STOOK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2735, 15 August 1906, Page 6

STOOK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Bt Dbotbb.

Weekly Stock Sties : JVto W* •' Burnride. Wednesday! laverc.rtill, Tawsiay* Aahburton, Tuesdays Monthly: AddinitOß,Wedne»#»y» chuton, Patoenrtow, Fortnightly: Wiotoii, anS WaiBalcluAa, Fridays G«re Tuesdays Penodteauv: Oamaru, Tuesday! .Heriut, Kelsc, and JCyebura. There was an over-supply of cattle at Burnside last week, 228 head being yarded, and the inevitable fall in prices resulted. On good to medium cattle the fall in price was fully 15s, but really prime beef maintained its price. Prime bullocks sold at from £10 to £12 17s 6d; medium to good, £7 to £8 ss. If feed is at the moment scarce in some parts, large yardings will probably follow, and prices of medium to good cattle may further recede, but I think prime beef will not be in over-supply for some time. Witlj the high prices for dairy produce, and likely to rule during the coming season, dairy cattle will command good value. In the, interests of farmers it is a pity nothing has yet been done to mark in somfe | way the unprofitable and culled cows which I find their way to all salcyards. The cuter dairymen in many cases arc testing and i culling out unprofitable cows, but the worst of it is that these are still used, merely going from one party to the other, and something, I am sure, could, and should, be done at once to check this growing evil. About 2300 sheep were yarded at Burnside, and this being an over-supply prices fell, although the yarding, consisted mainly of fairly well-finished sheep. Inferior sorts suffered a drop of abput 2s per head on the previous week's rates. Prime heavy' wothers brought 24s to 275; others. 22s to 235; medium to good, 19s to 21s; inferior, about 16s. Nearly 600 so-called lambs, but really fat hoggets, were yarded, and the market .was, a dull one, export buyers only - taking a' few. Heaviest sold at from 18s to 19s, and tlie balance at from 13s to 17s. lam inclined to think that export buyers will now cease operations in these fat hoggets for the season, and it will be found that the supoly in London of this nondescript is more than sufficient, as Australian lamb (real lamb) wili soon be in jpcod supply there. 1 The yarding of fat sheep at Addinpfon last week was large, and consisted mainly of unfinished sheep sent in because the freezing works close down this week. Prices were no more than on a par with Burnsulo rates. About 1000 fat hoggets were «ol<l, the heaviest bringing 20s to 265. and the rest selling at from 14s to 18s. At one time we 4ispd to say. and To firmly believe, that New Zealand would always hold the frozen lamb trade, and retain first place on the London market. lam br no means sure that this is so. 3VIr Gilbert Anderson, in his valuable address, urged upon farmers methods for maintaining ouv position as tho premier lamb-exporting country, but his advice has not been taken, tho reason of this beinpr that farmers are finding out that it pays better to .do otherwise. One of the best sheep farmers near Christchurch told me that he had a fine lot ot lambs last season, and that he Mmmexiced sending ia truck loads ot the best, and, got 15s at first and & little later on 16s 'to 16a 6d for really prime roilk-fed lambs. He then held on, and got frem 19s to 23s for the balance some months later, in the shape of tegs or fat hoggets. The 23s lots were culls when he was piekiner out his first drafts of milk-fed lambs. Feed was abundant, and the cost of keeping these hitfher-priced sheep was very small indeed, fio tliafc he has come to the conclusion, which no doubt has proved t/>

bo c-oviKt in the past, that it pays better to hold" and sell fat hoggets than to sell them as lambs. . These fat hoggets are the same as what the Scotch farmer sends ta London as "fat hoggs," and they take their place, and no doubt are not in most cases sold as frozen mutton. Light-weight prime mutton i& scarce everywhere, neither Argentina nor New Zealand producing this cksV of meat to any "extent. In all exporting countries, while the cry has beeft for prime fight-weight' carcases, sheep farmers have found all along that heavy carcases have paid them better, and this season the bigger fleeces of the heavy sheep have considerably enhanced the prices. It seems to me exceeding probable that the export lamb, trade will in the ir^tr future be catered for by Australia, and that New Zealand will gradually do le9s in real milk lambs, and continue to do the main export traide in fat hoggetß. This seems to me to be what is coming to pass. New Zealand, with its abundant feed both of grass and roots, ia eminently suited for this trade. - Australia, on the other hand, is not, but Australia can-, and will, until a drought comes, produce rapidly prime lamb. She cannot' fatten these lambs, however, like we can, and produce fat hoggets in the one season, as feed with them grows scarce as the summer advances. They wilt. however, carry some of these lambs over, and the following season early fatten them rapidly and export prime two-tooth mutton. which will be hard to beat. New Zealand t farmers have a deep interest in what is I going on in Australia, as the frozen meat market will be largely affected by tho Commonwealth. We used to think Argen- | tina our one and only great competitor in i the meat trade, but I am inclined to think ' that Australia must eventually be the \ greatest. I There is another ponifc— viz., fhal the sheep farming in Australia is conducted mainly by a very intelligent class, who ' also are financially strong, and can spend large sums in breeding: and improving. Whilst close settlement in New Zealand is a real good thing in the main, I do not think it has in the past, nor will in the future, tend to improve our sheep breeding. The larger sheep breeders have done most in importing and improving our breeds of sheep, and the small farmer, I regret to say, seems to think* he can't afford to do anything in this line. Personally I think that the position really is ! that he cannot afford "not" to do so. X am, however, not sanguine that he will do it. lam just afraid he will follow on the. lines of the dairy farmer, and breed from anvthin/r; but I sincerely hope he will not. I hope he will improve upon the methods of the dairy farmer in the past, aa I hope and believe the dairy farmer will see the seriousness of the position, and mend his ways rapidly, and I am glad to say many arc doing so. The usual buying campaign in butter started early this year, and is now nearly over, only a few factories remaining to be sold. Usually buying starts in August, but this year the first week of July saw many factory outposts to end of March sold at lO^d f.o.b. During July prices rose srradually by sixteenths to lOjd, and then, by sixteenths stitt, to lOjd. During the

past fortnight some of the, largest factories' •utput were sold at lid f : 0.b., and- this is - bow the price, and three of the largest buyers will struggle" for the few factories that remain unsold, and probably during the next fortnight we may hear -of over •lid being paid. No factories which afe free seem inclined to consign, as they have done in .ihe past, and' l must say lam not; surprised at .their hesitating to do so. , I Ifchink it would require a deal of nerve* on the part of factory directors to jre^use such pig prices as a certainty, and risk the market'in the hope of getting more. The more bo is this the case as in' the past 10£ d has never b^en netted by consignors, much less lid. lam of opinion that such prices are not justified, although the outlook at Home is by no means unpromising. This buying is to a large extent the result of , keen rivalry and trade jealousy between some large firms. . This butter can only be sold at such extreme rates as will check consumption, and supplies from all parts will at the same time be rushed on the British market. Further, it is probable that every three tons of New Zealand butter will be turned into at least four tons . by blending and manipulation, and supplies from here and Australia will eventually, say about February and March, press heavily on the market/ I factories are wise" to sell and not consign. "A bird in the hand is worth two' in the bush." As yet operations, in. cheese haver bardly commenced, alrhougtrwe b^ar of offers considerably exceeding: fttst Jear.'s .prices having been made. Factories seem inclined to postpone selling, and, probably they, are right. I know. of- only one factory definitely fixed — Kaupokonui, whose output is •bout 1260 tons- to end of March, having decided -to consign. 'Erobably. the Wairarapa and Taranaki cheese factories will also .consign, as they usually do." In Canada prices -are ruling very high. Two large firms, fighting one another, have raised prices considerably, and everything points to a high cheese market in London for the coming season — probably higher than last. Cheese has gone . well into consumption, and has this advantage over butter, that it cannot be adulterated and made to expand from three tons into four, as butter under man inflation is made to -do. Cheese will beat butter in butter-fat payment. Otago and Southland factories have. I think, a-pleasant outlook before them. The battle between $He fighters— for' the. same parties will compete in New Zealand — may cause fluctuations, .but supply anandfm&nd must rule in the long run, and I therefore, although -I am not sure enough to nvophesy (Mark Twain says never prophesy ■Mil you Enow), with certainty predict a record season in prices for cheese.