STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3102, 27 August 1913, Page 15

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sale*: Monthly: Bnrnelde,, 'Wednesday*. Ngapara, first Thursday A»hburton, Tuesday*. in ea cb month. Addington Wednesday*. Glen #eoond WedV,I"*** 1 "*** H V ay J nesday In each month. v Tl Ni*" Dnntroon, »eoond Friday Fortnightly: , n mont h. WinClinton, Thursday*. ton> an( j YTaikouaiti. Italclutha, Friday*. Gore. Tuesday*. Periodically: Oarnoru, Tuesday*. Palmerston, Hcriot, Invercargill, Tuesday*. Kelso, Kyeburn.

BURNSIDE YARDS. There was a small yarding of 140 head fat cattle, and as some of the pens had been sold prior to coming m, and butchers not having many on hand, prices were somewhat higher than an the previous Avoek, although throughout bidding was somewhat erratic. Although first-class animals were highest per head, they realised lees per 1001 b than many pens of unfinished cattle. Beet bullocks realised from £l4 to £ls, a few pens of extra heavyweights reaching from £l6 10s to £l7 10s; best cows and heifers, £ll IQs to £l3 ss; lighter sorts, £6 to £8 10s. Of store cattle 118 head were forward, mostly young cattle and dry cows. All met with a ready saio, cews realising l from £4 10s to £6 12s 6d; two-year-old steers, £4 10s to £6; yearlings up to £2 10s. Of dairy cows 75 head were yarded. As might be expected, after the recent bad weather only for cows near profit and not too old was there any demand, these selling at from £7 10s to £lO. The yarding of fat sheep was the smallest for some considerable time, 1060 being the total. The demand was good, more particularly at tiio commencement of the sale, but cased off towards the close of the day. Best wethers sold up to 31a 3d; lighter sorts, from 20s to 265; best owes, about on a par with best wether mutton; hoggets from 17b to 19s.

ADDINGTON YARDS. The fat cattle yarded at the Addington sales last -week totalled 330 head, and of tho.se 120 well-grown animals came from the North Island. The demand showed an casing tendency, but the quotations for beef were unchanged. The store cattle were small in number, but the yarding included a few nice 15-months to 18-rnonths sorts. There was a large yarding of 7000 fat sheep, principally composed of good to prime wethers, with a few pens of ewes and hoggets. Keen competition prevailed throughout the sale, as butchers were In want of full supplies. The market opened at a little below previous rates, but as the sale progressed prices advanced to those of ■a fortnight ago. Extra nrimo wethers brought up to 375; price, 23s to 30s; ewes to 28s, and hoggets to 21s. Wethers formed a large proportion of the store sheep, and ewes, irrespective of ago or class, sold well. Hoggets wore slightly firmer. Prices ranged for wethers at from 20s 9d to 22s lid; ewes, 25s 6d to 26s 7d; hoggets, 16s 5d to 17s 2d. The quality of dairy cows was bettor than at previous sales, and the demand was free, prices ranging from £4 10s to £lO. The medium entry of fat pigs met with good competition, and prices wore on a par with the previous week’s rates. .MUTTON AND LAMBS IN LONDON. The London correspondent of the Pastoral Review, writing on July 4. reports: “The fact that frozen lambs, always the point of interest at this time of the year, are gradually becoming cheaper, must not be taken as the result of an impoverished output. As a matter of fact, the demand, both from London and the provinces, is excellent, although light carcases find all the favour to the neglect somewhat of medium and heavier grade meat. The real reason why prices are dropping is that in a number of eases realisation oT some fairly heavy holdings has been compuborv in on\nr two quarters on account of the tightness of money. This is a rather regrettable feature, but should shipments during the next month keep within a reasonable compass a recovery, it. is expected, may bo looked for. so that, after nil. when the season’s accounts are balanced, a good, result will bo show'll. A perusal of recent prices for lambs may not, after all. be considered unsatisfactorv, when the lateness and the consequent heaviness of the New Zealand arrivals is borne in mind. Nearly 650.000 lambs arrived from New Zealand in June, and a third of that quantity will be marketed in the first half of the present month. Yet it is stated that the accumulations .are very small indeed, and this surely speaks volumes for the capacity of the market, especially when the ample supplies of chilled and frozen meat aro considered. The shortage of River Plate sheep has given the opening for a firmer trad" in owes from Australia and Now Zealand. As a matter of fact, there is very little Australian mutton now to bo seen at Smjthfield. and most of it is going to the provinces.”

THE PROSPECTS IN AUSTRALIA. Tho Pastoral Review thus summaries tho season’s prospects in Australia: “Most parts of Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria are enjoying a splendid season. It is true the lost month or go has been rather on tho dry side, and frosts have been severe, but pastures made such growth early in the winter that there has hern no scarcity of feed. Stock are in prime condition. and the lambing, which is now completed everywhere except in tho south, has

been one of the best experienced for year*. Averages of 75 per cent, marked in ordinary station flocks have been common, and farmers’ small flocks have shown larger increases. Unfortunately ' the - season in tha central-north and southern districts of South Australia, west New South Wales, and,-to a rather lesser degree, the western border of Victoria, is not so satisfactory. Tha rainfall there has lately been extremely scanty, and the country Is more or lea* drought-stricken. There are, or were until the last week or two, considerable track* of country almost denuded of feed, stock are poor, and the lambing has been at the best 6 partial failure. Some moderate rams have fallen over mcs“ of this country recently, and as spring is now on us, it is hoped that pastures will make a fair recovery. A good' soaking rain would now bo most welcome over the pastoral district* of practically the whole of the four State* concerned in the meat export trade.”

THE VANCOUVER SERA’IOE. There was an inclination on thp part of those who waited as a deputation on tha inmo Minister to be unduly severe on thg Union S.S. Company concerning tha arrangements for carrying on the Vancouver service. Iho Union Company is subsidised by tho country, and it is only fair that a. fair proportion of tho cold storage should b» reserved for New Zealand produce. Dufe while it would bo unreasonable to expect tho company to keep tho cool storage space open until tho last moment, and rohisa cargo from elsewhere on tho chanco that it might bo wanted by exporters of New Zealand .butter, a reasonable time should be given to exporters to ascertain actual requirements. Tho other grievance of tha deputation was that all exporters outsida Auckland are penalised to tho exent of ono farthing per lb by having to pay tha coastal freight to Auckland. This ‘is a matter that should have come under review when the contract was being inado. When cargo is offered in Australia it can scarcely bo expected that tho Union Company win collect and carry to Auckland the butter from other parts in the South Island free of cost. It is a distinct hardship that exporters in the South Island have to pay this extra farthing per lb, but it cannot bo said a good case was made out in favour of tha Government paying tho charge. The question will have to bo faced, then, whether the Vancouver steamers will not have to call alternately at a northern and southern port in order that all exporters may ba placed on an equal footing.

FARMING IN THE NORTH. Some notes by an Otago young man who. having gone through Lincoln Agricultural College, has made up his mind to settle ia Matamata, in the Piako district, Auckland, aro of interest. Ho • writes:—“l think graziers hero could carry more stock if they went in for more subdivision and followed cattle-keeping with sheep-keeping, both on the move constantly. They may have to reduce the number of cattle, but the effect of the sheep would bo very beneficial in cleaning up the paddocks after the cattle, giving a short or a long one, according to the season. I fool sure that the fact of a few sheep running about would more than repay the owners in the great improvements in the pastures, and then there would bo the return for wool and lambs. The stock would also greatly benefit by the constant change of surroundings—within limits, of course, — and would bo much healthier than if kept on the same paddock all the time. Splendid crops of hay aro to bo seen on all sides, and if dairymen wish to keep the flow of milk well up to the end of the season, a little catch cropping would bo of great benefit. I think prairie grass would do splendidly hero—in, fact, I have scon a small patch from which a man takes at least five cuttings of hay every .year. It i« very hardy, and stands freet exceptionally well, but does not stand stocking, and that will always bo a great drawback to its growth. The fact of having to cut it and cart it off would stop a number of men who cannot afford the labour. Stock like it, and do very well, arid the coarser it geta the better "it is liked. Failing thie, rye could be grown or a crop of similar nature. Swedes arc largely grown, and do really well, and wmo in for later winter—in fact, are fed from late autumn to early spring. The hay also helps th© turnips out. Mangolds are very little grown, presumably on account of the labour trouble again. Tho climate is too kind for the farmer up here, and he makes the most of it, and does not do any more hard work than is absolutely essential.” STOCK IN THE NORTH, The writer quoted above has not been too favourably impressed by tho stock. Ho writes: —“Tho stock were a great disappointment to mo. Bulla cf very nondescript character aro used, and tho resulting calve* aro gradually deteriorating into a degenerate lino. The young stock are disgracefully kept, and arc in no way properly looked after—skim-milk from birth and nothing added to tho milk to replace the fat removed m process of separation. A little calf meal added to tho milk would bo profitable for tbo dairymen, but it is evidently an unknown quantity in this part. Linseed would gsfAw well here, I am sure. One plajs o cerve-red by an Australian linseed. and U thrives splendidly. A small area sown on tho farm would handsomely return tho trouble expended by better calves —more quickly matured and betteroonditicricd. The Australian variety is, un-

fortunately, no good for this purpose, but the fact of its presence in the country can surely bo taken as an indication that it is at least worthy of a trial. The poorness of the calves must ultimately tell against the milking capacity of the herds in the district. T noticed figures in a paper a few days ago, and there it stated that more calves die of neglect in the Waikato (this district was taken in with Waikato returns) than in any other district in the Dominion. Surely with such perfect climatic conditions as enjoyed up her© this state of affairs could easily be rectified.” A LAMBING EXPERIENCE. In an article on lambing records, contributed to the recently-published Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural .Society, Mr Win. Barber gives the following interesting experience. He says; “One

cannot 1 Jamb' for 25 years without mooting strange and almost mysterious incidents. One evening in 1£99 I.found a young lamb following a ewe which would have nothing to do with it. I brought them in, and was not satisfied the owe had lambed. I got my shepherd to look with mo into the case, and after a further careful examimtion we agreed that the ewe had lambed, and we shut her up with the lamb for the night. In the morning they were let out, perfectly pleased with each other Ten days afterwards I found the, ewe lambing and greatly needing assistance. As noon -is the lamb was delivered she gave a bloat, which was immediately answered by the little follow standing a few yards off, and nothing would induce her oven to look at the newly-born lamb. So I literally had the baby to hold. To this day I have got no satisfactory explanation of tho mystery. I suppose tho lamb must have been one of a pair of twins which had separated before I found them, but I could never discover anything to suit this supposition. Could it bo possible that the ewe had two lambs, one 10 days before the other?”