STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3114, 19 November 1913, Page 15

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sales. Burnside, Wednesdays Ashburton, Tuesdays Addington, Wednesdays Waiareka Railway Junction, Tuesdays. Fortnightly. Clinton, Thursdays Balclutha, Fridays (tore, Tuesdays Oamaru, Tuesdays invercargill, Tuesdays. Wallacetown, Tuesdays. Monthly. Palmerston. Ist Monday (I lenavy, 2nd Wednesday 1

Xgapara & Winton, Ist Thursday Matanra & Waikouaiti 2nd Thursday Riverton, .'tnl Thursday Wyndham, last Thursday Balfour & Thornbnry, Ist Friday Duutroon «i Otautau, 2nd Friday Iliversdalc, 3rd Friday Waikaka, last Friday. Periodically. ITeriot, Kelso, Kyeburn, liUmsdoii, Mossburn, Orepuki, Clifden.

BURNSIDE YARDS. At Burnside on Wednesday there was a full yarding' of 248 fat rattle, 40 heads being cows and heifers. The quality all round was not up to recent sales, and several could only bo regarded as good stores. Many found their way into the hands of graziers. Another consignment from Waiinahaka included a few exceptionally good bullocks. Prices were down from 5s to 10s per head, and beef may be quoted at about 54s per 1001 b. Extra heavy bullocks brought up to £l9 2s 6d; prime, £l3 to £ls; best cows and heifers, £8 10s to £lO 10s; lighter sorts, £5 2s 6d to £7 10s. A fair yarding of store cattle included two lines of tnvee-vcar-oM and four-year-old steers, which sold up to £lO. One line was brought from Christchurch, but only one pen was cold. Dairy cow; sold at ulxmt last week’s rates—namely, from £5 to £9. A fai>- yarding of 2190 fat sheep found butchers competing keenly as a result of tho previous week's small supply. Sales opened at about Is lower than the previous week’s sale, and then cased somewhat, but recovered again at the close. Best wethers sold at up to 36s sd; medium, 25s to 30s; best owes, 24s to 355; medium, 21s to 235; shorn wethers, 20s up to 265. The 270 fat lambs included an entry from the Mahcno d’strict of nice quality. Prices ranged from 15s to 20s 3d. 'the price of pigs was about tho same ag the previous week.

COUNTRY SALKS. At tho usual Clinton block sale last week there was a small yarding of bheop, only 71 wethers were penned, and three realised from 23s to 23s 6d. Only a few head of cattle were yarded, consisting of a few dairy cows and a pen of young cattle. Dairy cows brought from £4 10s to £6, and yearlings realised from £2 10s to £3. At the fort,nightly stock rale held at Balclutha on Friday last there was a large attendance, and competition for all classes of stock was keen. There was a fair yarding of fat sheep, and a small number of stores. Fat cheep told from 23s to 30,, 6d, good 25s to 26s 9d, and medium 23s to 245! Tho bulk of the r.ntry of stores was passed in at auction, although very high prices wore offered. Forward two and three-year-old fat bullocks met with a ready safe at late ruling rates, but young oattle were not in such good demand, and a numbi r were passed in. Fat bullocks £lO to £l2 10s yearling steers o.nd heifers £l 10s to £2 10s’ store heifers £3 10s to £4, and cows to £B. There was a large entry of young pigs and half-grown sorts. Suckers realised 18s to 255, and stores 27s to v 3os 6d.

THE CO ENTRY. The weather of late has been of a somewhat “ mixed ” character, hut, taken round, lias been favourable. The'oM showers which have fallen have as a rule been appreciated. There is a plentiful supply of grass, and crops arc making fair progress. If the strikers would only resume work and industrial peace once again reigns, there is every prospect of a prosperous season. The output of butter and cheese is likely to ho considerably in advance of last season, and with good prices a satisfactory return is assured. The export of lambs is also likely to he in advance of last year, and it seems hkeiv that the freezing works will have to make an early start to deal ■.itli lambs fat off the mother’s milk. Wool still maintains u, satisfactory price, and this appears likely to continue, while in most districts, ns a result of a mild winter and a favourable spring, the quality should show an improvement. But it is essentia! that all

this produce should bo sent away promptly, and tho strikers must realise that the producer, in insisting that his produce should bo sent away promptly, is engaged in a life or death struggle to an even greater extent thaiv the strikers.

NEW MARKET FOR MEAT. On all hands it is believed that with the removal of the duty on frozen moat there will be a good market ; n the United States. No doubt the Argentine will supply the Eastern States, but as this will mean a reduction in the quantity sent to London, that should prove a benefit to New Zealand and Australia. The Australian Meat Journal believes the demand from the United States will expand largely during the next few years. Our contemporary recognises that Australia will have keen rivals in South America and New Zealand, and points out that the country to capture the bulk of it will necessarily bo the one which places on the market there the meat of best quality. Any slackness in the quality or in the handling will materially lessen the chances of doing anything like a large business, and it is imperative therefore that the utmost care should bo observed by Australia in initiating and conducting the business. There have been already rumours of grave errors having been committed in connection with certain trial shipments to San Francisco. Fortunately, these have been mostly technical ones, which have been put right; but Australia cannot possibly afford even technical errors when dealing with a trade of such importance as the frozen meat industry.”

EFFECTS OF A SHORTAGE OF LABOUR. The tendency already noted to give up growing cereals on a large scale in favour of raising lambs for export is all against closer settlement. The dairying industry, on the other hand, is best suited to limited holdings. The labour question is always more or less acute where cereals are grown, and to a less extent where dairying is carried on. In the keeping of sheep, on the other hand, the labour question is abolished in a large measure except at shearing time. The value of sheep on a farm is undisputed. As woed-destrovers they have no equal. They improve tnc land on which they graze. No other farm animal is better adapted to keep up a farm in fertility than is the sheep. Their manure is better and richer than that from other animals, and they generally leave most of it in places where it is needed. But the raising of sheep and lambs only on a small area would not pay--at any rate, it has not been demonstrated that it could bo made to pay. So long, therefore, ns the land is jn mode-rately-sized holdings, there is no danger of the rich lands of the Dominion being converted into sheep-walks. On the other hand, in order that dairying and corn-grow-ing may be carried on profitably, a supply of suitable labour must bo available.

WHAT IS A IROFITABLE COW? Farmers who have not tested their dairy herds to discover the butter-fat yields of the individual oo vs, would be surprised to find how many of them are giving results below the cost of keen and management. The question of what is a profitable cow was discussed recently in an article in Hoard’s Dairyman, in which the writer points out that unices a cow produces exceptionally rich milk, she is not profitable 'unless she produces more than 40001 b of milk per year. In other words, wo do nor believe that it nays to keep a cow unless she would produce at least* 2COlb of fat, and it is lietter to have a herd average 3001 b of fat. hen cows arc given good care and supplied with abundant fc<vl there is something wrong if the cows do not produce rnoro than 400011* of milk. A beef animal capable of raising her own calf must give _ between 30001 b and 40001 b of milk, and it is scarcely correct. to say that an animal giving this amount of milk is a dairy animal. It is considered better for a cow and her calf to give the cow a rest between her periods of lactation. From six to eight weeks is considered about right for a good dairy cow. It is not wise, however, to force a persistent milker drv. Care must be taken at this period or thorn is danger of (ho udder becoming caked and permanently injured. With a cow that peria giving milk 12 months in the year, it is well to decrease her ration and give he r nothing but dry food when she is nine and a half months along in her period of lactation—that is. if she has been bred to calve 12 months from the beginning of her cer.qd of lactation. As a rule, it is not at all_ difficult to dry a cow off if projoer attention is given at this period.

MANURING FOR MILK. An interesting trial in manuring grass land and e«fimat : ng tlm rr=>.ilfs In +h" „,:ip of cows fed on the grass has been carried rnj- wor'lv, Tim r •. pc-m,, -f („.« Iv - n ip progress for four years. A piece of meadow eight acres in extent was dAided into two equal portions in 1909. The whole had lOcwt of ground lime, as a remedy for moss. One plot had nothing else, 'while the other had in addition 4cwt superphosphate and l.jewt sulphate of potash per ! acre. No manure has been applied since 1909. The effect of the artificial manures ‘W'OS shown »p n c *frilrtr»n r m'jpr'"* f*v- ui, improvement in the quantity and quality of the herbage, the proportion of clover having greatly increased. Two lots rf cows were fed on the two plots, being changed from one to the other every fortnight.

,'t fl,r, rr,p r) f +p r r, o months, in 1912. it was found that 119 gallons per acre moro m.iK nau octal obCaiiit.fi trom tho manured than from tho urunanured plot, although tho manuring had been done three years before. In each of the Unco earlier years there was a like increase, but a smaller cue. Deducting the cost of the manures, and allowing only 6cl per gallon for the extra milk, fhe total profit in four years was £7 16s per acre. As tho herbage of tho manured plot was improved in quantity and quality, there must have boon a further advantage in grazing it after the trial had ended in each year.

JUDGING AT SHOWS. The burlesque side of show-judging was shown up at the recent show at Perth, W.A. In the class aside for a breeding pen of strong-wool merinos, one ram and two ewes, of any age, to bo judged for correct mating, the judge of the strongwool ewe classes, to whom the duty of judging these pens had boon entrusted, awarded the first prize to the exhibit of G. J. Gooch, and duly entered up the award in his book. A few minutes later the judijo of the strong-wool ram classes, not knowing tliat these pens had already been judged, having received instructions to act, carefully inspected these sheep and awarded the prize to another exhibitor. In course of time, the steward in attendance on the first judge, not knowing that there had subsequently been a second verdict, placed the first prize ticket over the Gooch pen. Another official, being under the impression that a mistake had boon made, removed the card, and placed a first prize ticket over the pen which had been placed first by tbo second judge. In duo course, the first judge made inquiries as to why his decision had been altered, and it was then discovered that two different verdicts had been given. As neither judge seemed disposed to give way, a third judge was called upon to judge the class de novo. He gave the first prize to another pen altogether. It was quite passible for everybody concerned to put in a claim for the first prize, but they one and all appeared to behave like thorough gentlemen.