BRITISH GOVERNMENT STOCKBREEDING SCHEME.

Otago Witness, Issue 3214, 20 October 1915, Page 14

BRITISH GOVERNMENT STOCKBREEDING SCHEME.

There was published recently by the Board of Agriculture (England! the annual report on the administration of the grant for the encouragement and improvement of the live stock breeding industry for the year April 1, 1914, to March 31, 1915. The report derives exceptional interest from the fact that it provides the first authoritivo account of the progress that has been made with the scheme for grading up the cattle, pigs, and horses of England and Wales. The record of events reflects industry, perseverance, and tact on the part of the responsible officials both at headquarters and in the several districts, and justifies hopeful expectations concerning the future of the movement. Mr Cheney contributes an instructive introductory article, in which he describes the origin, objects, and development of the scheme, and is able to show from the bare facts related that the project promises results of the greatest national importance. The scheme was made possible by a grant from the Development Fund. The commissioners placed the sum of £37,000 at the disposal of the Board of Agriculture for the purposes of the scheme in the year under review, and it was apportioned as follows: 1. Grants to societies or individuals for the provision of bulls .. .. £13,700 2. Grants to societies for the provision of boars 1,200 3. Grants to heavy horse societies .. 9,100 4. Grants to milk-recording societies.. 4,600 5. Grants to the selected agricultural institutions for the emploj’ment of live stock officers 8,400 £37,000 The grant has been divided by the board between England and Wales in proportion to the estimated numbers of holdings above 20 and not exceeding 100 acres —namely, 81 and 19 per cent, to each country respectively—and the same principle has been observed in distributing the amount available among the 12 administrative provinces. The county and local committees and organisations instituted and utilised to cooperate with the live stock officers are accorded woll-doscrved recognition for the valuable services they have rendered both in helping to establish the scheme upon sound lines and in smoothing away local obstacles. Mr Cheney states that the scheme may be considered to have been well received. It bas been well supported in those districts in which live stock officers have been at work for some time in promoting it. Since its inception, virtually February, 1914, 497 bulls and 115 boars have boon located for service, grants have been made in resx3ect of 72 stallions, and 16 milkrecording societies have been formed and have started operations. It is not surprising to learn that the scheme has elicited a better response in some parts of the country than in others, but it will be gathered that the prospects even in the most backward localities are reassuring as to the ultimate results. It is interesting to notice the breed representations comprising the totals. Of the 497 bulls —454 provided by societies and 43 by individuals—337 are Shorthorns, 63 Hereford.?, 35 Welsh blacks, 33 Lincoln rods, 16 Devons, six South Devons, four Aberdoon-Angus, two Jerseys, and one British Holstein. The average price paid for these subsidised bulls was £35 5s 4d — the top prices being £lO9 and £9O and the service fee varied from 5s to _2s 6d, extremely reasonable charges for sires of the class. As in very many cases the purebred premium bulls'have taken the place of mongrel sires costing anything from £lO to £2O, it does not seem an unreasonable assumption that effects -will follow that will speedily popularise and strengthen the movement and simplify the store cattle problem. It is satisfactory to note that representations from certain districts to have non-nedigree bulls included in the list of eligible sires were rejected as an undesirable departure from the original plan. It has been observed that the scheme has already had a good effect in discouraging the keeping and use of inferior bulls. Farmers who have not joined societies have seen the wisdom, and have acted accordingly, of replacing inferior bulls by others of a better class. The conditions of hire have evidently been drawn with intelligent regard for contending interests, as of the 454 bulls provided by societies only_B3 were purchased, the remaining 371 being provided by arrangement with the owners of the animals. The 115 premium Iroars comprise 64 largo whites, 18 large blacks, 12 middle whites,

10 Bcrkshires, seven Gloucester old spots, and four Lincoln curly coats. The average cost of the boars was £7 5s sd, ranging up to £l3, and, as in the case of bulls, these sires have displaced others of an infor io v description. The grants for heavy horses have been made on a somewhat different basis. The co-operative principle was already more fully developed in horse-breeding than in other branches of the industry, and the board havo aimed at developing or supplementing rather than superseding the work of existing local societies. Of tho 65 societies that owned the 72 stallions subsidised, 39 wore now, probably the direct outcome of tho scheme. Tho breeds hired arc not stated, though no doubt the Shire predominated. The number of marcs served was 6365, or an average of 90 per stallion. Tho average hiring fee was £231 and tho average service fee £2 8s 6d. The milk-recording project also has made promising progress. Many difficulties wore encountered at the outset, but perseverance and discretion prevailed, and there is now in operation the nucleus of a very important movement. Already 16 milk-record-ing societies have been formed and have started operations under the scheme, and tho number of cows of which records are being taken : s approximately 7590 —a very gratifying and auspicious beginning. CANTERBURY MARKETS. GRAIN AND PRODUCE REPORTS. (Lytelton Times, October 16.) With every week that passes the dullness of the grain market becomes more and more manifest, until at last it has reached a stage when it is difficult to imagine how the dullness can possibly bo accentuated. When it is borne in mind how readily wheat and oats found purchasers at high prices during harvest time and for some time afterwards, it is extremely difficult to account for tho sharp drop in values, until to-day wheat is practically unsaleable at any price. Tho quotations given below arc based on tho last-asccitained sales; but since then samples have been submitted to merchants and millers which mot with reluctant offers at prices in some cases 9d and Is per bushel below those quoted, without, it is almost unnecessary to say, leading to business. Tho fact is that merchants and millers are decidedly off the market, and many of them having fairly large stocks on hand, the bulk of which was landed in the store or at the mill at prices approximately 7s per bushel, are much more anxious to reduce their stocks at prices which would mean a serious loss than add to their stocks. To sum up the local wheat position, it can be said in all fairness that, except at ridiculously low figures, the cereal is unsaleable at any price. Little is doing in oats, the business being of a hand-to-mouth description, and trade has almost reached the vanishing point.' The business being done is exclusively of a local character, no orders having been received from outside. Quotations, as in the case of wheat, arc purely nominal. The chaff market is dull, and here, again, buyers are few and far between, and the quotations given below are largely nominal. The only commodity which commands attention is potatoes, which still continue to advance in price, the current quotation being £7 10s to £8 on trucks at country stations. The demand comes from the North Island and from Sydney; but it is anticipated that the latter market will not now remain open very long, since tho new season’s crop is coming on to the market. According to the latest cable advice New Zealand potatoes are selling in Sydney at £l4 per ton, while in Melbourne the quotation for tubers is £l2 10s. Local growers arc firm holders, and in several cases £8 per ton has been refused. Now potatoes are now corning on to the North Island market freely, and the current price is per lb. Up to the present few potatoes of the current season’s growth have been placed on offer in Christchurch; but at to-day’s sales a few came forward and realised the extraordinarily high price of sjd to 8d per lb. The following quotations arc for purchase? from farmers, net cash, sacks extra, delivered at country stations, the figures for the corresponding date of 1914 being also given for purposes of comparison. (Note. — An asterisk indicates that the price is nominal, there being little or no demand) : October 15, October 14, 1915. 1914. s. d. s. d. s. . s. d. Wheat .. 4 3to 4 6* 4 3to 4 6 Oats — Cartons.. 311 to 4 2* 2 oto 2 7 Algerians. 4 3* 1 9to 2 0 Duns .. 4 2to 4 6* 1 9to 111 Danisli .. None offering. 1 8 to 1 10 Barley .. 5 3to 6 0* 3 oto 3 6 Peas— Blue „ _ . Prussian 6 0* None offering. Partridge, 5 3to 5 6* 4 0 Potatoes.. 150 0 to 160 0 35 0 to 40 0 Chaff .. 100 0 56 0 to 60 0 Bran .. 105 0 85 0 Pollard ..135 0 130 0 Oatmeal .. 420 0 280 0 Flour ..260 0 260 0 Seeds— Ryegrass 4 6 2 0 to 2 3 Cocksfoot (131 b) 0 7to 0 7J- 0 4J 0 4J White Clover (farm drsd.) 1 oto 1 2 0 7to 010 Cowgrass.. 0 7to 0 8 0 6J 07J Dairy produce — Dairy factory cheese 0 10J Dairy cheese 0 81 0 5J Local fety. butter (Ist grade 16 Local fety. butter (2nd grade Farm sepr. butter 11 011 Farm dairy butter 011 010 Hams 0 10 10 Sides .. n in? Rolls .. 0 10i 0 101 bams 0 H Lard pats 010 OSJ to 0 0 Eggs ..10 010

TIMARU PRODUCE MARKET. (The Press, October 16.) Repenting at leisure is what some South Canterbury farmers arc doing at present—those who declined to accept 7s for their wheat when it was offered. _ There is a fair number of such farmers in the district. It is alleged that in one locality three neighbouring wheat-growers each hold 1000 sacks, for which they could have got 7s per bushel early in the season, and these by no moans exhaust the list of those who gambled on the chance of getting a still bigger price than that above quoted. Sieve-

ral growers have been seeking bids for their wheat from merchants in town this week; but there are practically no buyers, except at prices which holders decline to accept. Nominally, the value to-day of prime milling wheat is 4s 3d at country stations., Local millers are well stocked, and do not consider that they will bo under any necessity to pay abnormally high prices for wheat again in the near future. Satisfaction is expressed that the Prime Minister sees the desirableness of permitting a limited export of our surplus wheat, and it is hoped that ho will act quickly in the matter, otherwise it will bo too late for the Dominion to benefit by supplying Australia with the wheat she at present needs. The misleading official statistics which caused the price of wheat to soar so high and the Government to import some wheat unnecessarily, have cost the country some thousands of pounds; but a portion at least of this could be regained' if it were made possible to sell to Australia the wheat which she requires at present. A Christchurch merchant is reported to have gone a good stroke of business for his firm, selling the whole of Iv's stock of wheat at 7s 2d some months ago, and buying in since at 4s. Bj r reason of the rains lately experienced, the oats market is easier, as feed is now more plentiful than formerly. "V cry few oaks are offerir.tr. and the hulk of the business in th : s cereal continues to be obtained from Southland. Potatoes are apparently in short supply. Sales are being made at £7 per ton, theugn comparatively few tubers are offering. In some cases holders are asking as much as £8 10s; but they are not getting it.