STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 9

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sales- j Monthly (continued). Burnaide, Wednes; 1 Woodlands, 2nd ThursAslilmrto'n, Tuesda-., J day Addington, Wednesday- tVyndham, last ThursWaiareka Railway Juno- day tion, Tuesdays Balfour, 3rd Thursday Wallacetown, Tuesdays Thornbury, Ist Frid.iy Duntroon & Otautau, Fortnightly. 2nd Friday Plinlnn Thursdavi Riversdale, 3rd Friday Jdliffi Waikaka. last Friday Sre! Tu'eslays y Clylevale. last ThursOatnaru, Tuesdays aay Wallacetown, Tuesdays Periodically as AdverHeriot, Thursdays tised. Monthly. m Orepuki, Wutaura, Palmerston, Ist Monday Waikouaiti, RiverVt'inton, Ist' Thursday ton, Ngapara. ana Duntroon, 2nd Friday Otago Central tales. OTAGO. Some very warm days were experienced -during the week, with variable temperature at times, winding up with mist and light rains from the north-east, the climatic conditions being fairly general throughout Otago, and quite favourable from a farming point of view. Indeed, no extremes have so far been reported. The root crops are doing well, while cereals are rapidly "coming in." and being secured. Some of the crop is tangled a bit, but a fair job has been made in respect to cutting same, and may yield comparatively well. As yet the bulk of 'the rape crop has escaped the blight, although there are cases on extra warm faces where its appearance has perhaps hurried up the feed* ing off. Potatoes are being lifted in places, and the yield seems just moderate. Not? much alteration in stock values is apparent since last report. Buyers can be found for practically all grades of cattleat the lower level touched a fortnight ago. Dairy cows of quality are readily, taken at £l2 to £lB, with in-calf heifers of milking strain well worth £ll to £l4. Store wethers' and ewes., it may be noted, have inquiry from the north. _ It may or may not have been noticed that several of the unlet sections in the "Clifton Settlement • have been temporarily, let for short periods for grazing purposes to adjacent owners of land, failing their being taken up by returned soldiers. There is nothing else for it, and, of course, one can understand that grazing areas at this nresent season would be readily taken up by near-at-hand land-owners when returned ' men might find it difficult enough to tie themselves up for a lengthy term on that same countrv. It is in no way a recommendation that the country is good or bad. A survey party is busy at work at the present time on the Gladbrook Estate in connection with the subdivision of this property. Failing an alteration in 'the law, so as to allow soldiers at the front to participate in the ballot, it is suggested by the Otago Land Board that part of the estate be retained until such ■ time as the interested men return. Another property—the Westco'tt Settlement (1835 acres), in the Tuapeka County—is to be"set aside for returned men. Areas suitable for fruit farms and mixed farming will be provided. * It will have been noted that Mount Royal Estate, Palmerston, has been sold to, wo arc glad to write, an Otago man, who takes, it is understood, the stock, etc., at valuation. Mount Royal is a wellgrassed property for the most part, and yet considerable improvement is possible in the output of wool, both in point of quality and weight per sheep. BURNSIDE MARKET. There was a big* yarding of fat sheep of excellent quality. Thanks to the operations of an export buyer (who would have to rail his stock to the Pukeuri works), a good sale resulted. The trade, in view ot the hot weather, were not keen upon heavy sheep, and filled their requirements with medium-weights at values ruling a fortnight ago. Heavy sheep were about Is 6d° a head under rates of a fortnight ago. It will be remembered that prices last week were away up owing to a short supply. The store sheep yarded elicited a comparatively poor demand. Some small halfbred two-tooth wethers were passed at 23s 4d, good strong-conditioned, open-woolled, guaranteed sound-mouth ewes at ?.9s, and a yard of similar sorts at 28s. Well-grown store lambs, mixed sexes, failed to find a buyer at auction at 19s 3d, and a big yard of merino ewes were passed in at 15s. Old merino ewes made 3s 6d, and old longwool rams 15s. There was a good selection of fat cattle, but the demand was in no ways keen at any time, and beef made much about the same money as at last sale—viz., to 46s 6d for prime light steer, and 44s for heifer and cow per 1001 b. About 200 store cattle with some 30 bulls were penned. The condition was generally favourable. The demand experienced showed little if any difference to last sale's slackness, and reduced rates were still evidenced. The lots changed hands at £ll to £l2 for big-framed Shorthorn cross cows, medium cows £8 17s 6d to £lO 15s, and a pen of email black-and-whito two-year-old steers made £lO 7s 6d. Dairy cows were saleablo at firm values. Small yardings of fat pigs and stores made late rates. ADDINGTON YARDS. Generally the yardings of stock at Addington wore larger than lias b*en customary lately, tho store pens being of chief

• 1 interest. Eat sheep of moderato quality \ elicited a fair demand at late rates. Nearly 6000 fat lambs of mixed quality were yarded, average and unfinished quality predominating. Prices were easier than at last sale by Is a head. Some 1500 were passed at auction. The over-all price probably ranged about 8d per lb. The store sheep pens were overflowing, and included some 900 ewes from the North Island. Evyes met with a good demand, but competition was easier for lambs, with wethers meeting an irregular demand. Store lambs wero probably about 6d a head lower,, tho decline being more noticeable in inferior lots. The demand for an average lot of fat cattle was unchanged, exporters only being able to secure a few* head. There was again a good yarding of store cattle, chiefly young sorts of about 18 months old. The demand was indifferently good at about the level of last sale's prices, and a numberwere passed in. Cows in milk wero sell-' ing at late good rates—say, £l3 to £l9 for best sorts. Although store pigs were quieter, there was a good demand. Eats . were unchanged. .

EALCLUTHA AND.CLINTON. At Balclutha on Friday some 6000 sheep and 150 head of cattle were submitted at auction to a very fair attendance of local graziers and northern visitors seeking stock. The sheep comprised mostly young sorts, two-tooth wethers, and a few pens of sound-mouthed ewes. There was a keen demand, and generally northerners outbid local farmers, and prices stiffened considerably in comparison with values ruling at last sale. Two-tooth ewes ranged from 26s to 37s lOd, two-too'th wethers to 32s Bd, full-mouthed Romney ewes 30s 9d, good mouths to 31s sd, and others 20s 9d to 253 6d. Fat sheep we.re rather easier than prices lately ruling at Burnside, the decline being about Is a head. Fat cattle wero dull of sale, while stores were saleable at the reduced rates which have at near northern markets. At Clinton the preceding day about 1500 sheep and a few cattle were yarded. Values were on a parity with the rates of the previous sale. Northern buyers were not in attendance as at the Clutha the day. i Chiefly' wethers were offered, two-tooths and four-tooths making to 325, a few six-tooths and eight-tooths 32s 3d, and six-tooths 335. Crossbred lambs were slow of sale, mixed halfbreds selling at 20s and paddock lambs 20s 6d. A lino of mixed sexed lambs was passed at 18s. 4d. Cattle wero unchanged. NORTH ISLAND STOCK! VALUES. No very appreciable change is noticeable in tho values of stock at sales in markets in the North Island. In the South Auckland • district beef makes up to 52s per 1001 b. Store cows range from £7 to £8 ss, year-and-a-half-old heifers. £5 to £6, and weaners £2 to £3. In the WanganuiFeilding area, two-tooth ewes make 27s to 325, woolly lambs 17s, shorn lambs 15s, weaner steers £2 10s to £3 10s-, yearlings £5 ss, two-year-olds £7 to £9, and three-year-olds £lO 10s to £l3. In Poverty Bay forward wethers brought from 29s to 30s 6d, two-tooth wethers 23s 6d to 265, and four-tooths (in big lines) 26s 6d to 28s. liuthe Wairarapa young, strong sheep sell well at 23s 6d to 30s for mixed two-tooths, year-and-a-half old steers 'to £B, two-and-a-half-year-olds £lO 12s, and three-and-a-half-year-olds £l3 10s. In the Manawatu young sorts are in request at firm rates. In the Wellington province sheep are rather firmer, two-tooth wethers realising 26s 9d, with cattle somewhat easier than a short time ago. Yearling steers and heifers brought £5 10s to £7 10s, station lots a pound or two more, two-and-a-half-year-old steers £ll to £l2 10s, and cows and calves to £15.. In Hawke's Bay weaner steers fetched £2 ss, two-year-olds £8 'to £lO, two-year-olds to three-year-olds £l2 to £l3, store cows £6 10s to £lO 4s, wether lambs 9s 6d to 13s 6d, woolies 15s 6di two-tooth wethers 22s to 275, and forward sorts 30s. THE FARMER'S LOT. A correspondent in the Adelaide Register, facetiously referring to some of the problems affecting farmers, moro particularly those in Australia, says a monster openair meeting was held on the Naval Reservo, Green's Plains, to consider the advisableness or otherwise of securing a close season for farmers, to save them from complete extermination, and the oldest and most honourable occupation known to man from becoming a lost art. In discussion of the pros and cons and other views of the case, it was clearly proven from statistics, rainfall records, bush fires, and so on, that the farmer is born to trouble, and is full of it from tho time he goes on tho land until he goes under it. If ho starts without capital ho seldom gets any afterward, and if he starts with capital he rarely has any after the start. If rabbits, 'foxes, and weather permit him to grow a crop, tradespeople and others are waiting for him to take it off; and if ho fails in that to their satisfaction ho is mostly taken off himself. If his rre'thods of cultivation are poor, so also ■will be his returns; and if ho works his land well and increases thoso returns so also docs ho increase his taxation and reduco his profits. He seldom can buybags until he sells his wheat, and ho cannot sell now till he delivers his wheat, and, of course, can't deliver tho wheat till he gets tho bags—-a problem which ho has to work ous for himself. Should he eventually succeed in getting it to the railway siding, he lias no further say in the matter,

for the wheat goes into a pool. He is regarded as the lawful prey of insurance men, the machine agent, and the tax gatherer, and may be stopped at any time or place to show cause why he should not_ contribute to one or all of these institutions. Should he succeed in making an income he is fined in proportion to tho amount thereof, and if he fails to make that income ho is regarded with suspicion and distrust. Should he attempt to supply his household requirements by gardening and dairying he is at the mercy of the parakeet, the snail, and the drybiblo; and, failing to go in for these industries, he is regarded as a wasteful and extravagant man. When he patronises the King's highway ho has to provide himself with a swiftly-moving motor car with which to dodge' his enemies. And even for this < necessary method of self-preservation he has to register himself and pay a license fee. These are merely a few of the minor evils and worries which help to fill up and shorten the days of the man on the land: hence the chairman of the meeting moved, and declared carried unanimously, on his casting vote, a resolution to the effect that the Government bo asked to proclaim a close season for farmers from January 1 'to December 31, so as to give them at least a working chance. REGULATING UNITED STATES MEAT FIRMS' PROFITS. - " Regulation of the packing industry, so that tho price of meat to the retailer and consumer may be both stable and cheaper, has been announced by tho chief of the Meat Division of the United States Food Administration," says the Australian Meat Trade Journal. "In accordance with the announced policy of the Food Administration to abolish speculation and unfair profits, this official, in his statement to the packers, declared that profits in the meat business must in no case exceed 2.5 per cent of the sales. Moreover, the annual earnings of the five big packers cannot exceed 9 per cent, on the average capital necessarily used in 'the business, it being pointed out that these five concerns have diversified business adjuncts that are outgrowths of, but not necessarily a part of, the actual packing of meat. Detailed rules and regulations are to be issued to define the general principles outlined and to prevent diversions or concealments of profits, and packers' accounts are to be subject to inspection at all times. The intention is to protect the small packers, and the adjustment of pork prices at the expense of beef or mutton is not to be net after expenses are paid, interest on money borrowed being considered an expense. ' The five large packers stand in a different class,' says the official report. 'They have vital and important services to perform to the National Government in this- war. Upon them rests the burden of preparing the bulk of the meat food products which our arniv and tho armies of our Allies require. It has been determined that the meat business of the large packers shall be subjected to the same restriction as that of the small packer—that is, a 2.5 per oent. profit on 'total sales—with the additional requirement 'that the total annual earnings from his meat business shall be limited to 9 per cent, on his average capital necessarily used by him In that business, including borrowed capital.' " STALLION LEGISLATION. In view of the forward move .made in Tasmania in connection with 'the registration of stallions, the Weekly Courier draws attention to what has been achieved in the United States. In a report on " Stallion Legislation and the Horse-breed-ing Industry" the Bureau of Animal Industry at Washington, United States, states that "in Wisconsin a law regulating the public service of stallions came into operation on January 1, 1906, and since then 20 other States have passed similar laws. Tho laws vary a good deal in the different States, but their general trend is summarised. With all of them certain standards and conditions must be met before a stallion is allowed to stand for public service. In some States certain diseases and unsoundness disqualify a stallion for public service; in others the stallion is permitted to stand, but any unsoundness must bo mentioned on the license certificate, as well as on all posters, circulars, cards, etc, used by the owner for advertising purposes. Tho laws in most of the States require every stallion claimed by the owner to be purebred to bo registered in a stud book published by a society recognised bv tho State as authentic and reliable. Before a license is issued the certificate of registration and pedigree issued by one of these recognised societies,, with an application for the license and an affidavit certifying to the conditions as regards soundness,, must bo presented to the licenseissuing board or commission. All stallions for which such a certificate of registration cannot be produced are. if other conditions have been met, licensed as grade, crossbred or mongral, and sound or unsound, according to the provisions of the law in the particular State."