The Dairy Industry.

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 15

The Dairy Industry.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — Permit me, through your valuable paper, to bring before the public of New Zealand— especially the dairying portion of the community — the unsatisfactory position this very important industry is fast drifting into ; also a few remedies which might be brought about by careful sludy of i the whole industry from its start, some 15 years ago, up to the present day. Ths rapid strides this industry has made, both in the volume of its products and in their quality, put it in the position of the most valuable, and if properly carried out the most reliable, in the colony, both as l egards , employing our surplus labour and also as a source of wealth to the colony. The enormous number of people employed now, and the number . ther& is ample room for, put us in the posi- j tion that our legislators cannot overlook us. Ihe manufacture of both butter and ' cheese "has been v?ry much improved of late ; years, thanks to the assistance of the Department j of Agriculture in appointing the most reliable and ' up-to-date men available to give instructions ai,d j watch the industry, which has improved by leaps ! and bounds since their appointnieu 1 ", and I think j at a very reasonable cost to the colony. I am j satisfied there is still room for improvement, but ; I would not encourage a large outlay in that j direction, as I think there are other factors t of the industry which require more encourage- j ment, and which I shall mention later on. I | think the present staff able to overtake the j work of instruction -say one man to look after each island —both in butter and cheese; and to avoid any feeling in the appointment, these men should be changed every year — north this year, south next. lam als > btrongly in favour of an ex- i perimental farm to treat with the various breads of dairy cow?, the most suitable feed for winter i dairying, also all diseases ia dairy stock. The ! manager should be able to manage a dairy on upj to-date lines, both in the manufacture of butter . | and cheese, and be able to give instructions to a i I limited number of pupils, so that we can keep \ 1 our factory managers in touch with, the most advanced ideas ia daivyiDg. I think a farm of this sort might be nearly self-supporting if worked on I careful lines. I wcuM suggest one in the North '• Island first, and if the industry warrants it one in ; the sotith later on. | ! I now come to the most disappointing part of : our dairying business — I mean the carriage and handling of our produce from, ths factories to the consumer in England. Iv this matter I unhesitatingly .state that we cannot go on as we are doing, I as no industry handicapped with distance »s we are, and having to compete with more favoured countries in the markets of the world, can succeed unless producers get regular an.', cheaper freights. I would suggest thjit (he dairymen of New Z-abiuil-i:se every effoit in their", power to induce the various members of Parliament in ibe electorates iv which they reside ,to take the matter up at once. It is no use in making this a party ques- ' tion, as it niuot come whatever section of the - House is in power, and if taken up and treated as it deserves we should- noj have to wait long for results. I have siome further aspects of the case [ to deal with, but these I shall reserve for your ; next issue. — I am, etc., '. Wyndham, March 12. Dairyman. 'DUNEDIN, MARKETS. I WHOLESALE PRODUCK REPORTS. Mr J. Fleming, Princes street south, reports under fiate the 22nd inst. : — Whsat pci 1 bushel. per ton ' Bestmillins ... 418 "Oaten hay 60/0 Medium do ... 4/3 Oatmeal, in 25's 220/0 Fowls' .. 3/3- -3/9 ' Oaten chaff 60/0—75/0 Milling oats ... 2/1 i Tlyegrass hay 6"/o— os/0 Feed oats ... 1/9— l/ll Straw 27/9 Malt barley 4/o—4/6 Pearl barley ...340/0 Feed, barley' 2/9— 3/ i» i psr cwt Cape barley ... 4/0 j Onions 6/0 Maize ... ... 3,3 per lb. , per ton. I Roiled bacoa ... 0/iiJ ; I* lour, in 200's ... '240/0 ! Side bacon ... 0/7 > Flour, in 50's ... 250/0 j Smoked hams ... 0/8 Pollard 70/0 I Cheese ... 0/3£-0/U j Bran ... .. 60/0 I Good .salt butter, I Barley dust ... 70/0 i M to 7d per lb, j according to quality. | Kidney potatoes, £4 to £4 10s. j Derwent potatoes £4 5s to £5 5s per ton. i According to sample VkBM AND DAIRY PRODUCE. Messrs Irvine and Stevenson, George street, j report paying for produce during the weekending '• th-j 22nd inst. as follows :—: — Bacon (roll), 6£d p. lb Fresh butter, 9rt and lid Ham, 7^d p. lb p. lb Fresh eggs, Is 3d doz Salt butter, 7d j Fresh butter, good ordinary (in lib and Mb ] prints), Sd to 9d per lb. Bacoa pigs, 3§d, 1301b" to j 1601b weight. Fowls, 2s to 2s 6 1 pair. Ducks, 3s i to 33 6d pair. Geese, 3s (3d. Turkeys, 5d per lb I INVERCARGILL GRAIN MARKET. Tnvercargile, Maich IS. Oats.— Samples of ths new crop are now offering, and sales have bien made at equal to 2s f.o.b. j (sacks in). Old oats command id more. j Wheat. — The new crop is now coming in. Local I quotations are from 4s 3d to 4s 9d (sacks extra, | usual terms), according to sample. j Barley. — The^iparket remains firm, with keen demand for malting samples. Prime malting, 4s 6d to 4s 9d , medium, 4s 3d to 4s 6d. lijegrass. — The demand is easier, and the samples offering are falling 1 cff. Prices remain at last week's quotations. THE FROZEN MEAT MARKET. Napiek, March 18. Nelson Bros, received the following cable from London this morning :— " Frozen meat market ' quotations : Mutton unchanged ; frozen* lamb [ fallen in value, first quality realising 4£d per lb, j second 4&d." * j GRAIN AND PRODUCE SALE. Messrs Dalgety and Co. (Limited) report ' having held their usual weekly auction sale. ; There was a fair attendance of buyers present. j Oats. — We offered a few small lines of feed, and quote as follows — viz. : Prime milling, 23 Id to 2s • 3d ; good feed up to 2s ; medium, Is lOd to Is lid. ' Wheat. — Fowl feed, scai cc. Good whole is worth ' from 3s 4d to 3& Sd ; broken and inferior, 2s 6d to i 3s 3d. . ' j Potatoes — Good Derwents sold readily at from £5 to £5 7s 6d ; kidneys (poor demand) at from £3 10s to £4 2s Sd. ' Chaff. — Fair quantity offering, but mostly of 1 medium quality Prices at to-day's 1 sale ranged for prime, heavy from £4 to £4 2s 6d ; medium, £3 53 to £3 10a ; light and inferior, £2 10s to £3. RAM AND EWE FAIR. The Farmers' Agency Company held their annual sale at the Burnaide yards on Thursday last. The entries were the smallest on record, and the attendance of buyers very limited. The greater part of the sheep offered were sent home unsold, while for any sold very low prices had to' 1 be accepted. A few special studs- sold fairly well; but for flock rams there was practically nobuyers. We sold ; For the N.Z and A. Land Company (Clydevale), 40 two-tooth Border Leicesters at ljgs ; Mr Tom Rsid (Ngapara), 30 do at 20s; Mr John M'Crostie (Southland)/ 6 at lg. . ' SHEEP SALE. Messrs Maclean and Co., report having held a sale of sheep at Romania yards on Saturday on accouut of Romania estate aad. other vendors. There was a total entryC

rof nearly 7000 sheep. Ths attendance wj.f a large one, and for all lots of really gooC; sheep bidding was keen", and satisfactory prices! , were received. The Romania wethers, which were a splendid lot, realised 10s 6d to Ss llil. Othe^ sales weie : Two-tooth wethers to 8«, lambs to bY, four-tooth ewes to 7s 9il, ewes (mixed ageb) to 6s Id, Romney rams to 30s. CENTRAL OTAGO STOCK SALES. Sfevsvs .Dalgety and Company (Limited) fepoit l.sivinfr held sw.s of store slnep and cattle r,.t the Cotttisbroofc yir'lfi, Mi.ldlemarch, on Thursday, ICh March ; Ds-ppdell yards, Macraes, Saturday, 12 ( _h March ; Fisher's yards, Becks, Monday, 14th March ; Caldwell's yards, Wedderburn, Tuesday, 15th March ; Miller's yards, Eweburn, Wednesday, 16th March ; Harris's yards, Kyeburn, 'Uiursday, 17th March. There was an. excellent demand at all thtse sales for young ( rossbreds and halfbreds, halfbred and crossbred wethers and. ewes, the greater part of the entries being cleared at prices satisfactory to owners. The following ware the range of values ruling, at the sales : — Four and six-tooth crossbred wether», j in good forward condition, 7s 4d to 8s 3d ; twotooth cro sbreds and halfbreds (mixed sexes), 5s Gd to 6s 6d ; inferior and in low condition do, it6d to 5s ; four-tooth halfbred ewes (good), 7s io 8s Id ; six and eight-tooth do, 53 lOi to 6s 4d ; aged halfbred and crossbred ewes, 3a 6d to 4s 61; best , crossbred lambs 5s to 5s 6d; medium do," 4s % 4i b'd ; gmall do, 3s io 3s 6d; merino ewes (sound mouthed), 3s to 3s 6d r do (boilers), Is to Is 2d ; do . wethers, 2s 6d to 3s. The entries of cattle were i small, but, notwithstanding thii, to effect sales low 1 prices had to be submitted to. Three-year-old > steers. brought from 50 1 to 60s; two year-old do, . 30s to 40 as 18-months-old and yearlings. 18s to j 27a 6d. / j The Farmers' Agency Company (Limited) | report as fo lows :—: — i We held our second series of stock sales throuchj out Central Otago, commencing at Fisher's yards, i Becks, on Monday, the 14th ingt. We yarded i 1500 fhesp and 34 cittle. The dry weather showed { it-i effects on the stock, which were not in tucb . good condition as at list year's sales. This aleo [ applies to the stock offered at the sale 3 which. j followed. Thanks to outside buyers, almost the whole of the stock offered found buyers. Fourtooth crossbred wethers brought 7s fid ti 8s 9d ; twe-tooth do, 5s to 7s ; aged crossbred, ewes, 3s to 5s 9d ; merino ewes, Is 3d to 2s 6d ; crossbred | lambs, 3j 7d to 8d ; fat cattle, £4 ; mixed two-year-olds, 30a. . At Wedderburn on Tuesday, 15th March, there . was a very large yarding, some 1350 being penned. Buyers were faiily plentiful, and came mostly from outside the district, and there wa3 a very j largegatheting of settlers, who came fully prepared j to face the low prices rather than take their stock I home. The sale went rff fairly well, very j nearly everything changing hands. We penned 7343, and sold 7283, as per price list : 440 two-and j four-tooth crossbreds at 7s % SS two-tooth do, 5s ; ', 37 crossbred ewes, 43 sd; 11 merino do, 2t ; 23 \ crossbred wether?, 6s 3d ; 132 full-mouthed cr.os«bred ewes, 5s 3 1 ; 67 broken-mouthed do, 3=i 6d ; 18S two-tooth crossbreds, 5s 'Id ; 83 do, 5s fid ; 118 crossbred lambs, 5s 6d ; 50 two-tooth crossbueds, 7s ; 209 do, 5a 2d ; 115 do, 5s 7d ; 87 do, fs ; 16£) do, 7s 3d ; 132 broken-mouthed ewes, li 6d ; 19 crossbred lambs, 5s ; 71 two-tooth crossbreds, 6s 9d ; 223 do crossbred wethere, 6s Id ;^ 141 broken-mouthed merino ewes, Is 10d ; 200 brokan-mouthed ewes. Is 2d ; 54 two-tooth cr6ss>bred wethers, 7s 2d ; 145 do ewes, 5s 7d ; 282 crossbred ewes, 4s ; 291 . broken -mouthed ewes, 10YI ; 109 do, la ; 179 two- . tooth croß«breds, 4s lld,;-200 do, 5s 2d ; 83 do, 4» Pd ; 75 I ' broken-mouthed ewes, lOd ; 50 crossbrod . lambs, 4s-; 82 broken-mouthe I ewes, 1* ; GO? niarino ewes, 3s 6d ; 300 do, 3s 6d ; 7CO do, 3s 3.1 ; " 252 1 merino ewes and lambs, 2s 6d. Fat cows ac £4 ; 4 hacks at J£s to £9 10s. 'I h'eTSweburn'sale was' held at Miller's yards on> t Wednesday, ths^lfith March, The total penned ; was 1 about 5000 i - Of ,1 his- number we peurued over j 4000, acd sold every line, except one small pen of J lambs. '" Again almoa!; every lot were ta'ioa hy j outside buve'S, the etock going out- of the j district.- The following were the actual prices realised: — ISO four tooth wethers, Si Id; 94 twotooth da, 6s ; 130 four-tooth ewes," 7s 6d ; 90 twotooth crossbreds, 5s 6d ; !20 do, 5s 61; HO ''o (small), 3s- lid ; 50 do, 5s 2d ; 70 boilers, 7A : 370 ' crossbred lambs,'"4s : 141. two-tooths, 5« 4\\ ; 250 mo3sbred ewes, 4s 4d ; S7O tvvo-sooth orcsibreds, 53 4d ; 2iO crossbred lambs, 43 ; 160 boilers, js Id : 83 two-tooth crossbreds, 6s 2d ; 200 do, 5s 11 J ;50 crossbred lamuf, 2s 6d ; 80 small two-tooth, 43 ; 120 boilers, Is 5d ; 175 cro -shred lambs, 4s 3'l ; 70 two-tooths, 6s j 220 two »nd four-tooths, 6s Sd ; 160 two-tooths, 5$ lid ; 220 two-tcoth ewes and wether?, 5s lid : 165 crossbred lambs, 4s lid ; 140 - two-tcoth crof sbreds, 6j Gl ; 130 four-tooth cross- ! 'need twes, Bs. Cattle now almost unsaleable. i We Bold ateera *ud cows *t 39s to 53s 6d each. | DUNEDIN HORSE KALEYARDS. Weekly Report. Messrs Wkigiit, Stephenson, asd Co. report as follows :—: — i ( )n Friday we held a special sale of draught and j light harness horses, when the entries compri->ed j nnnsignmenta from Kurow, Blackstone Hill, 1 Blacks, the Taieri, Clutha, and other districts. < There was a good attendance of buyei-s, and for the majority of the draughts bidding was brisk, and a large number of animals changed hands at satisfactory prices. Horses that were aged or blemished in any way did not meet with the sama I amount of attention as young sound sorts — in fact j it was with great difficulty that any of them were J sold, and then con>iderably reduced prices had to j be accepted. The hacks aud light harases horses ! were uiostly very light and " weedy" sorts, and i for these there was poor coinpatition ; a -few sckl, but a large number were parsed in. On Saturday we will offer at 11 o'clock consignments of spring-carfc and useful, light harness horses j from Hawke's Bay and Canterbury. We quote as fol'ows : First-class young draught maies and geldings, £35. to|£4o;'good do, £28 to £33; ■ medium draught ma^esand geldings, ~-£io to £25 ; ! aged do, £12 to ' £lß ;' first-class hack an.l light 1 harness horses, £18 to"*£2^; go r od do, £12 to £i 7 ; I medium do, £7 to £10 ; aged and inferior, £2 to £5. Messrs Wright, Stepiienson, and Co. report as follows : — Saturday's sale was rendered more attractive than usual from the fact that it was known that several consignments of leally useful light harness horses were to be offered. These were frcia Hawks's Bay (North Island), North Cauterbury, ! J'leas-ant Point (Timavu), aDd the Clutha. The i attendance, as was 1o be expected under the cir- > cumstances, was good, and where the animals j offered showed a fair amount of breeding and size combined, and were young, there was good competition and fair values were obtained — say, from £12 to £15. All the consignments lefun ed to ; were placed at quotations, and in addition to ; them a number of light horses, mostly aged and j of nondescript character, changed owners, but there was no animation in the bidding foe them, ■ and the prices they realised were very- small. ' For really first-class heavy draught mares and ' geldings, young and staunch, there are buyers in j the market, and first-class an mils are readily ! placed at very full prices. For example, we have sold privately during the week one very powerful five-year-old draught gelding (a prize-taker) ac £42 and several other first-class horses at from ' £26 to £35. In the yards to-day there were but few draughts, and the only sale effected was one of a useful mare by Scottish Chief at £26 10«=. We hold two sales during Jubilee week, one of thoroughbred stock on Fiiday, 25th inst., when we shall offer, in addition to other lots; a very .choice draft of thoroughbred yearlings on account of Mr Ax A. M'Master (of Tokarahi). This draft includes two very fine Sfepniak fillies, another by Kaufob, "and an Artillery-Glorvina three-year-old gelding " On .Saturday the usual v weekly sale will be held. We quote as follows :—: — First-class young draught mares and geldings, £35 . to £40 ; good do, £28 to £33 ; medium draught mares and geldingst £20 to £25 ; aged do, £12 to £18; first-class hack and light harness horses, £18 to £25 ; good do, £12 to £17 ; medium do, £7 to £10 ; aged and inferior, £2 to £5. Money deposited by Ihe foreign insurance companies with the Public Trustee will henceforth bear interest at the rate of 1 instead of 3 per cent. Each company; h*s to deposit J £10,000.