STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2600, 13 January 1904, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

I By Deovek. Weekly Stock Sales : Fortn'ghVy : j Euruside, Wednesdays Invercugi 1, Tue_d 3-3 Ashburton, Tuesdays i,... ( i,.,. Arlington, WedneidayH rK f Jlon ' A «- ' J Clinton, Palmerst-or, I'ortniijUly: Wintop, and WaiEalclutha, Fridays kouaiti. | Gore, Tuefdaya Periodically I Oaniaru, Tuesdays Heriot, Kelso, and Kye- i burn. The yarding of caitle at Bumside last week was moderate (about 130), and last ' week's prices were well maintained. Prime ' bullocks ranged between £10 10s and £11; I j lighter, £9 to £10 , good heifers cows, about £8; hghter, about JC6 . ''eat steers £7_ to £3. j 1 expect it wiil be c a-.onth or \.\\o yp{ be- ' fore anything can be done ia die .\ay of ! exporting beef, as at present stocke of prime '' bullocks psen not much beyond what the ' local demand will absorb ; but with the- fine ! season we have for pasture, th?re should be- | a plentiful supply In a few months, as the/€ i are plenty of two to three-y- n>--o 1 d xittle ' corning on rapidly The heavj ejrport of j prim-e bulloekte to Australia l»=t year made a eonsideiable clearance- Fsixnew. obtained excellent prices, but, towards the c-nd of the ' ' season more especially, the huy-er« fared , badly in Australia, as the market fell sud- | denly. There will be no more Australian \ trade for some years at anyrate, and the , London <?xport trade is all we have to rely 011 to clear our surplus fat beef. About 1900 sheep were yarded at Burnside, and as butchers' stocks weie cleared out, the market proved better than was expected, and prices were fully Z-, per head over the pie-nous tv^o weeks. Prime w ethers brought about 20=. good about 19s, light 16s to 17s. Ewes bi ought neaily equal to wothers at this market. The yarding of lambs was about 500, an-1 | the quality not much to bo?j-t of. The holiday demand being over, prices receded about , 3s per head. B.at of the yarding brought about 13s 6d; others Ss to 12s. Fat stock don't =eem plentiful at the moment, but in a few weeks' time I expect to ccc enough ready to enable the freezing works to start operations. In the North > Island the export of frozen mutton and lamb is less than usual, the reason being a bad one for fatening. In Otago, too, owing to scarcity of stock, and dry weather in Otago Central, s-heep and lambs are fattening slowly, but later on (liX will change for ths better. The gias-s at pro-ent k rather en the soft side. The turnip Ct'op eevorally promi=es to be a good one, especiaFy in Southland, and alec in Otago, except in Central Otago. At Addington la-^t week exporters took really prime wpthers at 18s to 20s, *hioh, , even allowing for the improved tone of the London market, is a very high price, and I am glad to know that buyers see a prospect of profit on this pi ice. Exportcie did not seem proportionately keen on lambs, but took prime at 12s to 15s. At Addinp;ton the store shoep market was depre.v-ed, owing, 1 presume, to feed prospects not at present boing very promising. Ewps and lambs, all counted, brought about 8?, forward wethers 15*?, good store lambs Ss 6d to 10s. In i'ast week's Witness there apneared an article on ' The Californian Thistle As a Fodder Crorj.'' which I think

must have r rov cd interesting to many farmers, com-e of whom at least njay possib'y 1 be- inclined to giyj. sen» of the ideas suggested a trial. The-re is no doubt whatever that Calitornian thistle maki?-s capital ensilage, and addn valu-o to any strck of ensilage made from any of the abundan. '■ growths now. as ever, going to waste all | over the countiy. Slock certainly enjoy ib after it has beon cut a day or two, and I have p^en a mob cf cattle clean up a patch j lately cut very qu'ckly. Ti-e writer of thig article expre^ee^ surprise that the making 1 of ensilage- receives so nttle attention from, farmers generally, and I must cay I join with him in this. Several years ago I gave instructions about making ensi'age slack* which I had received from "Totara," and I know cf o few farmers v."ho always make ensilage, and they all speak highly as to ita , value. To dairy farmers it >s infinitely preferable to turnips, and cows will ieave the beufc of turnips if ensilage is within their ie?ch. 1 cannot at present believe thafs ' the amount of labour invched in making ensilage stacks can bo an insuperable barrier, and that suitable matciial is going 1 i to wait© on all farirs this soason i s certain. In case any reade-rs h?v» mi.'s^d tl'is articl-3 in last week's Witness, 1 just repeat the short instruction the writer gives for making ensilage. . "' The simplest way ot making -ejisilage .3 to build a etack higher th^n you v, oukfe build for hay : then make a few fiamce out of stout saplings, ami weieli th~«e frames with rocks or bass of sand. By UL-ir,g f'-amesr a few fe<-"t vs ido placed ao.O" sho stack, you can stßit cuctmsf a portion oi tt I.^1 .^ =taefc as soon as the- er.cilage is ripp Tr.e frames can bf put across the .-Iri<_k, ?rd tho cna! fpcing tlie dr";t quarter «ho'i'd be. cut firet. Shaw or m-bes sufficient to tu:n the rain should tx> nlaccd urjs' the fi»ni'-. Ten cut r.ir.ko ,a fcilo by excwat'iiq a p\ v -oiro dry bank, oi by building - ;'!(.n • . ode-n, 10cm -with a /notable ino r Suo.i <t loorr, lOfl by 10ft and 12 it, hi^h. would IcY xhn pioui'ce from a fhe-iore paddock 1 a>n sure- there 's pot'.nng mj -tenors cr iifPcull about tho matter, rm. n it appears to m-i l- generally suppc<s;>d. The question of (leaii\w, vnh noxious v. ccth ''. ? difiii nH one. fid \\ nppo?)s to t." thai, Cove; u-:?ni. sl'oukl rcLiiiristpj Iho az\. .Tjih eircvm jpeoLion, old that the mspecrci-, 'liould be allovod ? ;onsid c iab!e /ir.r>u»i o! Ja:Ttude as to the ridmijiiatial'.on of ii i b&licy thai ir> thi* lme._i- in all (To\einmeiiv denprtmems. .he ii«pecvoj«s shouM be men ' i;f >nimoie:;' agricultural knowledge, combined v.-itb tare, firmness, .-".d wpfi-oice .uffioic ni to oriabl° vher.i la diicirviiisf? as :c-*:l'ft /nethot 1 of adniinisiei the let. If the ret U tc be adminis-ve-ved v lard end f a-t fhslvor. only, in.ipocvoi- v.v jioL necessary the oi dinar/ pc.licem.i3 rould be rafiicn?ni. I am ?. thorough r<>,'%"B! n ilie law on thi« mati.pi, and wl.nl J 'ike to w*e the act stringent!/ enforced wL-ero wee.^aw, and T know of eases >vhe-e it should be: lands, foi instance, bold foi ipi-rulation either a« freehold or leasehold, Viih nc-hlvr .stock nor ff an on ihem, but gi owing weeds in abunc - Biice to increaL© tlie pesl on smuggling "-o^ tler.' land-, Tdjoi'.ing. T im. however, ol opinion tiini vi c'iffai^ni d'fib cu> theinDihou of dealing v/ltl' Ca iforniat ihi-lle mtj.-t vaiy. It seems to me tl at hi ill T^e 1 : th« fio\vpr should be sit =o 3 - tc prc-veni rcoc'ino I em told by roliable i'»n on the Otago Peninsula and el^vhc-e. that cutting down stimu'atrs the root g'-cm th snci nsaket the g-.ov.th heaviei Whilst i»lnblo top. also t-ell me, and I have seen the .-ame w Golf, that if left alone the thietlc run- us poui'e and dies out like the Scotch tin-'.'". which was a great pest som^ yenv ago. All weeds are bad, the California-.! thistle ?ieoii? them, and fiumcrs and county count lls will do well to loval'y co-operate wirh the Government Agricultural Department in lessening this and all othe'- pests Getting their backs up against the i':spc-ctore. ?=; =ome do, is not the- way to met the duTieulty fjin pinch may be felt induidunlly, and -ecm a hardship, but f am fiim'y pei=uaded that tb* lesri«latin.i h for the gonerDl Rood, and ■will ultimately bpnefit all. Tarn thoroughly con\inccd, ho\ve\er. that ivb hr.ye not neaily a.? much to fear from Califorsiian thi-t'e ii from ragwort, which i= a nasty. poisonous, danaeious wr-cd, and one that has alreaav done much harm 1 hope to =c? mo=t stnn-s-nt measures taken for its n-adication it po-sible. It has iinclonblly piovrd poisonous to l.ouice and cattle, more particularly brp.rdin^ rows, and at somo -tages i is mere poisonous thrn at others. The export of dairy p-oduop. .= now in full swina. and Otaco ard Soulhla-id eontribnta to c'neh formightly shmment abotit 400Q bovo-, butter an T about 2200 causes cf ohc-p-Q; and this should continue m butter till tha end of ilaich, and_ in cheese till the end of Apiil- We <-hall, I think, ha\e a iceord export season in London shipment^. Australia lakes no butter and n very small quantity ol f 4 iee=e As to London prices, the market is afffctcd bj r the increasingly active opera-

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tione of "bulls" and "bears," and it is rather difficult to forecast the future. lam inclined to think that the butter mark&t will settle down to a price yielding from 9d to 9^d f.o.b. As the quantity of chee-se consumed in the six months ending Decembei seems to have absorbed considerably more than ■lialf the Canadian output, I am inclined to ttltink we shall see the market improve at tJjb end of January, and that nrioes should yield eorn-ething oyei 5d f o.b. There is a prospect of even higher prices if tho^e bearang the market lately find the job too heavy {or them.