OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3566, 18 July 1922, Page 13

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) A METEOROLOGICAL MEDLEY. An odd frost or two, two nor-west days that would suggest mid-October, and dull days that brought a few sou-west showers has been the lot of Canterbury in the past week so far as weather is concerned. The nor-westers brought heavy rain in the higher hill country, and this, with melting snow, caused heavy floods in the rivers. The effect of the warm winds was at once noticeable giving quite a spurt to vegetable growth. Fortunately, the unseasonable heat was short lived, and gave place to sou-west weather, though it is not boisterous. Farmers have had little interruption with the preparation of land for croping, and though feed is not specially plentiful, stock generally look fairly well. DECREASING FLOCKS. The sheep returns are rather disquieting, and so far as the South Island is concerned they emphasise that the hill country is going back in carrying capacity. The Canterbury sheep district, which does not follow the provincial boundaries, but includes Southern Marlborough, and the Arnuri County, which in the Nelson provincial district, shows a decrease of a quarter of a million sheep. The decrease is a particularly substantial one when it is remembered that it is the fourth in succession. The returns for the Dominion over a number of years are as follows:

The highest point was reached in 1818, and since then there has been a yearl-y decline until the figures this year show a balance on the wrong side of 4,292,829. The deficit for which the South Island is responsible is 1,716,996, and the North 2,576,833. A largely increased output of dairy produce to some extent makes up for the northern decrease, although it must be remembered that small areas of new country are still being brought into use in the North Island. In the 1920-21 season, the dairy cattle over both islands increased bv practically 100,000, and the probability is that the figures for 1921-22 will show an increase. The increase in cows will probably make up for half the decrease in sheep but it, will not make up for the whole The hill country of the Dominion is going back as nearly every station owner m the South Island knows to his sorrow. Recent visits to the hill oountry districts of the North Island leave one convinced that the same thing is taking place in the sheep country there. How to counteract this decline in fertility is going to be one of the big problems that the farmer of iinploughable country will have to face. Hie Commission, which dealt exhaustively with the decline of the South Island back country some two years ago made many useful recommendations and ascribed much of the trouble to short tenures, rabbits, and burning. The report made was a very useful one, but it has apparently been forgotten. NINE MILLION BUSHELS. The wheat thrashing 'returns are swelling, and the total that the Wheat'Controller has been advised of is now over 9,000,000 bushels. The heavy yields from the later thrashings, which mostly went into stack, show that those who had later crops fared best at the hands of Dame Nature. A statement issued by he Wheat Controller’s

Offi-e, giving the figures to July 7, show that 9,017,815 bushels have been thrashed, and of this contracts to purchase 5,471,668 bushels of good milling and 289.301 bushafi of fowl wheat have been made. The amount paid out to farmers through th» Goyernmeiflt brokers is £1,392.338 8s lid, which represents the payment for 4,724,224 bushels. DECLINING PRICES. Through over-supplies there was a further decline in the value of mutton and beef at the Addington sale on Wednesday. On the other hand, store sheep sold firmly, ,and the particularly firm demand for hoggets that set in at the previous sale was mlly maintained. Only one good lot of Ton "1 , an & ' vas lor ' vai 'd, and they sold at 2 ls 6d They were four, six, and eight toothed sheep, due to lamb early and carried strong three-quarter bred fleeces, i nere were a. number of good lines of hoggets. offered, ami many buyers eagerly competed for any straight lines. Several large pens of half bred wether hoggets from lekapo Station sold at from l c s to 15s 3d and they were not particularly well grown, but looked-healthy. Crossbred ewe lioggets ni . ai^ e II P £1- Tlie fat cattle entry was slightly mere than was needed, the number yarded being 345, and this followed an P at Pr-vious sale. The Christchurch Abattoir killings show that 300 weekly supplies the -market, and if more than this number is offered at Addington, prices are usually affected. The best beef sold at about 3os per 1001 b. An excellent line or 16 heifers was ottered on account of Air J. Carmichael (Mataura Island). They made from £8 2s 6d to £l9 ss. Two made the top price, and the next best pen of five sold at £9 7s 6d. They were nice quality purebred Hereford* of handy weights th* ™7?;Viest would have probably " touched 6501 b were just what the butchers favour. The Leslie Hills Estate iCulverjenJ sold a snigle steer at £l6 1,2 s 6d, and the Montrose Estate (Culverdeti) sold 13 at from £l2 15s lo £ls ss. hive steers made th® latter price. More excellent sheep were forward from .South Canterbury and Otago. Mr J. 11. Milne (\\ annate) sold 59 wether* at from 29s 6d to 32s 6d, a pen of 12 selling at the highest figure. Mr J. 0. Irwin IRakaia) sold 30 wethers at from £ss Id to 30s. there being 12 in the top pen. A consignment from Oainaru sold at from _24s lid to 28s lOd for a draft of 58. Ihe market for fat ewes was headed by a Dunedin client whose -identity wa» not disclosed. A draft of 105 on this account sold at from 22s Id to 26a 9d, there being 18 in the tops. The lowest price was above the owner’s reserve on the line, so the return should not have lieen disappointing. A feature of the sale was the remarkably good competition for prime heavy ewes. ’! hey were up to tiu* previous markets rate, but the average decline over the yarding was 2s a head. Bacon pigs also went back in price. Curing firms state that North Island companies are quoting bacon at. 7£d a lb so that they could not continue to pa_v on the hoof for their pigs. ’The haveners would have averaged a shade under 6d a lb, the lowest rate for Addington for a very long time A DISTINGUISHED VISITOR. Mr C. A. House, editor of *l'he Poultry World, and author of many works upon poultry, recently visited Christchurch ami judged some of the fancy classes at the Rangiora Show. Mr House was brought out to judge in Australia by a number oe Australian Societies, and is making a flying trip to N.Z. before returning to T sin don. When in Christchurch, Mr House delivered a lecture upon "in-breeding” to an audience of poultrymen. The remarks bad a general application, and were not alone applicable to poultry. The lecturer said that those opposed to inbreeding said it caused the loss of size, stamina, and everything good, and substituted everything bad. Tlie ordinary man was of tlie opinion that in breeding was simply the mating of two closely related animals. When the subject was studied it was shown that the in-breeded regarded it as the mating of .'trains related to each other. If it was wanted to bring out special characteristics the mating of related bird* possessing the characteristics could be decided upon without fear of getting a “sport.” When a breeder wanted colour he mated the best in colour. If he wanted something else he mated stud memlier* showing the desired characteristics. When tlie stud was deficient in some special characteristic, it may be that birds or animals from the stud were deficient in some small particular, and after a while lost when under some judges who were stickler* for this special point, it was necessary t<r get some animal with the necessary characteristics that it was desired to introduce. The opponent would say that this was outcrossing. It was, but the breeder carefully wrapped up the special characteristic in hi* stock by inbreeding. The island of Jersey was one of the greatest arguments in favour of inbreeding. It was well known that, the Jersev Parliament had enacted a law that had prohibited the importation of oatlle except for slaughter. The Jersey was inbred more than any other cattle, and the butter-producing records of Jersey cattle spoke volumes foe their utility. One of the leading merino studs in Australia had been bred from sheep that were originally brought to ‘Australia in 1805, and no alien blood had been introduced. The breeder does not choose relatives fo* the nearness of relationship, but for quality. No breed of fowl was so largely inbred as the Brahma, except, perhaps, the Cochins. These were tlie two biggest breeds, and though they were being inbred their size was increasing rather than decreasing. The utility man might say that inbreeding was all right for a fancier, but it was no food when eggs were wanted. The Chief oultry Expert of New South Wales said that inbreeding was not desirable, but at> a lecture given by Mr House in Australia he was promptly challenged by one of Id* auditors, and had to admit that he, wheat in charge of a big plant, consistently inbred. The Chief poultry Expert in Viotoria was strongly in favour of the method and said it was a great mistake for breeder* to buy fresh cockerels every year. One of England’s largest breder* of utility fowUt who sold hfs pullets with ft guarantee of £IOOO that they would lay 2ox eggs within six weeks of their being sold, was a strong advocate of inbreeding. Judson, the lea®-

ing breeder of black Orpingtons in Australia, consistently inbred. If grit and stamina were necessary in any bird it was necessarv In a racing pigeon. Belgium was the home of the homing pigeons. Belgium’s leading pigeon breeder, a man who had bred birds that had accomplished what no other birds before or since had, made a start with a pair of homers when a child, and from the two birds bad bred tip the leading loft in the world without ever introducing any other blood to his loft. When a breder wants to improve the r\zc of his stock or correct some fault he should select from his own stud birds that bad the required properties. If it was necessary to go outside the same principle should be followed, but the risk with the newly-introduced stock was that the breeder would get a great, deal of what he did not ■want. Introducing new blood into a strain nearly always led to trouble. Probablv the first cioss would give what was wanted, but the second generarion was often not

what was wanted. By taking two units of the breeder’s own strain he was doubling up to produce the properties required. It: was best to work slowly and surely. When introducing new blood he strongly advised introducing it on the female side. In nine cases out of ten males were more prepotent than females. By introducing cockerels the strangers would impress themselves too deeply on the stock. Don’t, use the first cross males on the birds of the regular flock, he counselled. The first, cross would be practically 75 per cent, of the blood of the new sire, if he was a. prepotent bird. I T se the females again with one of the stud’s own birds, and then the progeny might be used with safety. When commencing a new flock, Mr House adrbed that it was best to put the money available into one ptur of • ood animals. The progeny may not be as good as the parents, but it was advisable to always bear in mind that the blood of the parents was in them, and the second genera-

tion might bring it out. If the progeny were disappointing, he would mate some of the pullets, if fowls were being dealt with, to the sire. One of the cockerels to the original hen and mate the remaining birds together. This would give three distinct lines of related birds to mate again. If a breeder wanted size, beauty, or shape it could be attained by these methods.

SHEEPOWNERS AND SHEARERS.

CONFERENCE IN WELLINGTON WELLINGTON, July 14. The sheepowners in the Wellington district have cited the Wellington Shearers’ Union for an Arbitration Court award, and a conference is being held to-day before the Conciliation Commissioner. Sheepowners offer £1 per ICC for sheep and 17s 6d for lambs, the union arguing for £1 10s both sheep and lambs. The owners propose £2 10s for wool pressers. The union wants £5 10s. For other shed hands

the owners offer £2 ss; the union claims £4. Sheepowners want 48 hours per week; the union 44. Employers suggest that there should be no discrimination in employing men, while the union wants preference to unionists. J uly 15. The Wellington shearers’ and shed hands’ dispute was before the Conciliation Council on Wednesday, when a lengthy discussion centred around the difficult times through which sheepfarmers were passing owing to increased labour costs and high taxation. The unionists contended, on the other hand, that sheepfarmers were better off today than they were last year, owing to the improved outlook for wool; but the employers’ agent (Mr W. H. Nicholson) said that the last London sales showed a lower tone. It was eventually decided to adjourn the proceedings in the hope of arranging a settlement on a dominion basis.

North South Year. Island. Island. Total. 1886 5,285,907 9,888,356 15,174,263 1912 12,618,089 11,132,064 23,750,153 1913 13,145,445 11,046,365 24,191,810 1911 13,155,958 11,642,SOS 24,798,761 1915 13,315,916 11,585,505 24,901,421 1916 13,880,799 10,907,351 24,768,150 1917 14,567,128 10,703,258 25,270,386 1913 14,758.278 11,780,024 26,538,302 1919 14,211,944 11,616,610 25,828,o54 1920 13,166,750 10,753,220 23,919,970 1921 12,774,323 10,510,708 23,285,031 1922 12,182,445 10,063,028 22,245,473