STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3292, 18 April 1917, Page 9

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sales. Monthly (continued). Burnside, Wednesdays Mataura & Waikouaiti, Ashburton, Tuesdays 2nd Thursday Addington, Wednesdays Kiverton, 3rd Thursday Waiareka Railway June- Wyndham, last Thurstion, Tuesdays day Fortnightly. Ealfour & Tbornbury, Clinton, Thursdays Ist Friday Balclutha, Fridays Duntroon & Otautau, Gore, Tuesdays 2nd Friday Oarnaru, Tuesdays liiversdale, 3rd Friday Wallacetown, Tuesdays Waikaka, last Friday Heriot „ . .. ... Monthly. * . Periodically. Palmerston, Ist Monday Waipiata, Lumsden, Ngupara & Whiten, Ist Mosshurn, Orepuki, Thursday J Clifden

OTAGO.

Small fault eoiuu be found with tho weather conditions of the past week, although certainly very little rain has fallen, and the ground would greatly benefit by a good night's rain. The growth of grass has been wonderful this season, and tho nearness of the cold weather should cause no uneasiness in regard to feed prospects. Good, rough feed is assured, while tho loot crops are making satisfactory ncaclway for the most part. As one result of the mild atmospheric conditions, msect pests are only too evident. Swedes in some districts are being taxed severely by blight, and in desperation stock have been turned in, oven at this early date. . Neither of .the sales last week at Balclutha or Clinton could be termed exhilarating. Certainly the yardings of sheep were not up to tho usual standard, and this, together, perhaps, with the uncertain conditions in re shipping space, have served to warn feeders .that it would be but wise to buy cautiously. The possibility, too, that export buyers nave been exceeding their limits lately must not be disregarded. It may bo that they see a strategic way of steadying prices unknown to the guileless. In any case the space available at the Freezing Works is not unlimited. The works at Burnside were closed for a week during the Easter holidays. It will be of interest to learn what allotments of space are arranged for May. Very * few trucked cattle were forward at Burnside on Wednesday last, the entry being from near-at-hand districts. Bulla sold as well as ever, two from up country making £lB and £l9 each. The heaviest would weigh about 4301 b a side. Good dairy cows in good order at clearing sales are worth about up to £ls 10s for cows and £l2 15s for heifers.

Hereford cattle from the Holmes Waimahaka herd arc being largely drawn upon for the North Island, some 70 head having been consigned from Dunedin this season. Thirty bulls were last week sent to .Gisborne The Central Otago sales are being held this week. BURNSIDE MARKET. The yarding of fat sheep at Burnsido was fairly good, some pens of exceptionally heavy wethers being included. The demand was strong, and best sheep were at least Is dearer than at tho previous sale, with medium unfinished unchanged. In a mixed entry of fat lambs tho market came back, best heavy lambs being over Is cheaper than at the last sale; others also were easier. The yarding of cattle comprised a poor lot, an absence of prime finished steer beef being marked. It was a dear sale, and until well through with tho yarding very little beef was secured under 50s per 1001 b. and for some lots 5s per 1001 b more was paid. Towards tho end prices eased, and closed at about the previous week's values. About 230 store cattle were entered. Steady rates ruled for killable stock, bulls, cows, and heifers beintr favoured; but two and a-half-year-old steers and ycar-'blds were comparatively cheap at about £8 2s 6d and £1 10s respectively, and some yards were passed at auction. Some 50' fat pigs and 30 small stores barely suffered to meet the demand. ADDINGTON YARDS. A medium yarding of average-quality sheep was offered at Addington. Wethers were not in great supply, ewes mainly being entered, which sold at late rates, with some fivming towards the close of the sale. Over 5000 fat lambs were penned, which, in spite of their unevenness in regard to quality, evoked an all-round good demand at last sale's values. An entry of a moderate supply of store sheep for the most part, on accountof the wet, making but an indifferent showing, met with a quiet demand. Ewes again formed tho bulk of the offerings. A small entry of 230 fat cattle, including some yards of prime steers, elicited a keen demand at unchanged rates. Tho store cattle offered were only medium, and buyers wcro none too plentiful. Good young dairy cows were making from £l4 10s to £l6; ordinary, about £11; others from £5. The pig section was only fairly supplied, and fats met with a fair demand, while weaners made from 10s 6d to 27s 6d for small stores. BALCLUTHA AND CLINTON. There was a yarding of between 8000 and 90C0 sheep at Balelutha, chiefly lambs

and medium to indifferent grades of full n.nd failing-mouth owes, travelled sheep from Central Otago bulking largely in the entry. While local ewes and wethers met with a fair demand, all outside ewes and backward lambs were practically neglected, and passings wero frequent. There was, however, a fall all round of Is to Is 6d a head compared with the previous sale, inferior stuff declining even more. Bidders were not to bo found for the class offering. Some prices obtained are hero then : —Four, six, arid eight-tooth ewes, 5s 6d; store crossbred wethers, 345; fair half bred wethers, 28s; rape ewes, 24s 6d; other ewes, 18s 6d to 21s; lambs, 24s 6d to 28s Cattle were ?n moderate supply and of fairly good quality, and for two and a-half-year-old steers £8 3s was paid, while tlrrce-year-olds made £l2 2s 6d.

At Clinton some 7000 sheep were yarded, a third of them probably being in dealers' hands and in more or less low condition. Values ruled fully Is a head lower than at the previous sale in this centre, and a fair proportion of the yarding was passed. Sales included the following lots:—Local four-tooth open-woolled wethers. 34s 6d; six-tooth and eight-tooth hafbred wethers. 275: yards of six-tooth ewes were passed at 28s to 3Cs; open-wool failing ewes, 295; store lambs, 20s to 26s lid; others to hold over 14s 6d to 19s; rape ewes, 15s to 235. NORTH ISLAND STOCK VALUES. Some recent stock values ruling m various parts of the North Island are as undernoted:—ln the Auckland district, although cattle are a little easier, sheep sell freely, lambs (good) making 15s 6d to 19s 6d; fair, 14s 6cl; culls, 8s to 8s 6d; mixed twotooths, 30s 2d; small two-tooth ewes, 20s 6d to 245; small wethers, 23s vo 265; weaners (good), £4. In the Manawatu cattle sell well, with sheep rather easier. Shorn lambs, 10s 6d; ewe lambs, 17s; oulis 8s to 9s od; weaners (mixed), £3 10s to £4 3s; 18-month steers, £7 to £8; twoyear steers, £lO 10s. In Poverty Bay values of sheep and cattle are much the same as last week. Lambs, 13s 6d to 15s 3d; two-tooth and four-tooth wethers, 26s to 30s; two-tooth owes, 23s 9d to 33s 3d; old ewes, lis 9d .to 17s 6d; two-year-old steers, -£IC ss; yearling steers, £6 2s. 6d. In the North Auckland district cattle sold freely, with values of sheep not up to vendors' ideas of prices. Yearling steers, £5 10s to £7; year and a-half steers, £8 10s to £9 10s; weaners, £3 10s to £4. FAT STOCK. In commenting tipon the recent Palermero Fat Stock Show the special correspondent of the Pastoral Review writes:—"The Fat Stock Show recently was not only remarkable for the quality of the exhibits, particularly the Shorthorn cattle classes, but world's record prices were established — ; prices which can only bo regarded as being paid for the purpose of advertisement, and not for actual value of meat received. Over £44,000 was realised by the animals sold at tho show. The champion steer realised £2190, while three other steers, winners of the first prize for the best group of threo steers, realised £2270 each. The -eservo champion Aberdeen-Angus steer, bred and exhibited by Sr Carlos Guerrero, was later sold to the Sansinena Company for £873, the greater part, or £B3O, to be-handed to a charitable institution. The Swift Company bought 116 steers for £21,800. and 333 wethers for £2164. The Armour Company, 114 steers for £5380, 75 wethers for £653, and 135 pigs for £975; the La Blanca Company 111 steers for £6020, 98 wethers for £776, and 60 pigs for £619. The Sansinena Company, in addition to purchasing the ' charity' steer, bought 113 steers for £4978." "The British companies did not figure as buyers of cattle on that memorable day," says the Buenos Aires Herald. ''They probably had something better to do with their money." In the fat cattle section at the recent Sydney Show Mr J. N. Boag, of Canterbury, carried off tho honours for tho two best and heaviest crossbred bullocks shown, one weighing 23cwt. CEREAL PRICES IN ENGLAND. Cereal prices registered in England during last year afford some interesting contrasts when set against rates recorded previously. The average price, of wheat was £2 18s 5d per Imperial quarter, or 5s 7d more than tin average for 1915, which, in, turn, was 17s lid in of that for 1914. Not since 1873 has the average market quotation been near the 1916 figure, tho price then averaged being £2 18s 6d per quarter. The highest level quoted last year was £3 15s lOcl in the last week of December, and the lowest £2 6s 3d in the first fortnight in July. The average market valuo of barley was £2 13s 6d per Imperial quarter, or 16s 2d above the 1915 average, and a higher price than had been obtained since 1818. when £2 13s 6d was the average. It is more than 100 years since oats reached such a figure as in 1916, the average having been £1 13s 5d per quarter, which was on advance of 3s 3d on the record for 1915. The previous highest record was £1 18s 6d in 1813. REGARDING FOODSTUFFS. The disparity between the fixed price for Canadian cheese in England (162 s per cwt) and that being paid for the Australian product (about 105 s per cwt) is still causing dissatisfaction to producers in the Comroonwrrdtb. It is understood that tho Premiers of tho chief producing States ax(\ cabling to tho respective Agents-general concerning a

reopening of the question, with a view to a readjustment. The Minister of Industry (New South Wales) has received a report from the Trade Commissioner in London, dated February 8, 1917, as follows:—" Following up the remarks made by me in my last report, I now have to add that an inquiry which I put through to Glasgow, where a very considerable quantity of horseflesh is boing_ consumed, resulted in my obtaining the information that the trade is mainly confined to fore and hind legs only, and that it is supplied from horses slaughtered in .Scotland. Tho bulk of it is being retailed at 6d per lb, and I think, from an Australian point of view, that there is nothing at all in the hoiseflesh question." The Argentine Government has officially announced that an embargo on the export of wheat will become operative on March 29.

WOOL. Tho sixth series of appraisements of wool in Dunedin commerced to-day, wdien some 3000 bales of wool will be" valued. As it is coming to the close of the season, those wools are for the most part lateshorn lots, oddments, and good lines of scoured station clips. At the recent Sydney valuation tho record price for greasy fleece wool was reached—viz., 29£d per lb. Scoured made high values, the top price for scoured merino combing being 43£d. Nothing has so far been decided regarding next season's clip; but recent events seem to indicate that tho Imperial Government will take it over, as was done with the remainder of this season's clip.