OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 20

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET

fFHOM Ontl OWN Cotmws-PONIVRNT.^ CHRISTCHURCH, February 1. Like the rest of the Dominion, Canterbury has been going through a remarkably dry period. Day after day the thermometer registered high, but the hottest days were, I think, January 20 and 29. On the latter date the temperature in the shade was 91.4 in the morning, rising to 95.3 in the afternoon, and in some places going up to 159 in the sun, giving, as local papers say, a record for Canterbury- And what has been peculiar for here is ihat the nights have also put up a record for heat, the temperature on the night of January 20 at some places registering as high as 9C degrees at midnight, being even hotter than during the previous day. There have been several other hot nights, but the one mentioned holds the \-ecord. Though there have been a few spots of rain on four or five days, the only fall worth mentioning was on the night of January 16. The rain was fairly general, though in some districts very light. The best returns given was nearly an inch. Again, on the night of the lasL day of the month another nice rain fell, and as it has kept cool and overcast since, it should' have a very beneficial effect on the rape and turnip crops. The first sale of the New Year at Aldington was, like all holidayStork time markets, small and unJlarkets. satisfactory. Since then, with one exception, there have been pretty full entries in all departments. Fat cattle have been fully yarded week after week, and fat lambs show increased yardings each succeeding sale. The quality of the beef has, with a few excep lions, been only of ordinary description, vpry few prime sorts being penned, cows forming a big proportion of the yardings Best steers are now only making from £8 10s to £10 ss, others £6 15s to £7 15s; heifers £4 15s to £7 ss; cows £4 5s to £7 10= or about equal to 21s to 23s 6d per 1001b for best steer beef, and rom 16s to 20s for other kinds. The store cattle yardings have been of a medium character, both as regards numbers and quality. During the early part of rhe month there was little or no inquiry, but a better tone was manifest at the last sale, and prices showed an improvement, 15 to 18 month cattle selling at 28s to 565, two-year-old =teer to 50s, heifers 425, three-year old steers to £4 12s 6d, heifers from £3 to £3 ss, good dairy oows to £7 10s. Fat Sheep. — The yardings have generally been on the small side, a bip proportion being ewes, the low prices offering at auction for wethers deciding a good few owners io send them to the freezing works oil their own account. This, with the smaller entries, has had a tendency to harden prices at later sales, particularly for prood ewes, a few of which have been taken for export. Prime wethers now sell at from 16s 6d to 20s, light and unfinished 15s to 16s 9d, prime crossbred ewes 15s to 17s; others, 10s to 14s 6d. Fat lambs are now coning forward in large numbers, last week being a very full yarding, but the quality, taken all round, leaves a lot to bo desired, the "reject" being very noticeable in all lines brought forward. This is a great mistake, as owing to their presence they damage the whole line, as buyers cannot feel every one, and naturally put down a greater proportion than there may be. It would be far better for the .farmer to err the other way, and ieave out any doubtful one, as the presence j of half-finished ones tell against the price of the whole line. Freezing buyers are now operating freely, especially for well-finished, well-drafted lots. The prices now given are to.- tegs (over 421b) 15s 3d to 17s lOd. best freezers 13s 3d to 15s, light and unfinished 11s to 12s 6d. The price now offering is 4jd to 421b over all for prime at freezing works. The yardings of store sheep have? with one or two exceptions, been large (last Wednesday being the record for some time past), a. big proportion consisting of lambs Notwithstanding the dry weather, a very fair demand existed, which, assisted by buyers from outside, have had a tendency to harden prices. Owing, however, to the extra supply brought forward la^fc Wednesday, prices gave way somewhat, but a very satisfactory clearance was effected. Pigs.— The entries, with the exception of hist Wednesday, were on the small ode. A good demand exists for all classes. Good baconers are now selling at from 45s to 625, or equal to 5d per Ib, porkers 30s to 42s 6d, or from 5d to s£d per lb. Country Sales.— Yardinge have been small at all centres and business limited. At the Culverden sale on January lo (the opening sale of the season) 3500 sheep and lambs were yarded, of which IJOO were in the fat pen?. Tat lambs fflade froffl l?s 'S

' to-I4s 9d, faf wethers 14*" 7d (the bulk oV this class were withdrawn and sent to the freezing works on owners' account), store merino wethers 4s to 4s lOd, two-tooth three-quarter-bred 1 wethers 8s 9d to 9s 7d. Until th 6 latter part of last month very little business was doing, 6 rain, holders of old grain lookFotntocs, etc. ing for higher prices than ■buyers irere prepared to give. \Vith the advent of new season's gra.in business has looked up somewhat, and a fair number of sales have taken place. Old wheat has been selling at from 4e 7d to 4s lQd, new season's 4s 3d to 4s 3£d, country stations, sacks extra. Oats are at 2s to_ 2s 3d at country citations, according to kind and quality. Banrlcy 5s to 5s 6d. The record sale of the season for this cereal is, I think, that made by Mr Walter Parkinson, of Kaituna (near Lake Ellesmere), of 8000 bushels a. 5s lOd per bushel oi trucks. Potatoes. — New season's are practically on a retail trade at present, from £6 U £6 15s being about market values. Old season's are now, almost anaaleable — in fact, some stores are offering' them to anyone for the taking away. Notwithstanding. the dry season, a few bigsales have lately been Properties. effected, including a further subdivision sale by auction of Mr D. Cameron's Springfield Estate, near Me-thven, on the *26th, when 3250 acres were offered, aaid 2310 acres sold a auction at prices .ranging .from £10 to £22 5s per acre, averaging £15 3s lid. This must >c considered a very good price, as the land was mostly of a light description. Since the sale the old homestead, with about too acres, has been disposed of for £9000. Another good sale was the 'Waiiti property of Mr I. A. M'Rae-Pe&cock, Swannona, of 2000 acres (800 acreß very light), the purchase money being about £25,000. At the clearing sale of live and dead stock held on this estate, at which there was .a very large attendance, high prices were given, and four-tooth halfbred 1 ewes realised 21s 3d to 225 ; draught horses, £31 to £50, 17 averaging £43. At the third sale of the season 17,862 bales were offered, being an inWool crease of 2360 bales on the Sales, January sale of last yeai-. The large withdrawals from the previous sale no doubt accounted in. a good measure for the increase. 'The wool, taken all round thie season, will not compare favourably with last year's, being harsher and dingy through dust. There was a larger numbei of buyers present than at the previous eale, and right from the start a better tone was .noticeable, a keenness which was quite refreshing after theprevious sale 'being in evidence throughout the sale. Prices for all kinds weTe better, crossbred, showing most improvement. Halfbred and three-quarterbred aleo made better prices ; tip to 13£ d was given far merino, 12id for halfbred, and to lid forcrossbred. The sale lasted from 9 a.m.. to xi.3o i.m. the first diay, the second day being taken for star (one bale) lots. The crops, though generally light, are turning out very much better Harvest. than, was expected, and th« samples bo fair submitted' have been of pretty good quality, both in wheat and oata. Forty to 60 bushel crona of wheat are reported, though 20 to 30 seems to be nearer the average, and averages of up to over 90 'bushels oJ~ oats are reported, though anywhere from 30 to 70 bushels will be albout the general average. In some districts barley has given a good) return. Two oropa in the Kaituna— Little River districts are reported to have thieshed out, one at 75 bushels and the other at over 60 bushels per acre, both being excellent jatnples. In sympathy with other parts of the Dominion, Canterbury has Tires. been having its share of fires. The most disastrous wat; the one at Hororata, when fully 30,000 tc 40,000 acres of gir&ss, etc., was completely swept, and some 1000 to 1100 sheep burnt. Another fire, in which a big stretch of gra«s country was cleared. to«k place on the Burnt Hill run. Other fires of more or less extent took place at Balmoral Station, Amuri (grass), Waikari Valley (grass and crops). Swannona (grass, stacks, and threshing plant). There were many other of losser note, including one on the Cashmere Estate, near Christohurch, which unfortunately led to fatal results, Mr Moon, the caretaker of Victoria Park, meeting his death >rhile fighting the flames. He wag so badly burnt that death took place within a. couple of days.