STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2319, 11 August 1898, Page 6

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Dbotsh.

Weekly Stock Salts : Burnside, Wednesdays Abhburton, Tuesdays Addington, Wednesdays Firtmyh.tly : Balclufcha, Fridays Gore, Tuesdays Oainaru, Tuesdays. I

1 InvereargHl, Tuesdays I Monthly: Clinton, Palmeraton, and Winton. Periodically : Heriot.Kelso, and Kyebum.

(CoiumimlMtloßs of ialersst t« Rtookbreedtri and dealer, sre OQidially invitea. All oomuiunlcMion. to reach Witnoi office not later tnon Ucminj night, l

a i There is noiTiincr of much interest to sa> „ j this week regarding Burnside market. Oil a stock of fat sheep is being rapidly reducec 8; * vcr >' large portion continuing to go to tin a ( Canterbury works. .. i Ghrislclmrch peoplo have been heard to say l that thesa are Canterbury-bred sheep sent - clown during last summer, and that it is quit- . correct to brand thorn as "prime Canter * bury. I think this is rather " ihin." lan :- , not aware of many sheep having come soutl ■ Jin this way. [ believe a considerable mini I , ber went south from Oainaru ; but still ] 9 , maintain that the fact of any prirno sheet - passing oui southern meat works goes U - show that theie is somothino; seriously' wiono- . The "prune Canterbury '* branding, though i some advantago to tho works in Canterbury £ . could not make it profitable for these sheer ; to pass works capable of doing the freezing •as cheaply as these works do. I have had the 3 ; pleasure of seeing the Canterbury work? , often, and I am always struck with the im"f" f ; mense strides they are making. The latest ; ; freezing machinery -has replaced (he older j plant, and the saving of coal and labour ib ,; in itself a profit. Bub what strikes me mosl } j is the development of the depurtments dealj. ing with tho by-products. Great attention is given to these. One of the most interestmg is tho department dealing with the fat. i Highly skilled exports from "llome manage this department, and the manufacture of " oleo " must be most profitable. This is tha . stuff that goes Home to adulterate butter and make " margarine," or mixtures sold as "Flower of the village," "Dairy delight."' &c, in London and other British cen ties. I can quite imagine that very palatable and wholesome food can bo made from this. It's appearance is very attractive. 1 believe it is largely used in tho manufacture of confecj tionery. It is a very valuable addition to , our export trade. Then there is a depart- | luent making glue and most beautiful gela- . tine. Th? manure department is carried on j in the most scientific way. and the demand j for this from all parts of New Zealand keeps pace with the already heavy supply. I can see no reason why our Ola go and Southland works cannot do things just as well, and can only say that unless we wako up and follow our Canterbury friends' example, we shall be j left behind, and the loss must fall on every farmer in Ola go and Southland. The railage j of sheep going past our own works conies \ out of producers' pocket", and makes sheep i less in price by so many shillings than Canterbury sheep. I am glad to think that in Otago we keep the lead in something. Our winter show is j the winter show of New Zealand, and the Otago A. and P. Society and ths Agricultural Hall Company deserve great credit for this. The greatest show, however, in New Zealand, if not in Australasia, is the Canterbury A. and P. .Society's annual fixture, which this year takes place on the 11th and 12th November, and several new items are added to the ; usual full catalogue and prize list. Recognising the importance of the dairy industry tG , tho colony, and in order to encourage the breeding of the most suitable cattle, two new sections have been added to the prize list, one of which is for shorthorn milking cattle, I than which, perhaps, no breed is more valuablo to the colony. In Scotland, and also . in England, there are societies formed for i improving the breed of this .strain of the ( shorthorn, and the accounts given in the j British agricultural papers show the great i improvement that has already been brought | about, and that this breed of cattle is the • most favoured among dairymen. I hope to , see this bi ecd cultivated and improved through . tho colony, and also to see some importation? of the best strains of the breed from Home, iWe need moie new blood now. The New j South Wales Government have imported thi? j breed largely into New South Wales, and our ' ' Government might do po with advantage, i j I hope, however, that private individuals i , will do f-o independently of tl.e C4o~\ eminent, ] , and I believe it would pay to import a fail ] j stud herd. The other interesting new section I is that for Ked Polled cattle, which is a i breed highly favoured in the United States, j and growing in favour in JSngland. It has | pro*, ed a gooJ milking breed, and in size and I I cor.fliuvtion mi) haully be excelled. I don't | know whether many of these cattle are in Now Zealand, but 1 know that some are owned by Mr A. 11. P.hodoo. of Canterbury j Anolhei new fealuio of the programme is a poulliy show ol 17 clsHses, ombracing all the fancy and barndoor varieties, and entries are expected from all paits of the colony. Tins ought to be a mos-t interesting and altracthe feature ol the chow. It peorns to me a proper time to hold such an exhibition, as 1 h\h should ba in good condition and show j form. It will be held in an open verandah i on the ground, and to niy mni'l will be plea saiiter and more attractive to trie public than tho u°ual showr. held in buildings where generally tho addition of a dozen «how benches mal.Po tlio atmospheie a bit slnfVy, and vathei u:iatlivcli\e to mo.-a people, especially to ladies, who must be con^idced, an the poultry business is a very proper spheto for them, even though {he lfou.se of Parliament may not be "oiierally rc^aided a» uch. The next innovation is a lior^o '■hoeing competition, open to all New Zealand. Temporary .'.hoe in-- forges will be ciocled on the giound, and horse pir.vided. The shoes arc to bo made, I undcr&tnnd. ' onli'ciy on tho giound, from bar iron, and ihe pmes will be awarded in conrii'or.ilion of rapidity and workmanship. I hore to sea a good number of compeulors, and tiu<=t Oiigo and Southland will siippl/ a "Prime Macksmilh,'' who will maintain our name and reputation against those of t lie j " Primes!, Cunlcrbuiy." Another new foa- j ture is the li\e stock weigh bridge erected on 1 tlio ground. This will prove most instructive. II is adapted for all classes of slock, I and will be used for deciding Ihe live weight comrelitiou&t it will also bo available at

certain times, and at a small charge, for paiv fieV who wish to test their skill ~ in weight* judging against their friends.

I hope to see a weighbridge erected by our A. and P. Society at Tahuna Park, and I also think it would pay our Saleyards Company to erect one at Burn&ide. Farmers would, I am sure, make use of it, and it might bring about the selling by live weight, which, I think, would be an advantage to producers. This system is growing in favour in Scotland, and those who have tried it are firm in their praic-o of its advantages. Our show committees might, I think, consider the advisability of adding to their programme some of the features I have particularised, and following ™ lp ad of the Canterbury Metropolitan ohow CommlU.ee.

It is always interesting to note what out neighbours are doing, and the expansion of tho dairy industry in the Taranaki province is most marked. The report and balanco shoot of the Taranaki Freezing Works Company up to July 1 shows that 76,097 packages of butter and 9600 cases of cheese were sent to tho Home market, and 7774 packages butter and 115 crates cheese to Australia; or a total of 80,R71 packages of butter and 9715 of cheese. a& against 62,173 butler and 6709 cheese the previous season.

Many in the south take pride in our larq;e rabbit export, but Taranaki may be justly proud of her share in the dairy industry, which has added wealth and prosperity to thq district to an extent that cannot fail to impress every visitor. The dairy industry involves hard and constant work, but it payg, although it may not bo so attractive to many of our younger settlers as rabbit trapping. Messrs Mason, Struthers, and Co.. the New Zealand agents for the De Laval Separator, have already this season put 40 ot their largest; separators into factories in the North Island, in addition to nearly 600 of those machines already in work. The dairy industry is extending down the coast, and will eventually be very general right down to Wanganui, taking up land now used for sheep. So far as one can judge from a perusal of the Agricultural Statistics, and from tfie markets end export trade, it seems to me that our present supply of wheat is very moderate, awl that prices should lemaiu firm till next, harvest at, any rate. Oats will continue to go to Aiistralia. where they will bo required f some lime, and unless farmers unduly force pales, prices should be well maintained. Stocks of both wheat anil oats in the hands of merchants and millers are said to be lighter than usual at this time of year.

The very high price of potatoes seems likely to be maintained. Fronts in Australian potato-growing districts have at least delayed and in some capes spoilt, the good prospects of an early crop, and shipments must continue to Australia for some time.

I notice that in the North Mauri some agitation has been going on against the Government branding of boxes of butter Ist, 2nd, and 3rd. In my opinion the advocates of a change in this respect are not those who wish to make our name by the steady export of ;* first-class article, and I hope the Department of Agriculture will not listen to any such agitators. The same parties who are agitating for this change have all along done their best, to retard progress, and would drag the whole industry down to the position it occupied before Government grading came into force, and none who have any knowledge as to what the state of affairs then was would desire such a thing. I hope rather to &oe the rules made more stringent. We want to cultivate -a firstclass article, and making it profitable for careless or stupid people to produce a secondclass article is no work for any Government who have the interests of the colony at heart.