STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2317, 28 July 1898, Page 5

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Bt Drotes.

I Invercargill, Tuesdays

Weekly Stock Salts : Invercargill, Tuesdays Burnside, Wednesdays - Monthly! Ftrtniqhtlj/ : Periodically : Balchitha, Friday* Heriot.Kelao. and Kyeiiore. 1 uesriays | foura Ostinaru, Tuesdays. J fComtnunicatlons of inferejt to sfocUreedcM tml dealen xro flordlall) inriteU. All MDiinuutoations to react Wuncw offloe not later Uibu Honda? nlihi.l

Orer 200 hcid of cattle were yarded, a large proportion of which were medium to prime quality. These were in slightly over supply, and tha prices were perhapß about 5s to 6? lower than last week ; but it was a good sal?, and competition for the primes!; was very lively. Primest beef may, I think, still be quoted at 22s 6d per hundred, wilh 18s to 19i for medium quality. There was the usual supply of scrubbers, and I can't help thinking that some of these are fairly regular attendants, and I have no doubt contribute a fair amount to the revenue of the Saleyards. Company.

I look forward to tho Buraside weekly sale becoming now a fat stcck sale, and I Rlill think < hat supply should be regulated. Prime fat cattle seem scarcer all ronnd, and prices must, 1 thin^, improve; the only danger being an over- supply, when butchers would have a lica time. At this time of year it is more important; (bat steps should be taken to prevent ever supplies, rs owing to absence of feed cattle cannot bs held back. I don't mean to say that lately there has been ranch to complain of in (he way of our y&rdings, but I certsiuly gee a prospect of it at any tira?, with loss to firmera and graziers.

1e Canterbury fat cattle are scarce, aud prime beeF brings fully 22s 6a per 1001b at Addiugton, gonae lines of North Island bullocks bringing £8 iO.-i lo £9 10a. Dairy cows, on Ihe other hand, are bringing low prices owing to scarcity of feed.

The yarding cf sheep wae nearly 2500, tuot-e than half of which were fat. The competition tor uesfc was as keen as usual, and prices ruled at 14s to 15s 6d, some extra heavy going to 16a 6d ; medium, 12s to 13s, while some good heavy ewes brought over 15s ; good batchers' ewes, 12s to 138. Theee prices are nothing like those ruling at Addicgton, and I Ihiuk that our primeft mutton will continue to go over tbe border by rail, lo be turned by tfce proceea of freeziog at Belfast cr Islington into '» prime Canterbury." Frccz'ng machinery is rapidly improving and developing, and ifc is hard to aay what it may yet accomplish. Nothing surprises one now&dsys, aril what seeras irapoesibls at present nny'in a year or so be done easily and surprise no one. Witness tfce telephone and all the wonderful inventions of lafce years.

The Christchurch pipers report Grst-class prices at Addingtou last week. Heavy crorsbred wethers 18a to 255, prime freezers 163 to 18s, medium Us to 16s, heavy ewes 17s to 19i, good 14s to 16s.

The bef t of our sheep continue to go in large lots to the Canterbury freezing works/and such a state of matters ia anything but creditable to us as citizens of Otago and (Southland, The other clay in Wellington, r«t the annual meeting of Olago settlers~aud this, of course, iocUideß Southland, — the majority of the speakers alluded with pardonable pride to the enterprise and push oi' Otago men ; aud even if they blew their owd trumpets a little, they certainly had some causa for doing so, as Otago merchants have contributed largely to make the Empire city what it is. One has only to Bee the large warehouses erected now] and still going up whicb are standing monuments ot Otagon enterprise and push. Obago was the first to start the frtzen moat trade, and, in my opinion, she could aid should have niaintaiued a leading position. 1 regret to say this is not now the case, Eor has it been for come years, The question n reallj ono that demands ths> most earnest attention of everj landowner and cettler. A letter in the Otago Daily Times suggests that the name " prime Canterbury " is made use of to gull the British householder into the belie? that in buying this " prima Canterbury " he is eating English mutton. I hfive before pointed out that this is to a certain extent true. The writer suggests calling our meat " Lincolnmerino," Trith ft view to farther gulliug, it possible, the British householder, 1 think we

j should instead look the matter fairly in, ths j face, and see where we are to blame and remedy defects at once. Undoubtedly the matter of Iho handling and distribution of cue meat in London is in a most deplorable and un« satisfactory condition, and will hare to ba changed by some means for the better. But reform must begin at home, and io my opinion it is only lo be bronghb about by the lively interest end cambined action of every eheep r armer in Otago. Here we have thousands of 6heep being wiled to Ghrstchurcb to be frozen there, these sheep in some cases going tight past the doors of four frozen meat works in Southland and Otego, the extra r*il* age of 2s or 3s per head not preventing it. la the loDg run that extra railege comes out of the farmer's pocket. Our frozen meat works should be in a position to prevent this occurring, bnt as » matter of fact they are helpless. If this sorb of thiug continues our freezing works may bo left to carry on that great M rabbib industry," and the trade in prime mutton will be conducted by the Canterbury freezing works. It roust etriko anyone that something is wrong when such a state of matters obtains. Ido nos eny, meantime, that the faalb lies at the door of the managers or directors oE our frozen meat, companies, bnt I do say that our frozen meat works are far from being up-to-date, and cannot work aB cheaply an the two great companies hi Canterbury. These companies are supported and owned in the main by sheepfarmer/, and jseam to hare no difficulty itf obtaining, by shares taken up by the farming commuuity, any capital required to further devp.lop and improve the plant and works £25,000 is just now being raised for this pur. pone and in this way by one of them.' Year" by year they add to and improve their machinery. They hare, in addition to the best freezing machiuery,, tinning and meat- preserving plant, wodl-tconring and fellJMongerp plant, tallow and oleo making plant, bone and manure*planfc* glue making and ham and bacon plant. Io fact, no part of the sheep sent thera'is left unutilised to the best adTautage. At the present time Ofcsgo and Sonfchland are to'a large extent supplied with manures from the Belfast and Islington works, perhaps about 3000 tons being used in Otago and Southlsnd annually, and this after paying freight down on the maaure. A portion of these cheep we are now sending np at heavy cost of railage will oome'.back in the shape of m&cure with railage paid back again. Perhaps some farmers who aro getting. good prices for their f»t sheep may think they don'fc pay there expenses, bat as a matter of fact the whole of thi? expensa is really coming out o their pockets. If our meat works were up-to-date and in as strong a position as the Canterbury works this state of matters could nob continue. It rests ywifcb as to put them in as good a position, and it will bo the rankest folly of settlers in Otago nob to do so ah once. FrozeD meat works should be the property of sheep-owners, and are no 6 a proper field for investors' capital. The money requuLd should ne subscribed by farmers and the operations of the company controlled by leading farmers. The pre'senb works in our d : strict Unguiah and remain in a weak condition simply Irotn lack of such support, and the sooner the matter is pat right the better. I do not fear "prime Canterbury" doing any harm to us provided our works are equal to theirs Whatever fraud or humbug there is id tho name j" prime Canterbury," ib cannot last. Uader proper conditions, if we scad as good meafc prime Obago or Southland would hold its own. Wo really cuist put matters right at once. I tirmly believe that if a lew leading sheep-owners wore to hold meetings atvarions centres and lay beforefarmers the advantages of ib they coald raise a fund to buy out the existing works and put them on up-to-date lines. The company so tormed should of course cut all connection with the present shipping ring and be ia an independent position, as I look upon the present shipping contract as far from being in tho best interests of the frozen meat trade, as it affects the producers. If something is not done soon in this direction the consequences will bo serious", and the farmer, being really the only party concerned, will be tha eufferer. Again, let me say I don't blame the existing works or tneic management. I say ib is the lack of general practical interest by farmers in these work 3 that has kept them weak and powerless Eor the good they might have done, Is the spirit and energy of our fathers, who had such a reptita-

Jaboo, for potliug plants, raising seeds, &o Jadoo increases the size of flowers, prolongs their season of bloom, and is indispensable for tho gardea ot nursery.— Himnw widßlwu

tloo aucl did *o niacH to cnake Otago a leading proTiuca, gone ? t hopo not"; out Ido wi?a it could be aroused at ouce od thiß matter.