STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 3522, 13 September 1921, Page 9

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES

Weekly Stock Sales. Burnside, Wednesdays Addington, Wednesdays Waiareka ltailway Junction, Tuesdays" Wallaeetown, Tuesdays Fortnightly. Uiversdale, Friday Ashburton, Tuesdays lieriot, Thursdays •Vinton, Thursdays W.vudham, Thursdays Clinton, Thursdays Ealciutliu, Fridays Gore, Tuesdays Monthly. Palmerston, 4th Thursday Winton, 4th Tuesday

It/lontiily (continued). Duutrooa, 2nd Wednesday Woodlands, 3rd Friday Milton, 2nd Tuesday Balfour, 3rd Thursday Thoinburv, Ist Friday Iluntroon, 2nd Wednesday Otautau, 2nd Friday Uiversdale, 3rd Friday Waikaka, lust Friday Clvdev-iV, last Tuesday Periodically as Advertised. | I.umsden, Mossbum, Orepuki, Mataura, I Waikouaiti, Eiver- ' tea, Ngapara, and 1 Otago Central Sales.

OTAGO. Fine weather was experienced last week in Otago, and matters do not look too well in respect to feed unless good rams come soon. Both in Central Otago and along the coast a lack of moisture is noticeable. ■Should it be decided to open the South Otago Works in order to handle, cn consignor’s behalf, surplus fat sheep it would help the stock market a lot. BURNSIDE MARKET. There was a good entry of fat sheep at Burnside, the quality being mixed. The demand was much on a par with the previous week, saving that in the middle of the sale the market firmed up Is 6d a head, which was not maintained, light sorts apparently have most attention, and, generally, last week’s rates ruled—viz., wether and ewe oid per lb. Heavy wethers realised 26s to 28s 9d, extra 30s 9d, good round 225, medium 17s 6d to 20s. hoggets wore forward in goodly numbers, but the quality was wide and indifferent, and prices suffered accordingly. Graziers were mild buyers for best sorts at round 13s a head, butchers taking the pick at tip to 16s, “lamb” making, say, 6d per lb. About 200 head of fat cattle of fair to good quality were yarded. The demand was weaker than at last sale, heavy sorts suffering the most. Opening on a par with the previous week’s rates, values eased £1 5s a head, beef making on the run of the sale about 40s per 1001 b. Light prime animals were by far the dearer, and attunes made comparatively capital prices. Borne 100 store cattle of a nondescript character met with a trifle more attention than has been the case of late, young sorts being m better favour. Good coloured four-year-old bullocks in very forward condition mule £l2, medium three-year-olds £7, do two-year-old steers £5 to £5 7s 6d, one-and-a-half-year-olds £3 7s 6d, empty heifers £5 to £5 3s. About 50 dairy cows, mostly of medium quality, came under the eyes of a throng of dairy folk, who paid for the pick prices ranging from £l4 to £l6 10s. but had no time for old sorts and doubtful goods, bat pigs were in moderate supply, also small sorts, and there was a good clearance at recent best rates. ADDINGTON YARDS. Another large yarding of fat sheep at Addington of good qualify. Owing to freezing buyers operating for light ~ and medium weights, prices were up to, and in some instances better than, the previous week, but heavy weights were Is a head cheaper, while passings at the close were freely made. Four spring lambs made 35s to 40s each. A very small entry of store sheep, chiefly ewes and hoggets,' met with a very slack demand, hoggets being cheaper than ever, with ewes about the same as at last sale. Some good quality bullocks were included in a fairly large entry of fat cattle. The sale opened under an easy demand, which slacked still further, and prices were back £1 10s to £2 a head compared with the previous week’s rates. The store cattle I were of poor quality and few in number, and prices were low. Good dairy eov/s were soiling freely at up to £l7 10s, extra to £24, but aged sorts wore neglected. Fat pigs made about last week’s money, but stores (of which many were yarded) realised : rather lower values than a week ago. j north ISLAND STOCK VALLES. Competition for stock in the North ! Island is not keen, and sales are only effected if relatively low values are accepted. In the Auckland district at the West-field market beef receded, and choicest realised up to 34s per 1001 b and prime round 30s. Forward steers made £3 15s to £6, empty Shorthorn heifers £4 10s to £6 10-' and unfinished wethers 14s to 17s 6d. In Poverty Bay sheep are hard to sell, the same remark applying to store cattle, and | business is at a standstill. In Taranaki good I hoggets made to 10s fid, medium round 7s, ! ewe hoggets 14s, medium yearling steers | 12s to 21s, Jersey yearling heifers £5 5s to £8 10s. ordinary from £2 ss, dairy heifers to £lB, in-calf Jersey heifers £l3 to £l7, and ordinary from £9. Tu Hawke’s Bay conditioned hoggets brought 11s to 12s 9d,

medium in-lamb ewes 16s, mixed wethers lAs, springing heifers £4 to £7, dairy cows £8 to £lO 10s, and forward bullocks £5 to £6. BALCxrTIIA-CLIXTON STOCK SALtiS. About fat and 2000 store sheep were yarded at the (.'lndia on Friday last, the iatter comprising mostly fair sorts of ewes nnd fading .mouths. Fat sheep sold much on a par with Burnside rates, say. 3g per lb, wethers making from 19s to* 21s, and mixed forwaid wethers 14s 6d to 18d. The demand for storo sheep was very fair for dry sheep, but in-lamb ewes wore easier by 2s a head in comparison with rates ruling a fortnight ago, which were easier, it may be observed, that was the case a few weeks previous. Six-tooth and eisrhttooth ewes .made 18s 4d, four-tooth and six-tooth ewes 17s 2d to lo«, sound-mouth half br eels 16s, and thin ewes 7s 6d. Fat cattle were selling at round 42s 6d per lOOib. Dairy cows brought up to £lB, empty three-year-old heifers £4 Bs, and yearling heifers £2 Bs. At Clinton only a few sheep were yarded, ewes hoggets, but demand was absent, a line of four and six-tooth ewes in Jamb making 17s 6d. a smart decline on values ruling a few weeks ago. Hoggets were all passed in at auction. STOCK NOTES. \ Stock prices at the present time in Otago, a.s elsewhere in New Zealand, are at a low ehb, and tnere is nothing on the horizon except that it is becoming more evident every day that the increased costs of landing primary products into consumers' hands threaten the farming industry. It is well to buoy oneself up with the knowledge that sheep numbers in the chief wool-producing countries show a drop of 20 per cent, in the period 1910 to 1920—that is, from 354,882,677 to 289,944,035.—and, given time, things must tome right; but to-day .s the trouble, when the purchasing power of the consumers the world over must, be reckoned with, and which has gone from bad to worse. Ihe Clutha branch of the Farmers’ Union endorsed a letter from the Waitepeka branch drawing attention to the Balclutha saleyards. which were in need of being cleaned, repaired, and made up to date,” and suggesting (says the Free Press) that if tne corporation failed to get the yards put in order steps be taken to establish farmers’ co-operative salevards near Balclutha. The re is money in sheep, despite the low prices, provided some luck favours judgment m purchasing and feeding the stock. As proof of this, and that Central Otago sheep will shift to Southland and “do” tnere, on tne right, sort of feed, the writer cites an instance known to him where a buyer secured hundreds of ewes at 3s a dozen (od each) and merino ewes at an average- cost of Is 9d each, and grazed them on rape and grass, followed up with turnips from Mav till end of August and sold practically the lot (750) at round, 15s a head, the death rate being under 5 per cent. The movement against, the “worn-out horse traffic . in {Treat Britain has now assumed considerable magnitude, and Parliament is likely to .move in the matter shortly. The National Equine Defence League are striving for legislation to abolish the trade in worn-out horses bv imposing Hie following conditions:—(l) f-'i export tax of not less than £2O per head on all horses, mules, and asses exported from the British Isles. (2) All port authorities to be liable for evasion of the law. (3) All horses purchased for food purposes to be humanely slaughtered in this country. j As an example of the prolificacy of the ! Large Black pig, it is interesting to note (says S. F. Edge in a letter to the English press) that my four-and-a-quarter-year-old Large Black sow, Vahan Gitlia Hi' (190501, has just furrowed a litter of 20 pigs. She has never farrowed less than 12, and her average litter is 16. The Argentine and Uruguay have both decided to reopen the ports to British pedigree stock. Tn the latter case shins carrying stock must not touch at a Brazilian port. Mr A. W. Montgomerie, of Lessnessock, j Ochiltree, has recently sold to the reprej sentative of his Majesty the King for the | Royal dairy at Balmoral six well-bred Ayr--1 shire cows and heifers. This is a new departure ar, Balmoral, where Ayrshires have not hit herto been kepi. The champion Hereford bull at the Royal Derby Show was S. Robinson’s Mansei Handyman, five years old, who was reserve champion last year. It is rumoured that he. is to go to the United States. The chumion female was W. H. Jones's Blod- ; wen, by Marlborough. j Hedges Frankjc 3rd secured ihe championship for Friesian cows at the Derby Ro.val Show. She is the dam of the £IO,OOO bull Hedges Second Series, and has a daily record of lOfiglb in 24 hours. The champion bull was Kingwood Yure, whoso first 32 heifers to calve averaged over 10,0001 b of milk in their initial lactation periods.

The gold medal for best Clydesdale stallion at the Royal Derby Show (England) went to A. M. Montgomery’s 'Tristan, by Hiawatha; and that for best mare to K. Marshall's Farleton Harmony, by Dunure Footprint. Messrs F. S. Falkiner and Sons, of the Widgiewa Clydesdale Stud, Riverina, have purchased a young Clydesdale stallion by Auchenflower, the famous Scottish sire, from Mr J. Kilpatrick, of Craigie Mains, Kilmarnock (says the Australasian). The price paid was IOOOgs, and when freight, groom-attenclant. and lauding charges are added, the total cost will not lie far short of 15G0gs. Already some leading mares have been booked for the new stallion for next season. Ho is expected to arrive in October. The Ministry of Agriculture lias granted permission for the importation of ICO Friesian cattle from South Africa to England on condition that four months’ quarantine is adopted. This means that the animals, which are all descended from stock originally exported to Booth Africa from Holland, will be a month in quarantine i.i South Africa, a month on the voyage, and for two months after landing in England. Great care is being exercised in the selection of the stock, and only young heifers will bo shipped which have given 1000 gallons in their first lactation period or older heifers which have given 1200 gallons. This will be the first importation which has taken place since the famous and historic closed auction at Byfleet in November. 1914. An official statement concerning pleuro pneumonia in Queensland herds was made last month by the Minister of Agriculture in that State. Ho said the outbreaks of pleuropneumonia in Queensland for the 12 months ended June 30. 1920, were 64, and for the succeeding 12 months ended June 30 last 66. Only- five deaths had occurred since July, 1921. Stringent measures were taken to prevent the spread of the disease, and provision was made for compulsory notification by owners or drovers of the appearance of the disease in herds or travelling stock. Immediate quarantine w-as imposed for three months after successful inoculation. No quarantine was removed by the. department until a personal inspection had been made by the inspector of stock, and the report that, all signs of sickness had disappeared was received and approved by the Minister. FRIESIAN'S OF CANADA. Some Friesian facts concerning Canadian records are of interest. During the first half of April certificates were issued for 90 cows and heifers in tho yearly record of performance test at Saskatchewan. In the mature class six cows exceed 8401 b butter, and seven exceed 20,000!b milk. The leader is Baroness Madoline with 1122.501 b butter from 23,673.01 b milk, followed by Rosie’s Violet 6th with 1018,75'.b butter from 24,608.01 b milk, and Princess Tulip with 9501 b butter from 22.5471 b milk. Patsy A. Castleton has 8851 b butter from 20,0861 b milk, Abb.v Lass Delvol 873.»51b butter from 22,7821 b rniik, and Beauty Lass 8451 b butter from 20,7591 b milk. Queen Snowflake Fayne heads the four-year-old class with 731.251 b butter from 18,7551 b milk, while Topsy Mercena has 696.251 b butter from 18,5691 b milk, and Floral Hill Daisy 668.751 b butter from 16.2811 b milk. Rose Burke DeKol makes Ihe fine record of 827.51 b butter from 18.7551 b milk in the three-year-old class. Next to her is Colony Meta Shadeland, with 783.751 b butter from 15,8581 b milk, followed by Deirdre Douglass Segis, with 763.751 b butter from 16,4161 b milk. In a great class of 47 two-year-olds Colony Aaggie Pietertje has the splendid record of 8601 b butter from 21,1011 b milk. Queen Hortense of Hillside has 836.251 b butter from 20,0691 b milk, S. C. M. Leonora Hengerveld 8351 b butter from 16,3481 b milk, Leila Pieter Walker 8151 b butter from 20.6081 b milk, and La Vat.a Meehthilde of Penticton 803.751 b butter from 18,6541 b milk. SHIPPING AND FREIGHTS. The. shipping companies are doing a wise thing in proposing a pool of refrigerated cargo. In Argentine one ship goes to one Frigerifico, and in three or four days takes in a full cargo of frozen meat, plus tallow and by-products. In Australia and New Zealand they go. at an enormous expense, from port to port, picking up a little here and a little there, until they have probably been on tho coast for six weeks or so. Is there any wonder (remarks the Australian Meat. Traders’ Journal) that freights are high? 'I lie new proposal is that a vessel will load at a port; sufficient refrigerated freight to til! each of her holds to their full capacity. The surplus will ho left for tho next vessel, and when enough is available. at that, port the next ship will be sent. Also instead of steamers travelling to several Australian ports to pick up small lots of cargo this will be done by one. Such is tho result of arbitration awards, basic wages, “go slow,” and high port, charges. Like a boomerang, it comes back and hits the worker, or so-called “worker” every time.