STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2927, 20 April 1910, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

By Droteb.

Weekly Stock Sales: | Burnside, Wednesdays j Aehburton, Tuesdays | Addington, Wednesdays Waiareka Railway Junction, Tuesdays Fartnightly: Bulclutha, Fridays , Gore, Tuesdays Oaniaru, Tuesdays Invercargill, Tuesdays

Monthly: j Ngapara, first Thur«I day in each, month Glenavy, secojid Wednesday in i i<it is'.-ttk Dunixocm, zvatA .Friday m eich ?u.st.£W Clintvo, »nd \V*i» kcu».M. Heriot. Kc\.*o. iL'i»k*ia

The stock markets at bo;» At'U&ujftoa aa»J Burnside were well suppled lo?l *.>Mik. AC Addington wethers (not in bc»i\y supply) maintained their price, but lamb* were down 6d to 9d per head. At Burnside prices for both iamb and mutton went down about Is 6d per head, the immediate cause being that the freezing works had intimated to buyers that no more stock could he taken in as the works were full. This state of matters will probably continue till about the end of the month, by which time it is hoped clearances by shipments will enable the works to meet their clients' requirements. Meantime only a few are being killed at the works as room can be found to freeze them, and themanagers are doing the best they can to please their clients—not at all an easy matter. As showing the pressure on the Burnside works this year, it may be mentioned that up to the 10th of this month from Ist of February they have put through 71,300 carcases, as against 37,700 for the corresponding period last season. ■ The Canterbury and Southland works are nearly all in the same condition at present—that is, " full up." The rabbit export trade is meantime stopped.

When export buying is resumed, it seema certain that lower prices must be faced.: I hope not, but the fact that shipments are and will be heavy froir this out is already causing a downward tendency on th* London meat market. Up to now prices have been good—far better than anyone anticipated, and on the rise each week. Now it seems we have come, as it were, to the parting of the ways, and prices must, I am afraid, gradually decline, though I hope not to any great extent. Trade in Britain continues much more buoyant, than it was last season. 1' should say that if there has been speculation in purchasing at late prevailing rates the speculators must be rather anxious. I still advocate a policy of selling at whatever the current rates of purchasers may be.

About the 20th of May the winter shipping freights come down one tenth to ona eighth of a penny per lb, and when activ9 buying is resumed in May this may have a helpful influence.

Messrs H. S. Fitter and Co., London meat salesmen, writing under date March 4-, describe the then market conditions, and note as ever the strong demand for prime, small mutton. Will we ever be able to cater for the market with plenty of what is wanted instead of at present with far too much of what is in excessive supply and not in demand. The report referred to is as follows:

The month that has jus' closed has beo» the wettest February for ten years. TjV&s week was mild and wet, &.nd the conditions are still unsettled, although this month has opened more favoura'-ly. The present supply of Scotch and Hcniekilled mutton is in marked contrast to that* of last year. For a long period in the earlyi pa.rt .of last year Scotch sheep were only! worth s*d to 6d per lb, and old ewes wer« such a drag on the market that 3d per lb was the best price obtainable for them in, most parts of the country, and in consequenca provincial dealers had no need of frozen mutton, so the demand chopped off. This year prices for Home-killed mutton a*«> quite ljd per lb dearer, which brings about: a distinctly better demand. At present the demand for frozen mutton has not responded so well to the shortage ad might have been sxpected, but this n* doubt can be accounted for by the fact th&tf the cheapness and superior eating qualities! of the Lamb have lately encroached on thtf mutton trade, and the proportion of frozen} lamb consumed this winter has been far be* yond previous records. Now, however, tha» the prices of both New Zealand and Aug*, tralian lambs have gone up there is everSjT probability that the price .of *mitton wlUi also improve.

The price of New Zealand lamb continues very firm, and the marKet is now in suofif ia healthy (owing to the satisfactory! trade in Australians) that shipments nom coming to hand are being easily dealt wito/ and many inquiries are being made for futurtf arrivals. The first of the new season lambs, show rather a large proportion of light lancfi plain carcases, but >s the season advances',no doubt this defect will disappear TegS •are usually very short at this time of ting year, and as prime small mutton is very; scarce the demand is good and prices very, firm.

There has been a moderate supply ofl chilled beef, some of which has been uusatiafac.tory as regards condition, but prices ar* st-.'-"-\ ] y. The d'>ni;Vf! for frozen be-ef shows a vi< v '-t i!v"i'(ivs-ment and there ar#

tramerou-.. for good, quality,. ,well- : covered pesi-... ..... ~.-.-.-.... ~*■,-.. ...... • •,--..'. The" slight improvement in weather has benefited the pork trade

T&ere was a good meeting at Edendale ca tbe Bth inst. of dairy factory representatives to discuss the scheme suggested by Hie committee of the National Dairy Assofiation foi the selling of cheese and butter At monthly auction sales for the coming season. Factory representatives wer< present from Stirling on the north to Drummond and Otautau—about 30 etelegates in all. The scheme as suggested was geneTally approved, with the of the place of elling, which was to be at first Dunedin as a central place to suit buyers. Southland factories, however, are strong on having the sales at Inveroargill, and so it was decided at this meeting that the eales should be.at Lyttelton, Dunedin, and Invercargill. This will not be convenient for buyers, and will also add to their expenses, and also to the expense of auctioneering, as thre* - sales instead' of one will have to be held. However, it is quite natural that Southland men should want the sales in Invercargill, as they want to ttend the sales, and intend to constitute the selling factory representatives i committee to fix the price on the day of sale. The whole mattei has to come up at the annual meeting on June 1, and 1 hope that a true spirit of co-operation and sinking of provincialism and self-interest will to a great extent he manifested.. Farmers need to co-operate in many things, but experience has shown how difficult this is to bring about.

The following figures read at the meeting show the value of the exports of dairy produce for this season to the end of March from the "three South Island ports : BlufF, £161,000; Dunedin, £124,300; Lyttelton, £93,850. ■'

JSh& writer of Australian Dairying Notes in the Pastoralists' Review for March ■urges the dairy farmers of the Commonwealth to eo-operate, and I commen'" the following remarks to the N.Z. dairy farmer, to whom they are equally applicable. "There ie such a disposition to stand alone and act independently on the part of the dairy farmers that cooperation continues to be confined within im.row limits. The principle has been applied "to the simple matter of manufacturing butter and cheese, but in the marketing sphere, where there is so much at stake, the individual for the most part does not seek the help of his. class. He expresses his grievances at publio meetings, but is disinclined to seek the aid of co-operation. Co-operation needs a certain fitness in the individual, and the history of modern dairying shows that the success of a country or community may be measured by the degree to which that fitness has been acquired."' Denmark is a notable example cf this.

Dairy farmers in Australia, as in New Zealand, largely neglect pig-keeping as an adjunct, and an important one, to their business. The Australian dairy experts tell us that there are 30,000 less pigs in South Australia and 150,000 less in Victoria than last year, and the same thing ie found all over the Commonwealth, and the pig export trade never develops. Farmers go in for a wheat crop or for fat lambs, when there's a- boom on, and neglect the humble pig, and at the same time often fail in on their wheat oi fat lamb venture, about which they lack experience. Dairy farmers know that they can actually afford to neglect pig-farming as an adjunct, but i'SB land advances in price this will not always be the case. The pig industry must yet 'norease. Meantime, " regret the fact that dairy farmers are really losing at present by the neglect to give pig-rearing and feeding their fair share of attention.

Rabbits continue to thrive and flourish in Otago and Southland,. the only districts in. New Zealand where the frozen rabbit export trade is carried on. No doubt it is a valuable industry, and puts lots of , money in the pockets of a very large body of professional rabbiters, and I have no 'doubt somefarmers also. The question is. d< we want be exterminate the rabbits, or do we not? This is a question for the farming community of Otago and Southfend to decide. If they do decide that rabbits are to be exterminated, 1 venture •to say it can be accomplished. The experience of Marlborough and Wairarapa shows this to be the case. The farmers of these districts decided that -abbits were a pest, and initedly took steps, independent of Governir--mt aid or inspectors, to rid thoms-ilvts of the poet, and in all these iparts tir&j ],*ve man..g«»l to keep the rabbits pre?...-..*:* in checu. wnd without any considerable expors-e 10 themselves. They wa*-« united in t,«*4i«g rabbits as r pest, »nd would not e.'low tfcw establishment of «n expor trade in frozen rabbits, and this is the main reason of their success. I know many farmers wou'd like to see the same course adopted in Otago and Southland, but probably there are more who would not, as they profit directly or indirectly through the frozen rabbit export trade. Ir, is nothing less than a farce Government employing abbit inspectors to treat rabbits as a pest whilst the majority of the farming community are right against them in this view of the matter. Perhaps rabbits are not n pest at all —it may be that they are so valuable an asset to Southland and Otago farmers that they - BbouJd be encouraged instead of exterminated. Some farmers complain that the fcabbit inspectors cannot lake their neighbours keen rabbits down, whilst they willingly do so themselves. No Government •rabbit inspectors, were they ten times as numerous, can do any good. It is for farmers unitedly to say what they want done —that is, whether in honest attempt shall unitedly and whole-heartedly be made to reduce the pest to a minimum, or that rabbits are a valuable asset, and should be preserved to supply the export trade both In frozen rabbits and skins. There is no kniddle course that would be of any use. At the present moment both skins and i.vrcases are at a high figure, and there Beems little, prospect of prices falling. If it is decided that rabhit6 arc a valuable asset to farmers, then Government inspectors, with all the expense to Government »nd worry to settlers, should be abolished at once.