STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 8

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Bt Dbotbb.

Fortn'ghtly :

Weekly Stock Sales : Burnside, Wednesdays Ashburton, Tuesdays Addington.Wednead ayg

Invercargi'l, Tuesdays Monthly : Clinton, Falmerston, Wiatop, and Waikouaiti. Periodically Heriot, Kelso, and Kycburn.

Fortnightly : Balclutha, Fridays Gore, Tuesdays Oautiaru, Tuesdays

About lEO -head of cattle wore yarded at Burnside, and Hie tone of the market was stronger than that of the pre\ious week for prime meat, but there is no alteration in price. Best bullocks, £9 10s to £10 10s; medium to good, £7 to £8 10s ; best heifers, £6 10s tea, £7 10s ; light and inferior cows, £3 to £4-.

About 2700 aheep were yarded, and prices were down Is per head on previous week's rates, as export buyers are by no means keen at present rates. and butchers alone keep prices up by comjietition among themselves, with the able assistance of the auctioneers. Prices were good enough, however. Best wethers, 23s to 25s 6d ; medium to good, 18s 6d to 225; best ewes, 21s ; butcbero' owes, about 16s. Some 650 lambs were sold, at from 13s 6d to 17s 6d, mainly to butchers.

The latest news from London indicates a fall in prices of both lamb and mutton, notwithstanding the well-known and welladvertised shortage in New Zealand and in New Zealand shipments. Prices have been at a figure whioh retards consumption, and only at more moderate rates can the large shipments now landing be dealt with. Speculators don't care to operate in London at such high figures, and it looks as if the market will rule at slightly lower rates still.

At Addington the fat sheep market ruled about equal to Burnside rates — rather under, if anything. Lambs sold at 16s to 18s 6d for prime freezers ; tegs, 18s 6d to 21s. The store sheep market for forward wethers was as good as that of the previous week, but buyers of lambs and ewes were not quite so keen. Forward wethers, 18s to 21s; two and four tooth ewes, 20s to 225 ; four to eight tooth, 20s; full mouthed. 17s to 18s; old, 16s ; culls, 10s ; forward lambs, from 12s 6d to 16s; culls (shorn), 6s to Ss.

Mr C. J. Reakes, the chief assistant veterinary surgeon on the Government staff, has just returned from a visit to India, and one hopes that what he has to say on the state of India as regards disease among animals will have some effect on the Government in its foolish determination as regards the sterilisation of imported 1 bones. One hopes so — but, really, I am not at all sure about it. One would have thought that the farmers' opinions would have weighed with the Government, but evidently some stronger influence has weighed more with it in deciding upon the utterly ridiculous, not to say useless and expensive, plan of sending so-called experts to India to watch our interests in the matter of the exportation of bones from that country. In the face of tho facts as disclosed by Mr Reakes as to the position there, what possible good can these two men do, even if they vpere the most capable of experts? Thi3 is. shortly, what Mr Reakes says as to the position in India : — It would be difficult to mention a disease of animals which is not present in that country- They are all very prevalent. Anthrax especially is a widespread scourge, and tetanus (lockjaw) also. The carcases of animals dead from these- infectious diseases are not destroyed, and the bones, being a marketable product, find their way to the bone mills, containing their load of anthrax or tetanus disease germs. The Government, owing to ths apathy of th© natives, make little headway in improving the conditions to prevent the spread of disease either in animals or human beings, and it will be a very long time before any improved

condition in these affairs exists,

Surely farmers with this important information before them, should do all possible to prevent the importation of these bones unless they are sterilised at the landing port. Townspeople's sympathy should be enlisted also. I go the length of saying that it would be almost criminal of any farmer to buy these unsterilised bones and put them on his land, and it is quite criminal on the part of any Government to allow theaa lo be landed in the colony. As to the two officials who have gone to India to see that the bone 3 are disinfected there, this method of grappling with the question is simply bunkum, and some members of the Government must, I feel sure, b© well aware that it is so.

The butter market in London has run high this year, and the cheese market also. It looks at as if those who consigned both cheese and butter will do very much better than those who sold, tliough in the early part of the season factories and others took quite a different view of matters. Consignors of butter will probably net from 9|d to 10d per lb f.0.b., September to March output ; consignors of cheese from 4|d to 5d f.0.b.. October to March output. April makes of butter have sold in the North Island at from 9Jd to 10id f.o.b. Cheese outputs, April and May, have sold in North and South Island at 4gd f.0.b.. and a shade over sometimes. Butter will cease, I think, to go to London after the Tongariro, which sailed last week with 11,000 boxes butter and 4652 crates cheese from this colony. No butter was shipped from the South Island, as all factories are storing for winter trade, ancT have done so mostly for a month past. South Island sent 2800 cases cheese by the Tongariro, mostly from Bluff. Shipments of cheese will continue till about the middle of May, as the London market prospects are good, and there is more cheese in the colony than could be consumed locally.

The dairy produce season lias this year been better than anyone could havo anticipated at tb.3 opening of the season, and for this we have mainly to thank the | Japanese, who are the chief cause of the upset in the Siberian trade, which has caused shortage on the Continent and usual buying- from there on tho London market. When the subgcrintion list for ihe

Japarcse wounded soldiers oolnes round dairy farmers should giatefully remember what th© brave Japanese have done for them, and contribute liberally. It will take a loug timo to set the Siberian dairy trade going, evin were the war to end, so that probably New Zealand will feel the benefit of Japanese pluck and energy for some time to come, as evidently Russia does not seem yet to have had quite enough of it. Both New Zealand butter and che;§9 ha\e been ghing the greatest satisfaction in London I am informed on the very best authority.

I noted a short time ago that Mr H. C. Wilkie, of the Government Veterinary Department, was leaving the service; and I am glad to see that the farmers of the Palmerston district have expressed their opiuion of the good work he has done by presenting him with a gold albert chain, sovereign case, and pendant, and saying some very kind things, whioh Mr Wilkie will remember and appreciate, and all of which are well merited by him. Mr Wilkie, in replying, pointed out how very few veterinary surgeons there arc in the colony, ancl advised the farmers to push on the scheme for a veterinary chair in Otago University. As the country gets more stocked and peopled the more work there should ancl will be for veterinary surgeons, and our yoi-ng farmers should looik to this profession in some cases as one that is not crowded out, and offers a useful and pleasant career to many of them. Tho Veterinary College would impart useful information, to many young -mea who don't want to go the length of a profess "onaJ career, but who would like to gain sufficient veterinary knowledge to make them useful farmers. I sincerely hope farmers will not forget what Mr Wilkie said on this point.

I regret to say that Mr Wilkie is not th© only expert who is leaving the Government service. I fear many will leave— of the best men too. The fact is, Government ray and prospects aie not sufficient inducement to th© most competent men. Government will have to content itself soon with mediocrity or worse. I am of opinion that even if we have to do with fewer men they should b© the best in their line that money can get ; but, Government don't seem to see th© importance of the Agricultural Department, and scrimp and pare down more there tha.i in other less valuable departments; for I maintain that the agricultural and pastoral interest is to New Zealand far and away the most valuable, and always will be so. Our whole export trade depends on it, and the prosperity or otherwise of town and country alike depends on it.. <Yet neither Parliament nor Government seem to me to realise this, and the farmers are meek and mild, like sheep, and often indifferent.