STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 6

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Dbovbk. Weekly Stock Sales : \ Fortnightly : Bunuide. Wednesdays | o [f ft^* 8 Ashburton, Tuesdays o^marn Tnnction Addington, Wednead',. 0dm ffl 8 f Hj!£dayß. Invercargill, Tuesdays Monthly: Periodically: Clinton, Palmerston, Heiiot, Kelso, and Kyeand Winton. burn. [Oommunioatloqt of interest to stockbreeders and dealori ar* lordlally Invited. All jotnimmlcatlont to reach Witness oßlos AOt later than Monday ntcht.l The cattle sale at Buroside was, like the previous week's yarding, made up mainly of store cattle, the only difference being that thtss same store cattle were inferior and in poorer condition than those of the previous week. It looks as if this state of matters could not be mended, and if so farmers and gmiera will continue to suffer — for it ia the large supply of this cheap and inferior meat that enables the low-price-cutting butcher in town to continue to drag down the price of even good meat and compel all butchers to sell at a low figure. I have again tp allude to the question of providing winter feed For cattle, and were this attended to at the proper time we would not see these mobs of poor cattle rushed into the market just becauee feed is scarce as at present. They night under proper* arrangements be turned into fat stock even during the wiuter. Other countries without the same facilities for collecting winter fodder at tha proper time can do Ihis profitably. It has never been fairly tried, Bo there is no use saying it won't pay. Prices were lower than those of the previous week, but still some good beef of moderate size brought £8 to £9 10*, but the majority of poor - conditioned cstt'e Were quitted with rtiflV-u>»y at. £4 to £0

Out of the 2000 shtey yarued only a few were prime mutton, «ud these brought up to 15s 6d For some few extra good, with 133 6d as about the value of good freezers of moderate weight ; medium freezers, about Us 6d to 12». gome prime ewet brought from 12* to 13s 6d. The competition for all goed mutton was brisk, as the supply was small in numbers. Seven shillings to 8s was all that could be got for the bulk of the yarding, including some werinoß,

which I consider a better bargain for butchers than the light medium crossbreda at the same figure.

Some few good lambs brought from 9s to 11s, but the bu'k of the 500 yarded were only poorconditioned storea, and brought about sa.

The Canterbury sheep markets continue about on a par with our own, all good sheep being easily sold under good competition.

It is rumoured that we are abcub to have considerable competition again among buyers for rival companies — something similar io what we had a year or so ago — and that Nelson Bros, intend to make it as hot for competitors as they did in the past. Some farmers will benefit by this, but such competition is not healthy, or really in their best interests. What we want is steady and fair prices, not a boom to-day and dulness to-morrow. This will not be secured until farmers co-operate among themselves to run and maintain the freezing works. Under the present system, when stroDg competition is the rule, fat sheep perhaps go to 18), and then farmers think the millennium is at hand, and buy stores at 16s, only to sell them a few months' later, when the competitive boom has collapsed, as fat sheep at perhaps 14s. I need hardly remind my readers that this has been the case, for they have had painful experiences of this nature often.

Under the present system sheep-fattening is a precarious, gambling business, and I would like to see farmers do something to make it much more of acertsiuty, even if this were to result in lower prices to the few lucky onta who are in it af the time. And only a few are lucky, be it noted, for the Urge majority are nob in it, and suffer loss.

Last week I give my own views on the subject of the dehorning of cattle, and since then I have had a chat on the topic with my friend Mr J. B. M'Ewan, who informed me that this subject has been finally dealt with in Canada end settled once for all, and that at the present time the dehorning of cattle is looked upon there as proper and humane, and is very generally practised. At first when the practice wai being adopted the Humane Society of Ontario started prosecutions, and there was much controversy on the subject. The Government of Ontario then stepped in and appointed a Royal Commission to deal with and decide the question, and they, after abundant evider<C3 and searching investigation, reported decidedly in favour of dehoraing as proper and humane, all the evideocs be'tDg in fawur of this conclusion. AmoDg many tests mide waß one at tbe Government ezperi. mental farm, where the milk from cows that had been dehorned was found to be as abundant in quantity and as rich in quality of butter fat as before the catble were dehorned, clearly mdi" eating that the cattle could not be undergoing any severe suffering. To save further trouble to anxious and tender-hearted humanitarian? I suggest that any of our societies — humane or agricultural — who hwe qualms of conscience oh the point should write to Sir Oliver Mowat, Premier of Ontario, Toronto, Canada, asking him to supply them with a copy of the report of the commission I have spoken of, and whose conclusions were generally accepted in Canada as correct, the report being not only printed and circulated, but also satisfying the humane societies of that country once and for all.

It is abundantly evident that we New Zealanders have a struggle before us to maintain the position we have held on the British market in our main exports, such aa wool, meat, and dairy produce, and the difficulties in my opinion in the face of our distance from markets can best be surmounted by improving the quality of these, and if possible taking the lead by quality if we cannot do so by quantity. Oue of our chief hindrances is the heavy freight we must pay owing to our distanca from the market as compared with some of our competitors, and we will perhaps lessen this handic xp if we can act upon the knowledge of the fact that the freight on a superior article is no more than on an inferior oue, and tint the former is seldom in our supply, whilst the l&ttt-r 's generally so. On v of <»vi eo'ntng competitors is Argentina. 1 say cutniug, because I don't think that as yet we have seen what the South Americans can and will do. A Canadian farmer who visited that country was much impressed, and says that the live cattle and sheep trade with Great Britain is already assuming importance, and when the right kind or stock is more common it looks very much as if Canada and the United States would

have to find a cheaper way or preparing animals tbaa they at present; have— that alfalfa fed beasbs are equal in every respect fo tbe best Notfch American beef prep irad by the inu;h more txpensive systtun of stall feeding on grain meals and ensilage, and that alfalfa feeding is wonderfully cheap. He says that the stock industry there is in the hands principally of shrewd, hard-thinking business men — English, S:ofccb, and Irish — and that the grain-growing is principally in the hands of Italiins, who aye industrious workers — no eight hours per day there to hinder cheap production. It is quits usual to see the3e Italians ploughing by moonlight, every member of the family — grandmother, and, I suppose, mother-in-law, included — all kept hard at it on the farm. It is quite impossible for the Canadian or Americau f»rmer, he says, to live as these Italians do, and that they had better look out for something more profitable than graingrowirg, for things are not likely to improve. British money and brains are running the country now, and there are in Buenos Ayres English schools, churches, cluhs, shops, hotels, and several English newspapers, three of them dailies. There are English people residing there for years who don't speak Spanish because they never need to, and he says that English will soon be generally spoken throughout the thickly-settled portion of the country, and the day mvy soon come when Argentina will become a British colony, for there is one thing the Argentine people will never manage — viz , the art of gevernment, of which they know les3 than the most savage tribes.

The apparent scramble for the Ardgowan sections will, I should hope, call attention to what I consider the present bad sjrstona of the disposal of such land. There is a graduftllyincceasiog number of applicants for all land disposed of on this ballot system, and a very large majority of these break both the letter and spirit of the act in applying at all, nob being honafi.de iutending settlers with an honest intention of complying with the conditioaa of the Land Act. Some make it a business to apply largely at all these sales, and I know of some good business done by such speculators. Thfs is much against bona fide applicants, and 1 am confident that a close scrutiny of the applications would di'do3e a growing syetem of gambling speculation at these so-called ballots. Whole families — fathers, mot here, oisters, cousins, aunts, &c. — combine and send in perhaps 20 applications each for various sections, all applying for the sAme. No wonder the Dumber of applications runs into big figures. Perhaps out of all this only one or two of the family really want land, the rest being dummies, and in some ca c e3 when they are lucky and get more than is required, £100 is easily nude, and quickly, by transferring or agreeing to transfer to some bona fide applicant who has not had the lack to secure a section. Large numbers apply with no other idea than to make a rise in this way, and there is nothing ia the system to prevent their doing so. Close scrutiny of the applicants and then a fair auction sile wi'h only active buyers allowed to bid would, I am convinced, ba more in favour of the bona fide applicant. This land question is, I know, a difficult one to deal with. The old plau under which Otago was settled was nob a bad 0113— viz , 10j per acre for the land, provided that the purchaser had to spend £2 pec acre in improvements within a certain lime. Some such plan would be better than the " eternal lease " and all the other varied descriptions of tenures, for I believe that the day will come when all thesa perpetual and eternal leaseholders will clamour for and get the freehold if they want it, and Government will be unable to resist the demand.

The question of fche cheapening of ft eights to Britain on colonial produce was again alluded to by Mr Ward in his New Plymouth address, and seeing that ho has before spoken atrougly on this subject— as at Wintou, for instance, — I eiucerely hope it is not mere talk, and that; the Government intend to do something in reducing this heavy toll on our produce, which tells against us all. The matter is ouu so mLimately bound up wibb. tha success of laud settlement that the Government, as really the landlord of our large estate, will be wise in taking the matter up and carrying it through strongly ; and I fancy they mean to do so, I am happy to say.

Mr Ward at the same place defended Mr Valentine's engagement;, remarking that his trip out here was not a holiday one, and oon-

tending that his work and report were of great value. I have read the report, and I have talked with many of our be3t dairymen, and I c»aaot agree with Mr Ward", Mr Valentine's main object was not to serve our Gwrumcnt, bub, as subsequent events proved, to build up Nelson's new comp-iny, and this he did "at Government expense. Mr Valcutine was a smart man, bub neither his report nor his work in this colony has convinced anyone that he was of any ute as a dairy expert. Whab was true in the report was not new, and what wae new waa not true. Mr Valentine when asked to show his skill in making cheese and butter frankly said that he did not come here for that purpose. More than this, Mr Valentine has been known to say that he was sent Home by the Government and at Government expense, they being well aware of his object in returning to London, which was to promote Nelson Bro'hsrs' new company, now known as the C. C. and D. Co. Mr Valentine is now on his way out, I am told — this time, I should say, not at Government expense. I don't think the Minister for Agriculture knew Mr Valentino's design* or motives wh^en he came here, but it is probable that others cf the Miniatry did, aud I am of opinion that Mr Valentine is still to a ceitain extent supported by the preient Government, who will probably do all they can to asiist him when he arrives here. Mr Ward and other Ministers may have discovered something in Mr Valentine of great value, but ib ia curious that hardly anyone else t has done so. Sic Weatby Perceval is now one of hie patrons; ind>ed ib was by him Mr Valentine wa« selected. An extract from a private letter from a London merchant throws some light on the subject. This writer says :—: —

Sir We3tby Perceval ha* now joined Nelso-i's distributing company, which throws considerable light on his taking the chair aome evenings ago at a meeting held at the Society of Arts to listen to a papec read by Mr Valentino on New Zealand products. Mr Valentine is about to visit New Zealand to drum up business for Nelson's company, and this no doubt w<is a send-off show, and will appear ptf-s-rotly in New Zetland papers It was a poor affair. About 40 attended, 10 of whom wore Nelson's employees and a few others by special invitation. My readers will certtiuly see the aceouat of this send-off show shortly, and I hope thay will bear this no'e in mind. It will probably be said that there vras "a large and influential meeting," for neither Mr Valentine nor those who run him ever hide th«ir light under a bushel, and I expect to see a graat account of this deliverance.

I hear some talk of amalgamation between the Co-operative Farmers' Associatiops of Balolutha and Dunedin. Both companies have lots of good names among their members, and the motto " Union is strength " applies very strougly in this cage. I have great hopes of good results from true co-operation among farmers. Ifc must, however, bu co-operation really, and not a half-and-half affair like many so-called co-operative bmineasoa. The Dame lately h?.s been used to delude the public, and we see co-operative grocers, butchers, bikwa, and bjotmtkers advertised who are really no more co-ot-erative than the general run of traders. I hope to hear that good progress has been made in amalgamating and strengthening these societies, and that farmers may be led to fink all local and other jealousies and tako aa intelligent interest in &uch a society. The Ctiristclmrch Farmers' Co-operative Society is an objeob lesson of what such an institution well conducted can do to benefit farmers. We have on the other side of the picture some co-operatives that came to grieF. AU depends not alone on ths good start given such a society, bat mainly on the loyal and continued support all along.

By last week's Witness ifc would be seen that the National Dairy Association have issued a circular inviting all interested in dairying to a conference on the 9th prox., the day before the opening of our great winter show. Railway excursion tickets will be available from the 9th to the 15th, so that intending visitors to the show may attend the National Dairy Association C>■ f> ir e- c-; a'si Th a d*y before the show was sell cfc f 1 t ait 1 v timt for b'lsine s and discustio-i 01 Tuwdty <*ud utiHl 1 I 'clock on Wednesday, when the winter chow opens after the judging is completed, which is generally the caso at that time. A strong effort is to be made to bring our Canterbury factories into the association, most of them nob having yet joined. Canterbury is, or rather was, a home of liberalism, perhaps ultraliberalisßi, in politics, bub otherwise they have

always been very conservative, and in dairying mat' era there can be no question this policy has been anything but bentfiuial. If united, as Southland and Otago have for some time beeii| the results would be (0 the beneflb of all concerned.

Among the exhibits at the forthcoming »hon will be one by the National Dairy Association. 1 have just seen the invoice of this exhibit, which is to land by the P»keha from London shottly, and in time for the show, lab us hope. vh v iuvoirp is for-— 2 Ameruau cheese 3, lewt 2qr lib, at 45a £3 711 2 English cheddars, lcwl Oqr 231b, at 68s 4 2 0 2 Scotch cheddars, lewt lqr 81b, at 6 "5 ... 319 3 Thtae will be duly oub and tried by all inberesbed, and, provided they land in good order, they will be an interesting exhibit. Tha association asked for the best procurable »s a sample of what was considered the proper article on the London nmkeb, and Messrs Treugrouse, who have seen a littlo cheese ia their time, selected the lob.