Aqricola. STOCK AMD GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2181, 19 December 1895, Page 51

Aqricola. STOCK AMD GRAZING NOTES.

By Dboveb. Weekly Stock Salts: ] Fortnightly: Bumside. Wedneadays K lu ft J^ay" Aahburton, Tuesdays S?"l£? cs TT * ay %. nn Invercargill, Tuesdays Monthly: .Periodically: Clinton, Palmerston, I Heriot, Kelso, and Kye and Winton. | burn. ~~~ & ° [Communication* of interest U atocVbreedera anil dealers ar« cordially Inrlted. All jorumunlcationi to reach Witness office not later thau Monday nitht.l The yarding in the fat cattle pecs at BurnBide last week consisted of 152 head, very few of which were prime beef. All that could be so classed brought good prices, bat medium quality were too abundant for the demand for that class of beef, and prices ruled lower than previously. Prime ballocks brought £10 to £10 15s, and one large prime specimen £12 53 ; medium, £7 to £9 10s ; light, about £5 to £6. Some good oovrs brought up to £8, but most of them went at £4 to £6. Mr Botthwick, the London meat salesman who was one of the syndicate who experimented in the Gothic chilled meat in her two successful trips, is entirely satisfied with the result so ■r. The experiment has proved that meat can

be curried chilled to Britain effectively and well, and can be landed in as good condition as the best American. It is now only a question as to whether American msat is going to be dearer and ssarcer or whether we in New Zealand can put beef on board plentifully and at a moderate price, say 22s per hundred. I think it will yet be done, especially in the Norlh Isliud, where in many districts cattle, with a regular market at a fair rate, would pay bettor than sheep are now doing, the country beinjp* more adap'ed for cattle. In fat sheep the yarding was small, but perhaps quite sufficient considering the previous week's over-supply. About 750 were penned, mostly crossbred ewfts of fair to prime quality. The result of the small yarding was an advanca iv price ef 2s per head, thus fully gaining the ground lost by the previous week's over-supply. The best crossbreds brought from 17s 63 to 18s 6d in the wool ; 14-3 6d to 16s 6d shorn. Competition was dull for anything short of prime quality, and the medium ewes and wethers brought 14s to 16s in wool ; lls to 13s 61 shoraThere was an over-supply of lambs, nearly 700 bsing penned, and prices ruled low accordingly. Some very prime, heavy lambs brought up to lls 6d, but 8s 6d to 10s was the price ruling for good lamb?, with 4s 6d to 7? 6d for the lighter sorts. In Canterbury, where the freezing wo.ks are open, buyers are giving 10s 6d to 12s 6d for good freezing lambs freely, and prices for extra prime and heavy have in some cages gone beyond that rate. I am told that two large buyers in Otago and Southland have purchased nearly 59,000 lambs between them for forward delivery during the next two months at something like 10j 6d per head. This terrible slaughter of lambs, now so profitable, must have a disastrous effect on our flocks, and if it is carried outs to a great extent it is not sound farming, and must therefore' tell in the long ruu. At Addington prime freezers meet with a brisk sale at good prices, and don'o seem by any means pltntiful. Light and inferior mutton and old ewes are, it may be said, a drug in the market. My friend "Tussock," in the Canterbury Times, says: — "Even maiden ewe 3of freezing weights were disregarded, this no dcubt being due to the rejection at the works of any that were 'flushed,' For ordinary crossbred ewes there was literally no sale, the prices offered being scarcely more than equivalent to giving tbe mutton away, and to quote the price for this class of mutton, much of which was really good, would make the petition look ' ridiculous." With regard to "flushed" m&iden ewes, I am inclined to think that Eome of the freezing works make a .little too much of this matter, as with careful slaughtering they may prove prime mutton in every respect. As to old ewes, most of our freezing works discountenance this class of mutton, and decline to freeze such s!ie?p generally, and perhaps rightly, too. Still, curious things hippen in that inscrutable London market, and we don't always know quite where we are. In May last one of our leading exporters had about 1500 old ewes, about four to six tooth, mo3tly the latter. The freezing works demurred to freezing them, but eventually did so, declining to put their brand on, however. So they went Home unbranded ia the Rimutaka along with other lots of good wethers from thaeatne exporter, with the astonishing result that the old ewes brought 4&d, or aVout £d more than the good wethers. The~ old ewes, I m*y say, were undeniably good mutton, but so were the .wethers. It is a curious result, bat a rather pleasant outcome for the enterprisuig exporter, who had bought these old ewes at 6s or 7s. We hare a lot to learu yet about the British

market, but it will take time, and we New Zealauders cannot expecfc to make rapid headway against the host of talent comprising the London meat salesmen, bub we may "got there " in time. Borbhwick's latest circular tells us, among oth^r things, " th*t now that mutton is makiug a fair price frozen meat shops are shutting up in aU duections." I suppose they are selling tbe same mutton clsawhere as prime Scotch. Or at all events I have no doubt many of them are. I notice the arrival by the Duko of Sutherland of a stud flock of- Chtviots consisting of two rams and 55 ewes for Mtssrs Ross and Glendining, who apparently intend to follow in the wake of the Hon. M. Holmes, at Caetlerock, and will perhaps eventually repls.ee the merino on their Barewood and Blackstone Hill runs with the Cheviot. To a great extent this has been done sA Gastlerock with good results, and now that inuttoa is perhaps the main point in sheep-breeding, their example will be followed to a considerable extent in many upcountry^ runs,»where, although such sheep cannot be fattened to anything like freezing quality, they will be profitably bred and sold to graziers in tho lower and rioher grassed lands. Perhaps until Oheviota become as abundant as merinos their wool will bs fairly in demand locally, as it has its own particular character, which will make it useful to tho now considerable number of woollen manufactories in New Zealand and Australia. This class of sheep will no donbt come greatly into favour with runholders and farmers in Central Oiago and parts of C*nteibury, as well as ia Southland grazing lands. Mr Glendining generally does anything he takes in hand in a thorough manner, and I have little doubt that the best skill available in England has been utilised in the selection of these sheep, and that cash has not been stinted ia securing what was required. The rams are from the Upper Hindthorpe and Hiudthorpe flocks, and the ewes from tha celebrated Burnhead and Riccarton flosks. Ofcigo is, I consider, richer by this importation, and this cannot be said of all our importations in the past. The small bird pest has bsen a very serious matter for farmers this season in some quarters. Previous vigorous and united efforts wore this season in many cases not persisted in, and the results are what one might expect. Spasmodic efforts in dealing either with this or the rabbit pest are of little avail. It it the " patient continuance in well-doing " that reaps the benefit. At present the brds have reaped what the farmers have sown more than once in some cases. It h»s been suggested that in view of this email bird pest all grain, whether wheat, oats, barley, turnips, or other eeeds, should be duly steeped in some effective poison before sowing, and that there should be some general agreement among farmers to adopt this plan. [ What poison to use I cannot at present suggest, nor do I advocate any of the patent poisoned grains now advertiged. Some are effective, no doubt, but some might be fed to fowls or birds of any kind with impunity. I have no doubt that farmers could as easily poison their different seeds as they now pickle the wheat with bluestone, &c, and some of our experts* Government and otherwise, could no doubt give specific directions for doing this. It would be a good move if the Government rabbit inspectors were to employ one or two good man in each district to mike pollard poiaon for the rabbits a; they now employ some men for their own Government work in this line. It could ba sold at cost or a little over, and would be reliable. I think this would be a step in the rightr ight direction, for tho bother, uapleasantneß%

and even danger of manipulating phosphorous in making pollard poiaon deters many from using it. I don't by any means say that making poisoned pollard is difficult to the majority of men, bub to a considerable number it is. It is to some extent in the cookery line, and men as a rule leave that to women. The goad wives and sisters and daughters don't mind making scones and many other delicacies involving trouble and skill, bub as a rule they draw the line at phosphorous cakes for bunny. They don't like it, and are even frightened of it, and so it is left to the men, who are not proficient in the art of cockery or baking. I don't think most farmers would at all grudge paying for reliable poison made under the instruction and supervision of the rabbit inspector. It is all tbe better of being made to be used at once, and does not stand keeping if it is to give the best results ; so I don't recommend a Government pollard poison factory at Wellington, that hub of the Maoriland universe. The Wyndham district is always prominent in the dairying line, and that tbe cattle in tbe neighbourhood are well up to the mark it attested by the results of the milking competition at their show, which took place lately. I am sorry I cannot give the names of the breeds of the winning cattle, but I rather think Mr James G.*lt favours breeding from the Ayrshire bull. He has one of the be3t herds of cattle in New Zealand, and among many good men in the Wyndham district has always been prominent in that line. The following are the tests :—: —

I think Mr James Gait may be congratulated on having the best cow in New Zealand, and I should be glad to have a present from hor, and so, no doubt, would a great many other people. Qaantiby and fair quality combined, at this season of the year I think his cow breaks all records for Now Zealand, and I have seen nothing to beat it in the competitions in the Home country — 3 6 butter fat and 33-£-lb is the beat record I hare eesn in the Home show competitions, and Mr Gait's second cow beats that. A glance at the figures in the above compatition should convince any honest and unbiassed man thab payment by miik value as ascertained by the Babcack tester is the only proper and fair mode of payment by all our factories. The3e tests were carefully made and the results cross-checked ; and, further, the figures were submitted to Mr Riddell, of the Taieri and Peninsula Dairy Factory Company, Dunedin, who is about the best practical authority on the subject I know of. The large business of this company could not possibly be run on any other plan of payment, and Mr Riddell has daily practice which makes him an adept in thiß branch of the business. I confess to being greatly astonished that any factory canvus on payment for milk on any other principle, and I cannot conceive how any genuine dairyman can oppoie it. The following on the above subject by one of the best authorities in America! Mr H. B. Gurler, is interesting :—: — One' of the greatest surprises that I meet in my business and in contact with creamery managers, is the failure of intelligent men to realise the opportunities there are to indirectly help themselves by helping their patrons. The

average dairymsn has the idea that the B»b> cock test machine was made for the expert, o^ that it ig not practicable for him to learn U operate ifc. This, everyone familiar with th< machine knows, is not correct. ' I tbink one ol the best openings there is for the creamery manager or proprietor to increase his business, eatablwh confidence between himself and hia patrons, make his patrons tome money and make himself some money, is by the encouragement of the use of the Bubcoek te*t as applied to tho patrons' milk and ako to the dairyman's itraividnal cowi. For some unaccountable reason to me, dairymen hesitate about applying this test to their cows. Men that would nob employ unprofitable belp, or keep an unprofitable horso, or other kiud of farm atock, will persist in keeping unprofitable cows. During the paßl week I was in conversation with one of out patrons who has the time and ability tore&d and understand the present money question, also other national questions, bat he told me hit cows were not paying him any profit. I asked him what was the trouble, told him ho had at least an advantage equal to 251b of butter pel cow annually over me from the fact that h« lived on his farm and I did not ; I was working at arm's length and hiring all my work dona under a foreman, and that my cows gave ■ profit of over 1001b butter per cow annually aftei paying for feed, labour, interest, and wear and tear. Here is where tbe creamery men have an opportunity to help their patrons by inducing them to go to work and help themselves. My firm is doing work in this line, but are not doing as much as wo would be pleased to do. When we show a patron how to increase his profit ha is reasonably sure to increase bis dairy and wa secure more business. Some creamery men act as though they thought information of this kind was dangerous for their patrons to possess. I( is not safe for the creamery man to take thil position. The patron absorbs this feeling from the atmosphere surrounding the creamery, and ; it does not help to establish confidence, and confidence in as much & necessity in creamerj work as in any line of business. Many of vi need to get on to broader ground in our relations with our patrons, and the earlier we gel there the better it will be for all parties concerned. ! The following, from the Stratford Beacon (Canada), October 17, gives the state of the Canadian cheese market : — There bas been a slight boom in cheese the past week, a* the result of local speculation ; there is practically no change in the English market. A considerable number of factories have sold September and balance of season for B£o. The higher pri^fes in the United States just now are cuistd by demand for home consumption at prevailing prices. American cheese could not be exported. Napanee, October 9.— At cheese board, lOf white and HBO coloured cheese were offered ( 100 sold at 8&c, and 350 at 8 5-16 c. Lindeay, October 0. — Two thousand sever hundred and ninety-six boxes of cheese wer\ boarded. Mr Cofk secured the whole board el Be. This is the final meeting for 1895. Woodstock, October 9.— Eight factories offered 2250 September cbeese ; 140 boxes sold at Be— th« usual price offered. Brockville, Octcber 10.— Thirty-seven factories boarded 1726 coloured and 749 while. Ruling price for both white and coloured was BJc, but BJc was offered at the close for both and refuged ; no sales. London, October 12 —At the cheese market today 15 factories boarded 855 boxes of August and 4210 boxes of September and balance. Sales :—: — 215 boxes of August sold at 7|c, 165 at 7 13-160, and 220 September at 81c. The market showed an im» provement. Utica, N.Y., October 14.-At the Utica Board of Tiade to-day the following sales of cheese wer« made :— 2540 boxes large at BJc ; 325 boxes do at B|c ; 550 boxes do at 9c ; 1230 boxe3 small.at 9}ci 270 boxes do at 9§c ; 1908 boxes at 10c ; 135 pack, ages creamery butter at 221 c Cheese active anal }c higher.

Percent of Butter | Fat. ; Weight of Butter Fat. Value at id oz. Weight ofAJilk. fames Gait ... Fames Gait M. Todd ?&t O'Neil ... r. M'Fadden ... W.J. Winter... r. Orosbie lb. ,37 34 28 27 23 23 23 38 36 37 20 30 2 70 240 oz. 22* 10 8* d. Hi f P 4*