STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 11

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weekly Stock Sales. flarnf-Ido, Addington, Wednesdays tfniureka Kailway Junction, Tread ay a. Wallacetown, Tuesdays. Fortnightly. Biversdale, Fridays Ashburton, Tuesdays, fleriot, Thursdays. K’in ton, Thursdays. Wyndham, Thursdays. Clinton, Thursdays. Balclutha, Fridays. Gore, Tuesdays. Monthly. Palmerston, 4th Thursday. ff’iutOQ, 4th Tuesday.

Monthly (continued). Duntroon, 2nd Wednesday. Woodlands, 3rd Friday Milton, 2nd Tuesday. Balfour, 3rd Thursday. Thorntiury, Ist Friday. Duntroon, 2nd Wednesday. Otuutau, 2nd Friday. River*»dale, 3rd Friday. list Fridav. Olydevale, last Tuesday. Periodically as Advertised. Lumsden, Itossburn, Orepuki, Mataura, Waikc uaiti, Riverton, Ngapan, and Otago Central Sales.

OTAGO. The weather last week in Otago was much more summer like, and at times oppressively warm. In sympathy perhaps with the very high rates realised for all classes of wool at the recent Dunedin wool sale, ‘'Sol” is doing his best. “It never rains but it pours” is a trite saying, and, with practically all our primary products making moat satisfactory prices, Natufe, tco, lends a helping hand. In the Central and the further south one goes the better the weather. At Palmerston yards on Friday, some 1000 sheep (chiefly wethers) were auctioned, the tone of the market being brisk, a good many lots being sold after the sheep forward were disposed of at auction. Good full-mouth fine-wool station wethers made 29s Id, two-tooth medium station withers 22s 6d, thin six-tooth and eight-tooth wethers 26s Bd, full and failing mouth paddock ewes with uneven lambs made 24s 6d (all counted), store lambs 25s 6d, and old ewes with small lambs 21s 6d (all counted). The few store cattle penned were firm at values ruling at near-at hand markets. A fair inquiry for rams from-the North Island seems to accentuate the probable shortage of rams generally. The likelihood of decent types of dairy heifers (spring calvers) firming in the near future cannot be ignored. BURNSIDE MARKET. The yarding of fat sheep at Burnside—--2219 as against 203 2 the previous week —- comprised mostly good quality with a proportion of fair sorts of ewes and unfinished wethers. There was a good sale. At the opening values were a shade in advance of last week’s prices, with a slight appreciation as the sale progressed, heavy sheep being dearer, due in a measure to export buyers favouring lighter sheep, and so inducing butchers to look elsewhere for supplies. Wethers may be quoted as making around 6i.d per lb for light prime quality. ■ The entry of 1342 fat lambs (7CO last week) were for the most part of medium quality, although there were some pennings of “primes.” There was an average demand, with exporters not too keen buyers of plain quality. V alues may be quoted as unchanged, lamb making up to 10jd per lb. The yarding of fat cattle, 245 (231 the previous week). comprised good quality stock with a fair tail of medium steers and average cows. Values at the opening were about 7s 6d a head under last week’s rates, but firmed up after a race of cattle had been sold, beef making last week’s prices—to 27s 6d per lOOib. The stare cattle penned were not markedly good, but the few pens of two to three years old steers sold well at £4 5s to £5 "10s per head, other sorts being unchanged. A smaller entry of fat pigs made 5s a head better prices than a week ago, baconers making to 6d and porkers 7d per lb. Small sorts made about the same money as at the previous sale. ADDINGTON YARDS. The yarding of fat sheep at Addington was a small one, the bulk of them being ewes and of only fair quality. The de.mand was good, and values of the previous week were maintained, wethers possibly being a shade dearer. Butchers secured practically all good sheep offering at 6id to 6|d per lb. Another very fairy entry' op fat lambs met with a brisk demand. The quality was somewhat mixed and a number of lambs wqre light, but exporters were keen, and clearances were readily effected at Is to 2s per head in advance of last week’s prices, lamb making up to 104 d per lb. The yarding of store slieep was a large one, consignments being forward from Nelson and the West Coast. There was a good sale for the best lines of lambs, while ewes and wethers also sold well, the latter making ur> to 29s 7d. Owing to the entry of fat cattle being much too heavy for the demand, prices fell away £1 per head on late rates. The quality was nothing remarkable, old cows and heifers being rather too evident Heavy prime cattle were not in favour by butchers owing to the hot weather, and lighter sorts benefited. Beef of primest quality realised up to 30s per iCOlb. Competition for a large entry of store cattle was keen, and all classes firmed up in price, especially for well-bred and wellgrown steers. Dairy cows, if not at the

drop, were dull of sale at up to £ll 10s per head. The values of fat pigs firmed up owing to a small entry, vvhi<e small and store sorts improved 5s a head. Baconers made up to 6gd and porkers to 84d per lb. NORTH ISLAND STOCK VALUES. There has been considerable briskness in the stock markets of the North Island, although cattle are not s* much in request as sheep. The weather is still unsettled, but it suits dairymen even if the saving of hay becomes at times a problem. In Poverty Bay rape lambs made 18s, store wethers (mixed ages) 24s 6d, medium twotooth ewes 235, three to four-yea*-old steers £4 17s. In the Wanganui-Feilding areas rains have been frequent; young ewes were sold at 27s 6d to 38s, four-year-olds 25s to 30s, rape lambs 18s, small to 14s, culls 9s, two-year-cld steers £3 to £3 15s, three-year-olds £6 ss, four-year-olds to £7. 111 the Wairarapa rape lambs -made 17s to 20s 6d, young mixed wethers 23s to 24s 6d, two-year-old steers io £2 15s, three-year-olds to £5 I6s. In Hawke’s Bay two-tooth wethers 20s to 255, w'ether lambs to 18s 6d. two-tooth ewes to 28s 6d, four-year-olds 24s 6d, ew'es and lambs (all counted) 19s 6d, three-year-old steers £5 ss. STOCK NOTES. In sympathy with the prices ruling for “fats on the hoof” in Otago, values of store stock may. with confidence, be said to be well maintained, with some marked appreciation in the prices quoted for breeding ewes. The fact that export buyers are ready takers of prime light-weight W'ethers serves to enhance values of heavy prime sheep. One cannot but wonder where wethers are to come from in the near future should a big export season of lambs eventuate. An average export season this year might prove the best “in the long run.” A retention by sheep owners of a proportion of their ewe lambs in view of the sheep shortage should not be omitted. It may prove difficult for some sheep men otherwise if they depend on replenishing their flocks entirely from men owning acres near the skyline. In any case such a policy must push up the values of ewes higher than are warranted. Ordinary ewes at 30s to 40s a head postulates a position anyway which demands good fences. A world’s milking record has been established by the Australian milking Shorthorn cow Melba 15th. owned by Darbalara Estate, Gundagai, of New South Wales. Under official tests by the Department of Agriculture, Sydney, she produced 29,4321 b of milk, averagetest 4.5 per cent., and 1316.81 b butter-fat, equal to 15861 b of butter, in 365 days. The record was held pieviously by a Canadian Friesian cow, with 12701 b of butter-fat. At a meeting of Taranaki farmers, the following resolution in connection with the recent reported appearance of cattle tick was agreed to after some discussion: —“That this executive expresses its appreciation of the prompt action of the Government in regard to the recently-reported outbreak of the cattle tick, but at the same time wishes to state that it j? by no means satisfied that sufficiently effective steps have been taken to keep the pest out cf clean areas, and urges upon the Minister the necessity for the most drastic steps being taken to prevent, if possible, its spread into all clean areas. Failing any more effective method, we suggest a quarantine area, with dins near the boundary, on the stock routes into clean areas, or the total prohibition of the importation of stock from infected areas.” Tire Aberdeen - Angus breed has accomplished "-reat things at Palermo. The black polled breed has long been conspicuous in North America; now it is making fame for itself in South America, or rather consolidating the reputation it had already secured. At the recent Palermo show of fat stock, animals of this breed appear to have taken all the principal honours. At any rate they secured the supreme and reserve championships and the premier award for the best group of any breed. This was a notable feat in a country where the Shorthorn and the Hereford ar" strongly represented and worthily held in the highest estpem. The owners of the champion animal and were Henry Brown and Sisters. I.a, Esoondiqa. Mr J. Luenr’s Jersey cow La Gloire lias been awarded the champion prize by the Royal Jersey Agricultural Society. She nrodeoed 14,3921 b milk, 7651 b butter-fat in her lactation period. No fewer than 23 cows yielded over 5231 b butter-fat. Sir Sidney Kidman, who returned to Sydney from a trio aboard on January 20 (states The Australasian), said that _ the American consumer was paying three times or twice as much for bis meat as the Australian "was paving. In the United States the nrice of cattle w»s ve ,- v high. In one o> 1 v bg saw 20 bullocks sold for an average of £3B. In a good market b" r e tbev would bring about £l2 to £l4. Everything was very dear in America. The British record for milk yield bv one cow in 24 hours lias a"ain bee" broken. Last January the Hache herd’s 3000-gallon cow Brookside Colantha g'ave 11941 b of milk in 24 hours. This was beaten in March by Mr Dicrby Byass’s cow Eastfield Blackberry. which gave 124?1h of milk, and that record ha.s now been broken bv Mr E. P"rness’s Uunnimld Daphne, which gave 1251 b of milk in 24 hours. Her total yield for the week '"as 792j!h. and if she produces 8111 b cf milk she will also break the British seven davs’ milk yield record at present, held bv Brookside Colantha, whose figures are 81041 b. SHEEP OR DOGS. It would be. a. valuable contribution to the history of how the pastoral industry has been deliberately oripoled from time *o time by its landlord The Government) if the Government of New South Wales could be induced to make a definite statement as to whether they wish the West Darling country to grow sheen or breed dogs Isays The Pastoral Review). For several years past tenants of the Government. who nay land taxes. Customs duties, etc., have been praying their landlord to protect bis own country by running a dogproof fence across a. section of it in order to give lessees a fighting chance against the dingoes, which now have an interrupted run from Queensland southwards. The Labour Government was appealed to over and over again, but with its ear to the ground the party evidently did not hear of any votes coming to it by carrying out such a drab though sane policy. Nothing was done. In June last a deputation an proached the same landlord, though the personnel of the Government had changed from Labour to some other label, and again the case was put for a main line of fence. If any action has been begun during the

last six months the secret has been well kept. Meanwhile the dogs are working their way southward with such great certainty that it will not be long before this country is turned over to cattle, when tlie holdings will become larger and the returns to the individual and to the country less profitable. It is a suicidal policy, and no Government which evades so obvious a pul,lie duty can possibly escape the consequences when those consequences become known facts to the public, as they undoubtedly will some day. SMITHFIELD SHOW. The Smithfield show held recently in London was a most successful fixture. Over 70,000 people visited the show in the course of the five days. The Farmer and Stock Breeder says that so far as the sales of both live stock and carcases were concerned, these were regarded as distinctly satisfactory, but the numerous exhibitors of roots and agricultural machinery and appliances did not find business particularly brisk. There was a remarkable show of roots and feeding stuffs in the galleries, which attracted considerable attention. All round there was a splendid lot of potatoes on sbow% and prominence has been given to an exhibition of specimen branches of natural grasses recommended for the different soils of the country, thus enabling; the visiting farmer to become acquainted with the most desirable varieties suitable for his meadows and pastures. The champion of the show—the blue grey steer Blue Bill, shown by Sir Richard Cooper. Bart., and bred by Lieut-Colonel Ferguson, of Pit-four. Mintlaw, Aberdeenshire—was sold for £3OO to a Bury Street Edmunds butcher; The highest price ever remembered being paid for mutton at Smithfield, and one probably never exceeded in the provinces, was that made by Messrs G. and R. Findlater, of Jerviswood, Lanark, with the champion Chevit carcase, the figure being 56s a stone of 81b. or roughly 7s a lb. It was bought by Messrs Levy and Franks,’ the well-known London caterers. The trade in pork was not particularly good. 13s a stone being bid by Messrs W. Mitchell and Sens, of St. Thomas, Exeter, Devon, for a large Black-Berkshire cross. The sale of table poultry was up to the average, most of the birds brought under the hammer being sold at figures higher than the reserve price placed upon them by their owners. The biggest price was seven guineas for two turkey champions, their aggregate weight being 531 b 2oz. As always, considerable interest was shown in the heaviest animal at the Smithfield Show, and so many guesses were made about the breeding cf this bulky steer that the facts are worthy of note. Felhampton Candidate weighed 19cwt lqr 181 b, and was got by a bull that has actually sired two 2000 gallon cows. His dam was a milky well-grown cow that has bred some heavy vielders and traces hack to the bull Harden, that appears in the pedigrees of several 2000-gallon cows. Felhampton Candidate is a British itriesian steer, bred and exhibited by Messrs J. and B. M. Dale, of Felhampton Court, Church Stretton, Salop. In 1920 a British Friesian steer was the heaviest at the show; last year a steer of this breed was the heaviest animal of its age at the show, and this year the breed again supplies the heaviest animal at the show. THE SEASON IN AUSTRALIA. The broken weather of the past month has more or less interfered with harvesting operations in the eastern States says the Pastoral Review. Except for scattered thunderstorms no particularly heavy rains were recorded, but the frequent light falls have been sufficient to hold up stripping in many parts, and in some to spoil such hay as had not been stacked. The month has also been marked by high winds, sometimes cool and sometimes hot. These did a fair amount of damage in shaking ripe grain out of the ears and scattering hay. Still, taking the weather by and large it might easily have been worse. A serious tire in the Canowie district of South Australia destroyed a large area of crops and fencing just before Christmas, otherwise the season has been fairly free from bad outbreaks in the wheat belt. The great bulk cf the wheat should be safely garnered by the time these lines appear in print, and it will only be a question of counting bags. Judging by all accounts the crop is turning out rather unevenly. While the yield in some districts is better than anticipated, in others it is hardly coming up to expectations. There is also a fair amount of pinched grain about, and if the showery weather persists many of the late crops are likely to be bleached. The uncertainty of the weather and conflicting reports regarding yields make it particularly difficult to forecast the ultimate out turn of the wheat crop. It was mentioned in last issue that Western -Australia and Queensland were the only Stales in which official estimates had been issued, bince then the Western Australian Statistician lias found it advisable to revise his forecast, reducing the grain area by 14.000 acres and increasing the probable yield by 220,000 bushels. The South Australian Government Statist has also published an estimate since last writing. He puts the wheat area for his .State at- 2,849,000 acres and the yield at 28,775,200 bushels. The production of wheaten hay is given as 445,750 tons from 355,000 acres, and of oaten hay 236,600 tons from 215,C00 acres. The area reserved for oats (grain) is 179,000 acres and the yield i. 148,000 bushels. Taking the foregoing into consideration, and assuming that Victoria harvests 35.000,000 bushels and New South Wales 22.000.000. the total wheat production for tlie Commonwealth promises to be about 102,000,000 bushel!. This is ’the figure forecasted in these columns last November. The next couple of months should show liowcorrect it is. In common with other branches of industry, excepting perhaps harvesting operations, the wool trade has been in the throes of holidays, an unduly prominent feature in Australian industrial life to-day. Sales closed in Christmas week, and are to be resumed on January 8 in Sydney, with a small series in Tasmania, covering 25,000 bales during the week, which will be' largely crossbred types, and should throw light on the position of that branch of the staple. .... At the moment it is this section that is in the limelight, the general improvement, in crossbreds having been one of the most important features of the closing sale of the old year. That comebacks and fine crossbreds are likely to move up further does not at the. moment seem likely, but it is quiie probable—in fact, practically accepted as a

certainty—that ail counts below 50‘s will show a further advance with the re-opening of auctions. In super merinos prices are expected to show an improvement, closing rates having registered a decline, largely owing to the absence of American demand, and this in turn will probably react on other grades. 111 short, tlie general feeling is one of optimism, despite the recent cables of complications in ihe Near East and the impasse reached at the Paris conference. Ihe great mountain of wool controlled by Bawra is steadily disappearing, and it is now accepted as a fact that there is no more wool in the world to-day than tlie vvorld requires, if indeed as much. T hat being so. we should confidently expect a level of values considerably above those ruling in pre-war times, with, of course, the usual fluctuations, which from changes of fashion and other causes, are part and parcel of the trade. It is difficult to arrive with any degree of certainty at the number cf sheep in the world, but the quantity is certainly on' the decline. In Australia, where an increase might be expected in view of the enormous areas of country undeveloped, the wool clip is certainly not increasing; rather the opposite, any but a good season witnessing a decline, which is barely overtaken before the next descent takes place. That the supply cf cotton is also on the decrease is an undoubted fact, the American ci'on being a gradually diminishing quantity, and here again no other part of the world has yet stepped into the breach and the ebbing tide of production. The monsoons in the north seem to have set in in real earnest, storms being reported from one place or another almost every day during the past month. Complete records from all districts are not to hand at the time of writing, and possibly some parts may have been missed. As far as can be "gauged from the weatbor maps it appeal’s that p’etty well all tbe territory and north and west Queensland have received o-ood falls. The recinitation in the north of Western Australia h"s apparently been more capricious, although there have been scattered anil heavy storms there, too. Central and South Queensland, including the coastal dbtriots. north, central, and west New .South Wales, have also received useful rains since last writing, but the pastoral country of South Australia is very sbo' t of surface water. The falls mentioned should do much to assure feed throughout the noith and interior of the continent, besides opening 110 the main stock routes. Cattle owners will he relieved of anxiety in this respect at fill events, and if the present improvement in the oversea beef market is maintained the outlook for the winter will not lie so bad after all. The weather in the south lias been showerv. which, however much it may havp intprf» — A with harvesting operations. Ill's tended to keep pasture ß fresh end stock in good condition. Despite continued heavy vardings values for fats on the hoof keen firm. Good descriptions pf wethers and ewes were fetch 'ng 3s 6d to 4? a bend more at Newmarket. Melbourne, at the beginning of January than a month earlier. Lambs were about Is and cattle up to 40s higher. Homebush (Sydney) values have also advanced. but not quite to the same extent as in Melbourne. As will be seen bv a reforeree to tbe tables published in The Pastoral Review, tbe clearances of mutton from the Commonwealth m-reeded 49C.009 carcases in December. Most of the works In Victoria anfl New South Wales are still killing ewes, and to a lesser extent wethers, for export, and 't. looks as if the output for .Tenuary would be Between 300.000 and 350 ea rcases. What will happen after January defends largely on tbe course of tbe Smithfield market. At tbe moment, it is firm, with relatively light supplies, but it is femod that when heavy stocks begin to arrive from this country. Ne-- Zealand, and South Amerira values will weaken Somewhat. 4nyhow. forward hnvos are acting on this supposition and trading cautiously.