will be necessary to both grub and harrow to get out the weeds, and when this is the case the roller should be frequently used to facilitate the pulverisation of the surface, conserve the moisture, and procure the needful degree of compactness or firmness in the seedbed. The number of ploughings and grubbiugs required cannot be stated, so much depends on tho season and the nature of the ground. Mr Rankjn, of Lasticle, Londonderry, a very successful flaxgrower, who cultivates about ten acres annually, and who carried off the first prize for fibre in the Royal Dublin Society competition last year, follows one, according to circumstances, of the following three methods in the preparation of tho seedbed. The first is to plough the land in February or March (August and September in New Zealand) to the depth of 'sin. About the middle of Apvil it is well harrowed down and rolled and top-dressed with scwt of kainit per acre. Dutch seed is then sown and harrowed in, and rolled down to complete the process. Tho second method is to plough in November to the depth of sin, to cross-plough 3in deep in March, and prepare as before. The third method is to rib the land to the depth of 4-in in November or a month earlier. In Maroh tho ribs are harrowed down, and the land ploughed again to tho depth of sin, after which the same process is gone over to complete the seeding. There seems to be a great diversity of opinion regarding manuring for the flax crop. We arc convinced that a very light dressing of well-rotted yard manure is about the best stimulant that could be applied. Heavy dressings of either farmyard or artificial manure seem to have too forcing an effect, and as a consequence the fibre is rank and coarse. When the fly and east wind join forces against tho young plant, a dressing of soot, if got on before a shower on the places worst affected, has often been found beneflcial. But as a rule nitrogenous manures if used at all should bo sparingly applied. We have heard of nitrate of soda being used to help backward spots. It had the effect of" lengthening the straw, but quantity was obtained at the expense of quality. Where farmyard manure is not available a few cwt of bones and a little kainit is about the length we should go. From the first to the middle of April is considered a good time to get in the crop. In this matter, however? the season, climate, and usage of the district have all to be reckoned with. In no matter of this kind can a stereotyped rule be laid down. The ground should be rolled level before the seed is sown, after which it should be covered to a depth of about lin, and again gone over with a heavy roller.' From two bushels to two bushels and a-half of seed are usually sown to the acre ; the quality of the seed, the season, and the condition of the soil have all to be taken into consideration. Jf the land is strong, close sowing will be in order, as a light seeding under these conditions produces a ranker and coarser fibre. Under ordinary circumstances two bushels of Dutch seed per statute acre is what is generally allowed. Riga soad is recommended for light or gravelly soils, but for heavy, strong land Dutch is preferred. When the flax plants are a few inches through the ground any weeds which have come up which wou'd be likely to interfere with the progress of the crop should be removed, when no further interference will be necessary till the time arrives for puling." The Lyttelton Times in its issue of Thursday last says: — "An item of news that is of very considerable interest and importance comes from Woodbury, in the Geraldine district. In that locality gorse and broom fences ' are being destroyed by a dodder plant, which covers them like bunches of hay, and saps the life out of the roots' These 'dodders,' which belong to the same order as the convolvulus, have been named 'cuscata' by the botaiusts, though nobody seems to know precisely how or whence that name was derived. But everybody who is at all familiar with the dodders knows that they include some of the most deadly parasites. There are said to be at least 50 known speciesj which are for the most part indigenous to th& warmer temperate regions of the globe, and some of them, obtained from Nepaul, Limaj Chili, and elsewhere, have been cultivated in England as stove or greenhouse curiosities. But many of the dodders are hardy enough, in all conscience, and are capable of reproducing themselves with amazing rapidity. Great Britain possesses three or four of these hardy varieties, and others are peculiar to California, Siberia, and Silesia. In Great Britain the dodders are found on a wide variety of plants^ such as the nettle, the hop, heath, and thyme ; whilst leguminous plants seem to be 2>eculiarly susceptible to the attacks of these vegetable bloodsuckers. There are farmers in Canterbury have had to mourn the devastation worked in their clover crops by Cuscata trifolii (one of the British varieties) ; and on the European continent enormous destruction has been done in the flax fields. Regarded as a botanical curiosity, the dodder — for all the cuscata.? have like characteristics — is well worth examination. The seed germinates in the ground, in the ordinary way, and the ' catgutlike,' leafless plant makes rapid growth. Attaching itself quickly to its 'host,' it develops haustoria, or sucking roots, along its stem, and these, fastening into the stem of the plant attacked, absorb its sap. Presently the dodder has so multiplied its hold upon the victim that it can afford to dispense with any sustenance from the ground, and does so ; the death of the host being, of course, only a question of time. Perhaps the particular variety that has begun its parasitic course at Woodbury may prove to be Cuscata Europcea, which is noted for the freedom and rapidity of its growth in hedges and thickets If it could be introduced in some of our river beds, and kept there, the clearance of the gorse therein might be cheaply <md effectively accomplished ; but the destruction of our hedgerows is quite another matter, and it is to be feared that the>dodder must be classed amongst the most destructive of 'noxious weeds.'" (Continued on page 11.)