STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3352, 12 June 1918, Page 9

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Wwkly Stock Sales, j Monthly (continued). Burnside, Wednesi Woodlands, 2nd ThursAshburto'n, Tuesda, <*uy ~--.. Addington, Wedneiday / .Vyndham, last ThursWaiareka Railway Juno- /day tion. Tuesdays Ualfour, 3rd Thursday Wallacetown. Tuesdays Thornbury, Ist Frid.iy Duntroon & Otantau, Fortnightly. 2nd Friday minfnn Tlmrsdavn Rlversdale, 3rd Friday Sn?L Fr,S Waikaka, last Friday Balolutia Fiidays clydevale, last Thurs--8 ore, Tuesdays J , Oainaru, Tuesdays * Wallacetown. Tuesdays Periodically as AdverHeriot, Thursdays tised. Lnmsden, Mossburn, Monthly. Orepuki, Wataura, Palmerston, Ist Monday Waikouaiti, Bl»M> AVintou, Ist Thursday ton, Ngapara. ana Duntroou, 2nd Friday Otago Central sau.e. OTAGO. Fine weather, with cold winds at times, was general throughout Otago during the week and a good winter so far has been experienced. Land is turning up in tip-top order. All classes of stock are firmly held under a quiet demand. Certainly, the appreciation noted last month has been maintained, although transactions are limited. There is ample rough feed about, and holders of stock are not uneasy in that respect. There are other troubles, however, which should serve to warn graziers ot stocking up too rashly. It is of interest to learn that a substantial advance has been made by the Imperial Government in re meat in store m few Zealand. The £3,000,000 lodged at Home against holdings hero will help the finance considerably of freezing companies and others. . Some indication from the Home authorities should be sought in regard to the purchase of next season's wool chn. Unlike the meat purchase, the wool output was not bought for the duration of the war, but yearly. ' It is impossible yet to say what area will bo put in winter, wheat this winter in Otago. Not a great deal, it is feared, despite the guaranteed price. The Commonwealth, by the way, have guaranteed their producers 4s 4d per bushel, less freight, from delivery point for next season's crop. It is anticipated that an Order-in-Council will be gazetted nmmediately fixing the maximum retail selling price of fowl wheat in New Zealand.

BURNSIDE MARKET. The- selection of fat sheep yarded at Burnside covered a wide range as to quality. All prime sheep—and they were in the lesser proportion —elicited a keen demand, and firmed up Is a head, with other quality unchanged, compared with the previous week's prices. Fat lambs were penned in fai~ numbers, and was of moderate quality for the most part. Values at the opening appreciated slightly compared with last sale's rates, but as soon as the trade had filled their wants the market came-back to last sale's equivalent for killable lambs, with unfinished a ehade cheaper. Following upon last week's small yarding and high rates, a full entry of varying quality fat cattle was penned. Beef came "back 10s for steer and £1 for heifer and cow compared with the previous sale, steer making " to 46s 6d and secondary quality to 42s 6d per 1001 b. Under 100 Store cattle were yarded, chiefly cows, with a few yards of well-bred forward Shorthorn eteers. Well-bred cattle met with an animated demand, and two to three-year-old steers, verv forward, made from £8 10s to £l2 10s, while prices for the balaiice of the stock were maintained. Only a few young dairy cows were penned. These made last sale's rates under good inquiry. Some 70 fat pigs and 20 small sorts were placed at rotes on a par with 'the previous sale. ADDINGTON YARDS. There was a full yarding of fat sheep at Addinsrton and the quality was satisfactory. Keen bidding ruled throughout the tale and a clearance TV as effected at an advince of about Is a head compared with the previous sale. Just upon 2OOO_ fat lambs of fair to prime quality mot with a bright demand, and realised just on 9|d per lb ov3r all The yarding of store sheep was of medium quality, a number coming from the West Coast and the North Island. The demand was quite good—on a le\sl with the previous week's prices, hoggets and wethers perhaps, having the most attention. ■ , A small but very fair selection of fat cattle elicited.an all-round demand, quality animals being in demand. Export buyers secured a few lots only, but served to keep the market firm at an advance of 20s a #!ead compared with the previous week's quotations. Very few store cattlo were penned, and they were but secondary quality, and for the most part were passed m. Good dairy cows were in demand at £l3 to £2O 10s. Fat pigs maintained late values, but stores were cheaper than at the previous sale, with weaners selling fairly well. Sows in pig made £ls 15c. BALCLUTHA AND CLINTON STOCK SALES. At the Balchitha yards on Friday there was a moderate yarding of some 3000 to 4000 sheep and 50 cattle. About a fourth of the yarding of sheep comprised "fats," whioh made relatively late rates, equal, if not twtter. than quotations further north. There was a good demand for store sheep and cattle. Fat lambs made from 25s to

■32 s; fat wethers to 525; fat ewes, 23s 6d to 3Ss; ewe hoggets, 24s 6d to 275; wether hoggets, 19s to 25s 6d; good forward mixed sexes, 24s 3d to 29s 6d; extra, 30s 9d; big crossbred ewes (small mouths), 35s 9d ; two-tooth owes. 31e; two-tooth wethers, 24s to 27s 6d. The Clinton stock sale on Thursday was unexciting, and a demand for the few hundreds of medium sheep was lacking, and most of the pennings were passed. Some forward wethers made 365. Two lots of ewo lambs were passed in at 21s 6d to 22s 9d,. while other wether lambs elicited 19s, but not up to owners' reserve. There were no cattle offered. ■ NORTH ISLAND STOCK VALUES. Stock values are much on a parity with our most recent reports, from the North Island. In the South Auckland district beef ranges from 45s to 49s per 1001 b, with rough stuff a few shillings cheapear. Fair calves, £3 5s to £4; young steers to £8; food heifers to calf, £l2 to £ls 10s. n the Poverty Bay district sheep sell freely at 12e to 143 for woolly lambs; culls, 7s to 10s 6d; two-tooth wethers, 21s; year and a-half steers to £9; two and a-half-year steers, £11; in-calf Hereford cross heifers, £l4; do Shorthorn cross, £l2. In the Wellington province, wether lambs, 13s to 22s : good mixed sexes, 17s to 225; Down cross lambs, 14s; two-tooth wethers to 28s 6d; fair mixed ewes in lamb, 26s 6d; weaner steers, £4; extra good Polled Angus weaners to £8 ss; two and a-half to three-year-old bullocks, £l2 ss. In the Taranaki district,, weaner steers. £3 to £5; in-calf heifers, £6 5s to £10; forward cows, £8 to £10; lambs, 12s 6d to 20s ; store wethers, 23s 6d to 295. -In the Hawke's Bay district, yearling steers to £7 10s; 'two and a-half-year-olds to £l2; two-tooth wethers, 27a; forward four and six-tooth wethers to 30s 6d; young ewes in lambs to 30s; store lambs, 15s 'to 17s; store ewes to 24s 6d. STOCK NOTES. An exhibition of photographs of stud merino sheep, dating as far back as possible, is to bo made at the sheep show in Sydney, which commences on June 27. The aim is to show the evolution and trend in sheep-breeding in Australia; and breeders are being asked to forward photographs, with date and particulars, to the secretary Royal Agricultural Society, Sj'dney. Photographs will be carefully handled and returned.

"It is a remarkable performance for a herd of cows," remarked the chairman of the Military Service Board at Te Awamutu the other day when examining the financial affairs of a dairy-farmer appellant. "This much I can announce publicly of this man's position: His herd of 40 cows returned in butter-fat in one season £933 15s sd, and in- the next season £lOsl 5s 2d. It is a wonderful performance, and a district that can give such a magnificent return is certainly a place to be proud of." At the annual convention of the National Wool-growers' Association of America Dr Bauer outlined the pro-war situation of wool-production. He said that the 'total production of wool was 2,750,000,0001 b, giving an average yield of 51b per sheep, and he calculated that the production was about equal to 51b of raw wool for every white person in the world, after allowing for shrinkage. Owing 'to the extra demand through* tho war there would be an additional demand, equal to one-third of the wool-production of the world. As the supply was inadequate before the war, there must be a great shortage at present. At a joint meeting of the Vass branch of the Farmers and Settlers' Association and the Graziers' Assocation, Australia, a resolution to the effect that the proposed scheme by the State Government for the acquiring and rearing of surplus calves is impracticable and economically unsound, and would entail a loss on the general taxpayer, was unanimously carried. LIVE STOCK IN THE UNITED STATES. The Meat Trades Journal (London) save: " Advice received from the United States by Armour and Co. (Ltd.), of London, shows the following number of live stock in the United States, taken from a census which has jtist been completed:—

" The striking feature of these figures is that to-day there arc a greater number of live stock in the United States than at the beginning of 1917 or 1916. Perhaps higher pricee are responsible for this, but, nevertheless, in view of the very heavy demand for animal food products (and horses and mules for army requirements), it is fortunate for the Allies that increase is possible." MEAT FOR THE ARMY. Sir Edmund Walker, president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, at Toronto, speaki'.g at the annual < meeting of the shareholders recently, said: "One of the moat valuable foods for the soldier _ is bacon. He can apparently do more fighting on it than on anything else. If we fail in producing greater quantities of bacon than ever before, we shall fail in our duty to the soldiers. In this country we have been occupied in an effort to place the blame for the high price of an article, which beyond any doubt we ought not to consume in largo quantities just now. We have apparently forgotten that the price has gone up

mainly because bacon is vital to carrying on the war, and that if we do anything to lessen the efforts of the producers the price will certainly be much higher next year than it is now. In England well-to-do people are standing in line for their food supplies, and they, at least, are learning that the talk of famine is not a story to frighten children with, but a terrible possibility. The harvests have not been plentiful, and the danger is as real as the menace of the submarines. Nothing in the end is to bo gained by blaming the Food Controller, the provision .dealer, or the farmer, for high prices, which are not merely a result of the war, but a result of war requirements so peremptory that the question of cost almost disappears. The conditions arising out of the war are at the bottom of most of our troubles. We have been 'told that we should save money. It is even more necessary that we should eat less, again not so much that we need to saye for ourselves, but because if we do not eat less others across the sea must go hungry If we have men, money, and food we shall win. If wo fail in any of these, we may lose. Individual tests, particularly in hotels and restaurants, show that very large savings can bo mado wherever the effort is made to that end. But the difficulty is to make advice, or even rcgula'tions of the Food Controller, effective in a country which produces food largely in excess of its own reqtiirements, and where economy in the use of food is thought to be evidence of a mean and sordid disposition. It is not, however, enough that we should eat less, but that we should as far as possible replace some article of food, especially white bread and bacon, with others." FABLES OF THE DAIRY. Once upon a time there was a man who ran a bis dairy farm. He was a hard worker and a believer in modern equipment, and he made his pile early. At 40 he had enough to retire. So ho sold his place and moved to the city. The first year wasn't so bad. The second was fidgety. The third, even his own couldn't get along with himAnd finally he was so hungry for the peace and quiet and beauty of the old life, arid 'the fine companionship of his herd, that-he went back to his birthplace, paid double for the farm, and settled- down for good, completely happy once more. Moral: It's the only life after all "The one thing that gits me," remarked Colonel Smith of Hilldale Dairy, "is the fool notion some folks on a farm have 'that any feed makes milk. It all gets back to the ancient superstition that if you want a hen to lay bricks all you got to do is feed 'em red clay. It's not how much you feed your herd; it's what you feed 'em." " They are saying that cows will help win the war. -

" Yt.s, the Government is giving: us credit."

"It ain't so much th' cows. But I've got a bull that would do as much as a whole regiment of soldiers if I could ge't him over to Franco an' set him loose.

191S. 1917. 1916. Cows .. 23.2S4.000 22 894,000 21008000 Cattle .. 43,546,000 41,368,000 39,812,000 Sheep .. 48.900,000 48.483,000 48,625,000 Swine .. 71,374,000 67,503 000 67.766 005