STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 15

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sales. Burnside, Wednesdays Ashburton, Tuesdays Addington, Wednesdays Waiareka Railway Junction, Tuesdays. Fortnightly. Clinton, Thursdays Balclutha, Fridays Gore, Tuesdays Oamaru, Tuesdays .Wallacetown, I’uesdays. Monthly. Palmerston, Ist Monday Mgapara & Wintoa, isi Thursday

Mataura & Waikouaiti 2nd Thursday Riverton, 3rd Thursday Wyndham, last Thursday Balfour & Thornbury, Ist Friday Duntroon & Otautau, 2nd Friday Riversdale, 3rd Friday Waikaka, last Friday.

Periodically. Heriot, Kelso, Waipiata; l.umsden, Mcssburn, Urepuki, Clifdeu. Mataura.

BURNSIDE YARDS. The small yarding of 123 fat cattle at Burnside last week was mainly responsible for the advance of from 10s to 15s per head; but it seems more than probable that we shall see prices firmer as time goes on, as there is an undoubted scarcity here, as in' all other parts pf the ■ world except the Argentine. There was a decided improvement in the quality of the fat sheep penned., and as the quality suited export buyers they operated freely, and an advance of from 6d to Is per head was established as compared with the preceding week. This has been an indifferent reason for lambs in Otago and Southland, and tne quality of the 2171 penned was, on the whole, not up to the standard. Freezing buyers had reduced their limits, and there was consequently a drop of Is per head all round. ADDINGTON YARDS. As at Burnside, there was a keen demand for fat sheep at Addington Yards last week, the yarding being a small one, and as Y'cst Coast in strong evidence, prices were in most cases beyond the limits of export buyers. Extra prime wethers sold up to 35s 6d, and prime 23s 6d to 295, while extra ewes made up to 27s 6d, and prime 21s to 265. Fat lambs were in fair demand, the average for freezing weights being from 17s 6d to 19s, and light and unfinished 15s to 17s. There was a good demand for the small yarding of store sheep, and a pen of two-tooth ewes made 22s 6d, while another good line realised 21s 2d. The price for fat cattle was firm, and 29s to 33s 6d per 1001 b may be given as the current quotations. There was a poor demand for store cattle. There was a slight advance in the prices for pigs as a result of a small yarding. CEREALS v. SHEEP. From several quarters of late we have had words -of warning as to the risks attendant on the giving up of grain-growing in favour of rearing fat lambs for the export trade. There is no doubt mixed farming is less risky, and in suitable districts cerealgrowing in conjunction with lamb-1 attening does not impoverish the Soil to the same extent as confining attention to one lino only. It is to be feared, nowever, that farmers, finding Hamb-fattening to give better immediate returns, and requiring very little labour, will leave to others the patriotic duty of growing enough wheat, oats, etc., to supply local requirements. The labour trouble is the .crux of the position, and so long as mutton, lamb, and wool remain at the present high Prices a better return can bo obtained from sheep than from wheat-growing, even on land where 40 bushels'to the acre can bo relied upon. Now that Gorman lines propose to visit New Zealand, it may be interesting to farmers to know that the German Government pays its farmers a bounty of 7s per quarter on oats, and 12s per quarter on wheat, and proportionate bonus on oatmeal exported to * Great Britain. The bonus in 1905 is estimated at £1,500,000, and five years later it was over £6,000,000. The result is that the Germans are able to flood the British market with cheap wheat and oats which, but for the bounty, would probably be replaced by New Zealand oats and wheat. DAIRYING AT EDENDALE. "What dairying has done for the Edcndalo eettlers was shown by Mr John Morris, who presided at a social given by the directors of the Edcndalo Co-operative Dairy Factory Company to the milk suppliers. It was at Edcndalo that the first dairy factory in the Dominion was established by the late Mr Brydone, then manager of the N.Z. and A.L. Company. Mr Morris said they had {mid out in 10 years up to the 31st August ast £300,000 for milk. This year’s figures alone would be £50,000, making a total for the period of £350,000. The payments for their first complete 12 months for milk was £l4,3oo—this showing a very substantial increase year by year. The value of their property at the time of taking it over as a co-operative concern was £3000; while today they had property (land, buildings, and plant) to the value of £14,116. They were gradually building up a reserve fund in cash; and at the present time the sum of £I7OO was in the bank towards that end, so that when the time came that some of their buildings would, require renewing—and that time must come sooner or later—they would have the funds to do it with. The foregoing figures (continued Mr Morris) went to prove how the closer settlement of Edendale had tended to the circulation of

foreign capital in their district, and to enhance the value of their lands. CARROTS WITH CEREALS AS A COYER CROP. It may be of interest to dairy-farmers to 'know the result of experiments made by the Royal Hungarian Plant Breeding Station at Magyar-Ovar during the past two years to determine the possibility of growing carrots with one of the cereals as a cover crop. Eor the first experiment the carrot seed was drilled in on a rather poor calcareous loam at the beginning of April. To obviate the necessity for singling out the seedlings, the seed was sown very thinly. The cover crop was winter wheat After the wheat had been harvested the carrots were hoed by hand, and eventually harvested at the beginning of November. The yield obtained was not very high, but this was chiefly due to the poor condition of the land used for the experiment. On land in a better condition it was considered that the yield would be greatly increased, j The second experiment was carried on on | similar lines, but the carrots were not har- | vested until the beginning of March. It ! was found that the varieties the root of which developed completely under the ground did not suffer in any way from frost, and could be used for feeding purposes as desired during the winter, except when the ground was frozen. It was also found that little injury was done to the crop if the carrots were lifted with a plough. The weather during the two years was wot, and it is admitted that the experiment might have been less successful in a dry year; but in view of the feeding value of the root .it is considered that, -with the adoption of labour-saving devices, this method of growing the carrots might be extended. CROSSING. A rathering striking result of crossing has been recorded in the Live Stock Journal by a breeder who crossed his Jersey cows with an Angus bull. The first cross, JerseyAngus, he said, was a very fine cow without horns, very like an Angus, with a Jersey head and eyes, and an excellent milker. He bred her to a Jersey bull; her heifer calf was of a light colour—almost blue-black; not so massive a cow, but an excellent milker, giving very rich milk. Hecrossed her heifer calf again -with a Jersey bull, and he bred the oow he was anxious to get —a dark, almost black, Jersey, with beautiful Jersey head and horns, rich milk, an excellent milker, and a very handsome animal, much more robust than a' true Jersey, still retaining all the good qualities of the Jersey. Her breeder mtends to continue breeding her with a Jersey bull. He adds; “The distant cross of the Angus is all I want to make the Jersey cow live and do well on any pasture. This last cow of mine has not been housed all the winter, and is in fine condition.” ;