OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

Otago Witness, Issue 2541, 26 November 1902, Page 16

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

(Continued from page 9.)

(Prom Oob Own Cobbkspohdrict.') CHRISTCHURCH, November 22. The season continues dry, cold, and backward. An occasional shower Crops and falls,, but it is only local, Pastnres. and any growth which may be started by a warm day is ehecbed by the persistent return of the wind to the east, with frequent frosty mornings. Of genial spring weather we have had scarcely a ;limp?e. The effects are mobfc perceptible in the milk supply, which is much below what it should be, considering the increase in the herds. Lambs are fatt&ni.ig very Jowly, though the absence of wet :ompensates to some extent for the shortage *f milk in the ewes. A good warm rain would set ;yerything growing rapidly, and give a splendid harvest proppect. The area of oats is very large, and unless tho Australian tariff is modified a very low price will have to be taken for the grain, as the South African requirements are much raialler than they were during the war. Good prices for wheat are assured, though not so high as those now current—unless the price rises in America. It appears certain •that the price here will be governed by that at which Californian and Manitobaii can be laid down in Sydney, at present 4s per bushel. Still, 3s 9d f.o.b. is a good paying price for New Zealand wheat. Barley, also, promises to command a high price, Australian, crops being extremely light. Stocks are light of all kinds of grain; many farmers have not enough oats to carry them over harvest, while miller have evidently insufficient old wheat for oming requirements.

Shearing having been retarded by the cold weather, there was not a Wool. large entry for the opening wool sales of the season, on November 20, the catalogues comprising 4510 bales, of which 3746 bales were sold. The wool was almost entirely farmers' crossbred of various grades, generally in good condition. There was a good attendance, and spirited competition for all classes. The colonial mills, local scourers, and buyers for Yorkshire took the wool in about equal quantities. Good merino and halfbred and the finer crossbreds averaged lid higher (merino sometimes 2d higher) than at the opening sale last year, and medium crossbreds jrd U Id higher, while coarse crossbreds and longwools brought fully last year's opening rates. The me in merino and halfbred was looked for, but the improvement in crossbreds (on recent rates) was generally unexpected, but is accounted for by to-day's news from Bradford ji r rise of 20 to 25 per cent. in. these grades in the last two months. The advance is very welcome to farmers, who are ihe* principal growers of the lowei qualities of crossbred in Canterbury. A noteworthy feature of the sales waa the purchase by one of the mills of a quantity of the *oarse wool, indicating, it may be assumed, that some use has been found fo»- t in their trade. Still, the quantity that tu-n be 'o consumed can bear but uu infinitesimal proportion to the production. The High prices ol stock nd the doubts as tc their continuance are Lire Stock. causing a rush of sheep to the market — cattle and pigs .ppear tc b© «yell cleared out. The large supply, lower prices in Sydney, and the indifferent quality of much of the entry combined to bring lown prices at this week's sale, but a guinea foi freezing wethers and 17s for maiden ewes are capital prices for shorn sheep, while half -fat wethers afc 14s tv 15s 6d and ewes at up to 14s are prices which would not be approached at this time of year were it not for the South African trade. Cattle sell at up to 35s per 1001b — much too dear for Sydney — and pigs at tho rate of 5d to bd per lb. Verily farmers are having a good time ju«t now. It is useless to send our prime muttoo to South Africa or Australia — it is oo fat. The store sheep "eason has not opened yet, nor are any contracts for fat lambs reported. Price- of both will no doubt open high, unless the London market collapses. Our biggest operator in sheep and . lambs — Mr W. B. Clarkson — has had a seri- j ous illness, am* though he is recovering favourably, it is doubtful whether he will be ible to tackle the season's work. He has good sons, owever, whs will keep up the competition. Except in implements and machinery, there j Iva-s been little new at this Shows. year's shows, nor any marked improvement in stock, while farmers apparently will not show produce, the best display of which was at Leeston, consisting of potatoes, mangels, and seed grain. Abundant evidence of the need for greater sounSness *n our breeding horses was visible everywhere, bad l tut ia, ik» joung dr&uahi «taah hrtnn ioj

prevalent as to be almost general. A show that made great progress is Waimate, which is declared by those who attended both to have been a better show than Tfonaru. South Canterbury is an unequalled grain district, but somehow the sheep and cattle there do not come out as they ought to. A visitor to Blenheim tells me that the sheep at that out-of-date place were better thau those at Timaru ! This is not as it should be as regards Timaru, and the farmers there will have to wake up. It is stated that there was a profit of £250 on the Ashburton show, which was a great • success ; the draught horses, yearlings excepted, were splendid.

Though the various proceedings relating to the changes in the teaching Lincoln system at Lincoln College College, have been "in committee," it is published that endea-

yours are being made to obtain a resident veterinary surgeon, the idea being that in addition to lecturing and treating stock at the institution and taking his turn on duty in the residential part of the establishment, lie shall go out and lecture to farmers. When Mr Lowrie was appointed director it was TJven out that he would get into touch with the farmers by giving addresses to them : he has given, as far aa I know, two addresses, boTh well received. Perhaps the new veterinary lecturer — when they get him — will do more. The subjects at present taught will, it is stated, not suffer by the changes, and, of course, it is possible that greater prominence to veterinary science and practice may bring more students to the college. I understand that the position and proposals have been brought informally under the notice of the Stock Department, with what result I cannot say.