STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2394, 18 January 1900, Page 6

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Bx Dboteb. Weekly Stock Sales: Fortniyhtly : Bnrnside, Wednesdays In vercargill, Tuesdays Ashburton, Tuesdays Monthly: A.ddington.'Wodxieadayß aintoll( p a i me rston Fcrtniohtly: and Winton - Balclutha, Fridays Periodically: Gore, Tuesdays j Heiiot.Kelso, and Kye Oamaru, Tuesdays bum. fComin u^icfttions of interest to stool* l)rcedcTs &nd dt-tLlert & cordittlly invited. All somunimeiitions to reach WiU-eii o£fi not later than ironday nitht.l

The yarding of cattle last week at Burnside was a small one, and most of the cattle were on the small side. Prices, however, were good, showing an ach ance of 15s per head on last week's rates. Small cattle at this time of year, if prime, are favoured by butchers. The advance in prices is due partly to the moderate yarding, as the quantity yarded is the main factor in the fluctuation, of prices ; but I am glad to Fay that we have not to rely now wholly on town consumption of beef, for since November the Burnside Fieezing Works have been putting through a fair amount of frozen beef for export, and all cattle farmers should support this movement. It is a step in the right direction, oncl one "that should have been taken long ago. I hope that nothing will interfere witli its steady continuance, and that the refrigerating company, through the rush of the lamb eea'son, will still continue to find room for frozen beef. To build up this export trade is of the greatest importance, and one of the chief factors is to keep (-toady, regular supplies going by each steamer. But don't let the business drift into one of spasmodic and irrrgular shipments. Nothing puts buyers in London off more than irregular supplies -of any line they have found worthy of attention, and I know that New Zealand beef has made a mine for itself. The pioneers of the trade were the Wftitara Freezing Works, near New Plymouth, who have been contented with 17s 6d per 100 as a payable price, and they have, as I have myself i^een, for some years been sending prime beef to the British market, and h3ve now a good outlet for all they can produce. The works at one time were in a bad way, as supplies of mutton were inadequate, but now mattard are much improved, and the works are well supported, and I should say every farmer in the district experiences the benefit. The quantity of bullocks put through at Burnside since November is 1500 head, which, all will allow, must have had, and will have, an influence on prices. The New Zealand Refrigerating Company are, when pos.sible, buying direct from farmers, ancl will continue to do so. Mr David Murray, well known through this district, has been appointed, their buyer.

" "As I have said, this fiozen beef trade should be fostered and encouraged. Cattle-farming, with a steady export trade, will be a different and much better business than it lias been in the past ; a steady, and at the same time good, price will be maintained, ancl I would just remark that export business is run on close lines, and prices are strictly limited. At present the value of beef (prime, of course, but not necessarily heavy) is- 20s per 100 on the farm. At 21s or 22s the business will not pay, and so there is no use trying to hold for more. The supply of New Zealand-frozen' beef, even were it 100 times larger' than it is, can have no possible influence, on the London markets, as supplies from other sources are enormous, and rule the market. If the frozen beef trade, however, is enccmraged, prices for local supply will certainly improve, and would never, as in the past, become unpayable.

There being a small yarding of sheep at Burnside, and butchers having at last cleared themselves of heavy supplies, prices were decidedly good, and fully 2s a head better than those of previous week. Best crossbred wethers sold at up to 16s 6d. ewes up to 15s ■ 6d, medium sheep, both ewes and wethers-, brought 12s 6:1 to 14s 6d. I consider, this a ' very happy hit for those who had sheep in, but farmers will certainly not be safe in relying on these as prices ruling. A heavy yarcl- , ing following on would result in low prices. About 1000 sheep just now with, say, 350 lambs is quite sufficient for town surjplly, and there is nothing else to work on till, (=ay, the beginning of February, when the freezing works at Burnside start again. Most of these j sheep were far too heavy for prime freezers, and I am of opinion that both here and in Canterbury the number of sheep, say aboiit 601b, suitable for primeot freezers will be very small this year, and although we may and will, I should think, hold our lead in prime lamb, if, will not be so easy to do so in prime mutton against cmr powerful competitors in South America*

Nearly 400 lambs were yarded, which proved quite enough, and prices were lower than tho.«e of the previous week. Some very prime brought nearly 12s, but the average was 10s 6d to 11s, and small 8s to 9s. The lambing all over the country has been exceptionally good, and supplies will be large, and I think that from 10s to 10s 6d should be about the ruling price for lambs on the farm, and I believe many lines have been put through at that rate. If I were a farmer owning a few hundred good lambs I should at once secure space for them in the freezing works, as I am of opinion that, there will be a considerable rush on space in the various freezing works in the near future, and it is quite possible that large operators only, with space secured, will be able to buy, and those without space be obliged to accept what is offered or stick to their slock. Early shipments will, I should say, fare best. I consider it quite as easy for farmers to sell their lambs and mutton frozen as in the yards or on the farm, and I think the sooner this is naaJised and. »cted on by farmers fieajaiAjly

the better for them. This is the way our freezing works could be taken full advantage of. In the past they have been availed of mainly by speculators. For the information of those who desire to take advantage of the freezing works at Burnside, the New Zealand Refrigerating Company have issued a circular, which may be had from Mr William Murray, the secretary, in Dunedin, giving the consolidated charges covering every charge up to landing in store at London — viz., freezing, bags, railage to port, harbour dues, and freight to London— which are as follows : — December to Hay Shipment. Mutton 1 15 d —say slightly over 1 l-7d Lamb l-35d— say slightly over lsd • They further lake charge of consignments and sell on owners' account, and the total expenses between delivery of sheep and receipt of account sales are calculated to average as follows : — Mutton l-60A-say, 13 51 Lamb l.SOd— say, 1 4-5 i The New Zealand Refrigerating .Company's works at Oamaru started at the end of December, and I am glad to«say are being kept well supplied with lamb?. Burnside works are expected to be ready for a start at the end of this month — certainly by early in February. They have beea I woi-king steadly at beef, as above mentioned, ; , but generally the works and machinery hjjjve ', been undergoing cleaning -and repairing, and 1 considerable improvements have been made, I bringing the works more up-to-date and in a position to offer greater advantages to patrons than in the pa=t. In the past the fat was sold to local soap men at a fixed contract price, now the company nave erected a proper up-to-date tallow p,lant, and are going to take overthe fat and pay suppliers prices which will , be declared monthly according to rates ruling in the London market. This, I consider, a step in the right direction, and one that will considerably help in maintaining good values for bye products. This applies both to Burn1 side and Oamaru. Both at Burn°ide and at Oamaru the company have now erected up-to-date manure plant also, and this should prove, beneficial ; all round. It was really a standing disgrace to the district that Otago ancl Southland were so largely, if not mainly, supplied with manure ; sent all the way from Ohristchurch. i The freezing machinery and freezing chambers have undergone improvements, too, and 1 special attention has been paid to the rabbit freezing department, which is now a very im- ', portant part of the works. Additional freezi ing power has been added. New slaughter- . houses,- with most modern appliances, have been erected. Mr Hurray, the secretary, lias brought to bear the exeprience gained during his connection with the Islington Freezing . Works, one of the most up-to-date in the colony, and now our Burnside and Oamaru works bid fair to have any reproach of obj soletene.ss removed, and will be able to cope ' with this season's output, which bids fair to • be a large one, in a manner more economical to the company and more profitable to suppliers than in the past. In their own interests, I hope that every farmer in the districts commanded by these works will give the company all the support they can, and make ib 1 a very prosperous one. The prosperity and | advancement of our, local freezing works ! bound up with the prosperity of the farming community. With the loyal patronage of suppliers, the company will, 1 am sure, keep up ; to date, and I hope farmers will see that it is in their own best interests that such 'should be the case. As it is the fashion for other freezing works to buy, the New Zealand Refrigerating Comj pany are now buyers, and have appointed Mr ! David Murray as their duly authorised buyer, j Farmers can sell their stock on the farm direct to the company if they wish to do so at net prices, saving all commiscion and risk, which surely is a considerable advantage. The Canterbury markets are lively, but; prime freezing sheep are far from plentiful, and I think will be fewer by 'a g-ood many than last reason. Lambs, however, bid fair to be in heavy supply. One Canterbury authority places the increase on last year's Canterbury export of lambs at about a quarter of a million. Certainly the lambing has been good, and under such conditions'it seems to me that present high rates can hardly be maintained. Last week at Addington, with j a large entry of lambs, the market was brisk, export buyers paying from 12s to nearly 14s for prime export lambs, and the most of the yarding were po. Smaller lambs brought 10s 6d to 11s 6d. The fat sheep were represented mainly by ewes, which brought 12s to 13s 6d. Prime freezing -wethers were sold at 14s to over 15s. j The Paparoa this week takes, 200 tons cheese , ancl about 6000 boxes butter. The Aotea, at the end of the month, takes , 250 tons cheese ancl about the same quantity ' of butter. Reliable accounts from London say that _ New Zealand butter is landing in better order ancl condition than Australian, and is com- | manding more attention. lam glad this is so, ancl certainly it should be. If we in New Zealand cannot beat Australia, then I ' say that with our climate ancl pasture, we ought to. I have always contended that we -.could do so^ and 1 am glad to think that we have not altered the shape of our box (oblong) to the Australian shape (cube). I have all along maintained that New Zealand should adopfc a distinct box. Those who advocate oubu

boxes wanted to sell our New Zealand nroduce as Australian, and I know that this has been done over and over again in the past. Now New Zealand butter has made its name, the more need for us to carefully maintain a 'distinction. There is one matter that Government should put right, however, but it will need a clause added to the Dairy Act to bring ■it into force. All butter held over in freezing store after, say, March should not be allowed to go forward in the new season, say September or October, unless branded distinctively "Last Season's." The reason I advocate this reform is that at the beginning of this season more especially, and in past seasons also, large lines of stored butters somefour to six months old have gone forward along with or just slightly in advance of our new season's. I have seen letters from buyers of our best factories this season complaining that other buyers were selling the same brands at low prices ancl keeping the market down. These sellers were offering our old stored-> butters at low prices against our new, and the braiul >,was consequently depreciated in value. The boxes might always be 'branded, as is clone in the tea" trade, ■where they are indelibly branded 1898-S9, or, say, season 1901-2. This is a matter our National Dairy Assodiation should deal with, and I have no doubt they will do so. There is just another branch of our export trade for which London men have a good word to say — viz., the rabbit trade. A writer in the Fish and Poultry Gazette says that the condition of the leading branch of New Zealand rabbits landed in London has been most sati:faclory, % and now New Zealand best brands are more favoured than Australian, which previously held the lead. The writer, who has been in New Zealand in connection with the trade, says that New Zealand rabbits should command Id per rabbit more than Australian if great attentiph to grading is maintained. I have heard Australian men say that our xabbits are fatter and in better condition. Great care must be taken by trappers, and also by the railway people in transit, buf there is just one thing I would advocate, ancl that is that trapping should not start till April. The weather is against us -in March, as it is far too hot. La&t year nearly 100 per cent, of the rabbits arriving at_the freezing works in March were too rotten to freeze. I maintain that packers could pay a much better price in April than in March, ancl that this would be a much better arrangement for the trappers. lam afraid, however, they will go at it and waste our blessings — if rabbits are now blessings — as they did last year.