STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2286, 23 December 1897, Page 6

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By DaovEß.

_. Weekly Stock Sales: Invercargill, Tuesdays Jhirnside, Wednesdays Monthly: Fcrtniqhtly: Periodically: > Balclutha, Fridays Heriot, Kelso, and Kye Gore, Tuesdays j _ bura. Oamaru, Tuesdays. | tCommnstsations of lntereit to itockbreedera and dealers arc •ordlally invited. All communication* lo reapn Witness offic* tot later than Monday nignt.l About 150 head were yarded as fat cattle at Burneide last week. Only half of this number were fit for the butcher, and the proportion of prime beef ,was small. The previous week's large yarding had over-supplied butchers, and priecs even for the best were lower by about 15s a head. £5 to £6 was about the rate of good medium, and the demand all round was not at all keen. Freeent consumption of ltmb lessens the quantity of beef required by butchers by acon■iderable amount, and at this market they had lamb cheap and in abundance. The yardings continue far in excess of requirements while the freezing works are closed. Last week about 2500 fat sheep were offered, *nd 8s to 8s was the ruling price of prime crossbred shorn weathers. The oTer-supply was so great that the market quite collapsed, at which I -was not in the least surprised. • I see no hope , of improvement while the yardiDgs continue to • be so utterly out.of proportion to the demasd, ,frhich is purely local until the freezing works open. At this sale good sheep failed to find buyers although offered *fc 2s per he^d reduc1 tioH on previous week's ruling rates. Is there .ireally any necessity for over-supplying tha absent small demand ? I regret to fee such a

Btate of affairs, and am surprised that farmers generally dou'c $cc it nec3S>ai'y to induce the agentß fro regulate the yardings in proportion to' reasonable requirements. O.?er 900 lambs were yarded, a supply out of all propo'it" ou.to what is ivq'iired, even although " lamb 'is iv,'" as they say. There was"»»n all-'i rouud drop of ls^GJ} per head on previous -rates, for which the ovei>supply is solely responsible. Butcher's had a good lime, and should do well, as they have not lowered prices Jto* consumers yet. Later on, when the frec-z'ng works open, I expect to see a brisk demand for really prime Jamb. For medium and inferior, however, I tee no prospect ah a .ad. At-Addiugtoa last week there was another large yarding of lambs (nearly 4000), but the bulk "were not of sufficiently good quality to tempt export buyers. Grnziers took alarge portion for fiui hing, and so kepb the price of store and half finished lambs from going very low, as butchers could ouly take a small quantity, even though they were cheap enough. For all prime to good fieezers demand was_ good and competition brisk. t Prime freezers mado 10a 6i to 11<j ; - good, 9s to 10s. The yarding of- fat sheep consisted mainly of ewes. Tug few . good wethers yarded sold readily at 9s 6d to Us, even prime i ewe.B banging fu'ly 3s lets.' Butahers" only buy-j ing this cliss 'of mutton 'they had it all their j own way. It seems evident that as a freezer ,ewes will no longer tempb export buyers except as eecoud-class meat and at a secondclass price. Store sheeb were plentiful, bub there was very little demand. Feed pros- ! peefcs look doubtful yefc, and the market is do- , pressed. Some crossbred wethSrs in fair condi- j tion were sold at 6j, and a few in forward condition at 7s 9 ] to 8s ; some two-tooths at 5s to 7s ; fairly forward lambs at 4-s 6d to 7s 61 ; ewes and lamb", all counted, at 2s 4d; ~j " The supply of fat catlla was far beyond | requirement", but there was nothing as prime as is usaal at this* time of year; — £8 to £9 108 .bejug' *°p price. A>' considerable portion of the cattle remained unsold. There was a very weak demand for store catt'.e, which Were in rather teavy supply, j Yearlings sold at 15s to 20s ; two-year-olds at 335. The market for bacon pigs was as good as ever, but the demand for store, pigs was not quite so brisk, and the price of foiward stores was lower by 3* or 4*. The' following correspondence on the frozen lamb market has appeared in the Ghriitchurch j Press : — i, | Sir, — So that there should be no doubt as to the correctness or otherwise of the advice we received -during the week that, the market was bare of stocks, we c*bled ouc head office on ! Saturday asking if the information was correct, I and we are this morning in receipt of their ' reply saying that it is so. Trashing that this j information will be of use to you, — We are, j -yours faithfully, Dalgbty and Company Limited. (B. W. Pabkee, Manager.) Sir, — With reference to Messrs Dalgety'a cable and letter lately published by you touching stocks of New Zealand lambs in London, it CXii now only be assumed that the various agents have sold the lambs to the retail meat salesmen at a price to "clear," so that they may cay to their friends "corifciga again," also that the meat salesmen will play the same game again, and \/ith the lamb 3 now on hand " bear "' the market and get those consigned to agents this coming season at their own price ; for there is one Ibiug certain, the lambs cannot 'have gone into consumption. Circulars dated Ist and 2ad October give stocks as 180,000, and Borthwick estimates sales of -2000 weekly as fair trade for that time of year, whereas it would require a demand of something like 90,000 carcases a month to clear the stock, and I don't think this quantity has been exceeded in the best summer months. There is a dog in the hedge somewhere. — I am, &s., December 7, 1897. . Old Ewb. I don't wonder at Messrs Dalgety cabling Home on this matter, as the sudden change from heavy stocks to a bare market is really surprising. lam rather inclined to think there is a good deal in what " Old Ewe " says. Writing under date October 29 Mes3rs Weddel and Co. and others do not reporb any indication of heavy consumption. ' They say : " The lamb trade has been steady, for although the consumption is decreasing,' so are the stocks, especially of bright fresh carcases ; consequently those dealers who require lambs for their trade and will have nothing that is not bright have been compelled to pay higher rates." Doubtless prime bright lambs were scarceID fact they have not generally been in over - supply j bub that the heavy stocks

of < second - quality, faded, aud off - colour J lamb, .have been cleared out is .too .much to- Delieva. I only with they had baen 1 consumed in that big fko they lately had iv London, f<|r year after year it has been the over supply 'of second class shipments that has kept, the, market down. If „•' O d Ewe "is right the meat salesmen will make proper use of these off-colour lambs ■ik they have tluin,, for in their hands they willße useful ; but I am afr*id the reputation of New Zg»laud lamb will suffer severely. I have long been of opinion that the meat salesmen, wholesale and retail, are matters of the situation, and that' our so-called agents are mere ..powerless -dummies in their hands. I wonder when we sht.ll wake up properly to the «oriouVue3S of the situation aud take action. We have talked and: written aud growled,, but we have never made a proper attempt to do anything. Farmers don't s-;eoi. to have the titha or -inclination to seriously consider this matter. It may be that' the trade suits them and pays them as it is, or they may be so busy making money in other lings that they really cannet spare time or eiergy to go into this matter, I don't think this is the case, however. I don't expect any .suggestion '*of change to" come fromr-the '• powers that v be "'in this trade. WitbTthem ifis, aiquestion mainly of 2^ par cenfc. Whea, reform, does .come aboutit will be by pressuref-fjcom farmers and, graziers, and I am surprised that ev«n yet they have not been sufficiently hard pressed to bring them to consider the position. How much more it will take I don't know, but probably another season will be sufficient to bring it home to them. They talk of taking united action as to the question of bays in the selling of their wheat, but' that ia only- a mare bagatelle compared with this question. At the same- time it is a "good thing, to. see that there is- a slight hopa ot ■ unity among farmers on any point. I look .to the various farasers' club? cultivating this spirit. ■^To them we muit. look in the future if the real interests of agriculture are' to take the prominent place they should both in regard to legislation and general business. Town trades of allkmds have organisations by means of which they make their wants known and get them supplied both ia Parliament and elsewhere. The farmers through their clubs have the means at their disposal to effect the same good end, and I hope soon to see abundant life and unity among them. The grain market both in wheat aud oats continues firm. Oats, especially' good feed and milling, are in demand, aud shipping to Australia has continued to proceed briskly. I notice that the president of the Tokomairiro Farmers'- Club says that 'in place of rabbits decreasing they are getting thicker. This is in spite' of the frczen rabbit industry, from which some, but mostly those interested, predicted such great things. I notice that the discussion on this subject has been postponed. I only hope it has not been shelved. This is a most important question, and I hope to see it fully discussed from a farmer's point of view. We know all about it from the rabbiter's point of view, but that naturally does not take into account the question of how to destroy or even lessen the pest. The question of bags and discount on wheat was also discussed, and it seems reasonable that farmers should expect one rule to apply. At present it appears that north of Falmerston bags are paid for, while couth of it bags are not paid for. It is a question that farmers through their clubs should decide, and instruct town agents. For both buyers and sellers one rule will be the best.