SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 10

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Whan last year Mr Hunt resolved to put up to auction the stud stock he had for disposal many were a little dubious of it being successful. Since it went off so much better than was generally expecetd, it seemed as if this year it would at least hot be disappointing. Instead it was highly successful. Although the weather conditions were not quite favourable, there was a large muster from various parts of Southland, and .buyers were present from Otago, Canterbury, and further north. The sale wa3 thus from every point of view not only satisfactory to the vendor financially, but it appears as if Mr Hunt’s annual sale is going to be a fixed institution and a boon generally to Southland. Before the bidding started an exhibition was given consisting of Rosevale Kink Sylvia, Westmere Princess Pietertje, and a calf, her offspring, the three making a fine display. One noticeable feature of the sale which bodes well for Southland and Otago was that the buyers did bid keenly for cows, heifers, and bulls where the pedigree was all that could be wished. The nine cows averaged about £ogs and the three heifers 66gs. The bulls ranged from 25gs to llOgs. One at lOOgs went to Masterton, a,nd the one at llOgs to Mr Shand, of the Taieri. Mr Dahlcnberg secured one at 92gs for his Australian farm. The cows were all bigframed and apparently of good constitution. and the heifers, being the offspring of the cows giving a high buter-fat test, and which were the foundation of the stud, were keenly competed for, and sold proportionately well. Of the 15 stud rams all sold well excepting six, for which no more could be obtained than 6gs for three and sgs for the other three. Of the 230 flock rams the most of them were disposed of to Southland buyers, and they averaged about 4 Jigs each. The lowest was one pen only at 2j,gs each, and in this case and others not reaching higher figures the low price was attributed to one i,n a pen laming, being slightly scalded betvi'een the hoofs. The flock rains were very good, and one could hear it remarked frequently, “There is one or more in each pen equal if not superior to the average of the stud sheep”; but the high pedigree was lacking. The highest price for the flock rams was figs, purchased by Mr C. S. Stevens (Mossburn). Another pen at 6jgs each went to Mr J. M'Orostie (Te A nan Downs). They were all sold in pens of five and one-shear rams. It is almost impossible to correctly state the position of the stock or grain markets. There is .no stock being sold at present but at a sacrifice. The sale at Wallacetown on the 22nd was the worst for years. In many cases if offers are made it is at pre-war prices. This is the case for all kinds of stock excepting fat and forward lambs for fattening. Fat sheep are down from 10s to 15s a head, and some who have been forced to sell have dropped all that. Although the turnip crop at present promises well for ample winter feed, there is such a feeling of uncertainty about the future that those who have stock to dispose

of and those who require to purchase do not know what to do. There is really nothing doing in gram. There is no new grain on the market vet. Some who had refused 5s for grain they had specially dressed have been offered under 2s. The demand for grass seed Inis slackened considerably, and for seed not weighing 251 b 3s 6d, and in some instances only 3‘s, is being offered. The pastures having dried up so much, even where there is a roughness of grass, the cows have come down in their milking very rapidly. The position has been accentuated through a very cold spell following the warm and genial weather immediately preceding. The month of February will make a good showing in the export of dairy produce. The s.'s. Durham was to have taken 3200 eases of butter and 6269 crates of cheese for Avonmouth and liverpool. Besides frozen meat, the s.s. Pakeha was to have

taken 4000 boxes of butter and 14,800 crates of cheese. We are ct present just about the very middle of harvest. The crops in some localities are short, and not 6tooking so well as they should do. All over Southland, where the soil is light or dry, the crops are light. Where the rainfall has been heavier or in ground that is stronger and stands the drought better the crops are good and stocking well.