STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2358, 4 May 1899, Page 6

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Drotkb.

Weekly Stock Sales: Invercargill, Tuesdays Burnside, Wednesday! Monthly : Ashburton, Tuesdays niinton Paimm-aton Addington.Wedne.day. CUnt ™' d W j"£^ ' Fcrtnightly : Periodically: Balclutha, Fridays Heriot.Kelso, and KyeGoro, Tuesdays | bura. Oamaru, Tuesdays. | [Co»mun!c»t!on« of iatereit t. itookbreederi *nd denleri *ie oordUlly iUTited. All jommuuio»tlont to reach Wltneii offict votUter thuu Monday nicht.l There was again a modera,te yarding of fat cattle at Burnside last week, with the result that prices improved by about 10s per head: The price of mutton, which is now, higher than at the same season last year, will have some effect in keeping up prices of beef ; but moderate yardings, in proportion to the wellr known requirements of the trade, will do more to keep matters right. Even now, any week there is an over-supply prices will come down quickly, and when this happens the rise in price is not so rarcid as the fall. Best bullocks brought up to £9 10s, medium £6 ]0s to £7 10s, some nice cows and heifers up to £6 10s. The entry of sheep waa only about 1500. and bidding was brisk. Best wet hero sold at 13s 6tl tq 14s 6d, medium 12s to 13s ; some prime heavy ewes brought up to 15s-, others 12s to 13s 6d. None of these sheep 'wore of pririiest quality, but good mutton, and butcheis we:e the main buyers. The supply of freezing sheep at present coming into Burnside is about 2000 daily, and doubtless ,the best of our mutton goes direct to the freezing works, which is as it should be. It must also be taken into account that many of our leading butchers buy direct from fannei-s, and these sheep don't often appear in the yards. A good deal of business is now done direct. Nearly 1300 lambs were yarded, and sold well, best freezers bringing up to 12s 3d, others 9s to 10s, good butchers' lambs 7a 6d to 8s 6d. Pigs, as usual, were in small supply, and prices were high, as has been the caße for some time. This refers to all- sizes. The demand for store sheep, and breeding ewes more particularly, is now very brisk, and all country sales are well attended with buyers. The prices recorded are : —Merino ewes, full mouthed, 5s to 6s ; crossbred ewes, 11s 6d ; four and six tooth wethers, 9s to 12s ; two tooth 9s to 10s 6d. Owing to the appearance on the scene of some new buyers, the rabbitskin sales have lately been very lively, and prices have advanced, as the late Sii Julius Vogel would have said, by leaps and bounds — so much so that I don't think they can be maintained at their present level. ,If they were, it seems to mo that rabbit&kins would pay settlers and trappers as well as trapping for the frozen rabbit trade, and then the Secretary for Agriculture and others who hold the same views as ho dofes would have a chance of getting their favourite poison remedy given another trial. Last week's Witness was full of most interesting matter regarding the rabbit trade, which no doubt is growing, as are the rabbits in quantity, and I hope for the sake of the trade quality also. At one time I thought the rabbit difficulty was going to be solved by rabbit netting but since reading the fol''Empire and Freedom!" So said one of the greatest of Romans when asked what were his politics. Britons, let the motto be your watchword throughout the ages. But no less notable was the saying of one of the greatest of New Zealand public men when asked what he took for a cough or cold, " Woods's Great Poppermint Cure," he exclaimed. Ho was as right as the old Roman statesman. Give it a trial; it is sold everywhere and never fftiltj ' 1

lowing in the Australian Pastoralists' Review I" am inclined to think I must abandon my rabbil netting idea : —

TO A RABBIT HUNG- UP IN A WIRE

PENCE. By E. Bbttce, Coondambo,- South Australia,

cause to sneeze A sunbeam in consumption — why, you could not scale the trees! You couldn't climb, but can now to the mulga'S' topmost limbs, Where tuneful bush canaries used to sing their matin hymns, For these, you go-. to supper, while the dingo howls below Till, wearied out with waiting, ne for other fare must go; While slyly you are winking, with' your round and jocund eye, At lop-eared bunny sweatheart,' who is coyly perching nigh. Till, after Sol has risen, or a little ri::io la/o; c, You do your little courting and escort i:er to her door. ■ You'll soon be evoluted till you. clinch prehensile tail, And warble " Get your hair cut " on a myall branch or rail; Your paws you'll then be changing for true perching feet 'and legs, And boys will tumble out of trees while hunt-

ing for your eggs. Kind guanas calling in to your deserted bur-

row, Will miss your tender progeny and turn away

in sorrow, While carpet snakes will have to climb to clasp you with their fangs, And natives send up billet-doux in shape of boomerangs ! Improving you are, also, in the populating line, For O ! 'Mb truly wonderful when youthful pair combine To start a little colony of evoluting things How every moment in the day more little strangers brings — At least each 1 passing minute must, for tho' no bun you'll see, We'll say, to-day — why, in the next an overflowing sea Of bobbing scuts, of ears and fur, will roll across the scene, And leavo behind it scarce a stick and never a blado of green. i Then, bunny, dear, just evoluto with all indecent haste, Don't wait to work 'out fancy plans, a moment do not waste; Don't worry with prehensile tail or other minor things, But imp .yourself at double quick with migratory wings. Too dry the North-west is for you, your skin's not worth a rap, Your body's, save for niggers' dogs, unpayable to trap. Besides, you've worked these diggings out to starving point, I fear, Then sprout those wings ~& spoke about arsi — naughty sweat words — clear! Tho eiitries of stock and the attendance of buyers at the Addington market are new larger than usual, the competition for store sheep being a prominent feature. Supplies continue to come from the North Island, Marlborough, and the Amuri, besides the Akaroa Pesnmsula, which forwards some of the best. A li'ie of two-tooth wethers brought 14-s 6d to 14s Bdr half and crossbred wethers up to 15s, four and six tooth wethers 14s 6d, two and four tooth- ewes 11s 6d, a large line of two, four, and six tooth ewes 8s 9d to 9r, lambs 9s to 10s 3d. Fat lambs were in short supply, prime freezers meotinjpwith keen competition, and bringing from 13a 6d to 14s 6d. Fat sheep were ako short of requirements, prime freezers bringing 14s Gd to 17s, some prime, heavy sheep 275, others up to 18s 9d, best crossbred ewes 12s to 13s 4d. The yarding of cattle was a poor one in point of quality, and prices were rather lower than at Burnside.

We hear a great deal about direct trade with Manchester, and I cannot better express my own views on the matter than by quoting from the Australasian Pastoralists' Review: — The Manchester merchants are bombarding the Australian press to bring about direct trade between Australia and their new port. This is a consummation we should be very glad to see, but the only practical means to its attainment is for the Manchester merchants to send out such large orders for frozen produce as would render it profitable for Australian trading vessels to call there. The Gulf line, it should not be forgotten, made a great effort to establish this trade in 1896, but through apathy at the Manchester end had to abandon it after a trial of fourteen months. The Yorkshire woollen manufacturers at present find their wants can be better supplied through London. Presumably the object of the Manchester merchants' appeals to the Australian press is to get the several colonial Governments to give a subsidy to the trade. But it would require a very large subsidy to keep I he trade going under present conditions, and, as we said before, the key to the opening of the trade lies in the handset the Manchester merchants. So far it is all talk, and next to nothiug done.

I was glad to see by Mr Tom Mackenzie's letter in the Daily Times that he intends to let us hear something about the frozen meat irado when he comes out. I agree with him entirely, and thoi sooner the control of matters in regard to the disposal of our frozen meat in London is removed from those in charge at present the better. I have written enough on the subject, but fanners don't seem much interested, which is certainly surprising as their pockets are touched. The rabbit trade has far more interest for .hcai, and, I m,usfc &a,y that our rabbit exporter kave

handled their, business much better than -i<UP meat trade has been handled. I agree with Mr Mackenzie that f.o.b. sales should be the rule. London and Glasgow men buy our butter and chegse f.0.b., and come here in numbers to do so, and have their agents all through, the colony. If we let it -be understood that we shall sell our meat f.o.b. they will come in greater numbers, and this will solve -the diffioulty of the London pilferers who; live on us without giving any real value for their pay. If we get the London men buying f.o.b. here we may depend on it they will keep clear of these pilferers, as they well know how to. It will upset quite "&. profitable little business in assessors of damaged meat, but no«one need regret that.