STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 3619, 24 July 1923, Page 11

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES

Weekly Stock Sales. Burnside, Wednesdays. Addington, Wednesdays ft'aiareka Railway Junction. Tuesdays. WaUaeetowu. Tuesdays. Fortnightly. Riversdale, Fridays Ashburton, Tuesdays. Heriot, Thursdays, kin ton, Thursdays. Wyndham, Thursdays. Clinton, Thursdays. Balclutha, Fridays. Bore, Tuesdays. Monthly. Palmerston, 4th Thursday. Mintoa, 4th Tuesday.

Monthly (continue** 1 Duntroon, 2nd Wedne. dav Woodlands, 3rd Wed nesday. Milton, 2nd Tuesdav. Ralfour, 3rd Thursday Thor.qbury, Ist Friday Duntroon, 2nd Wednesday. Otautau, 2nd Friday Riveradale, 3rd Friday Waik„ka, laet Friday. Clydevale, last Tuesday Periodically as Advertised. Lumsden, Mossbum Orepuki, Matanra Waikcuaitl, Riverton, Ngapari, ana Otago Central Bales

OTAGO. The weather showed a decided improvement towards the end of last week, and the sun shone out - bravely on some days. The weather is still cold, with some frosts at night, which has kept the snow on mountain tops from disappearing too rapidly and causing floods. So far advices indicate that the loss of sheep by snow will not be so serious as was at first feared, although some individual graziers may be hit rather hard. THE BURNSIDE MARKET. The yardings at Burnside were rather on the. small side, as might be expected from the recent spell of rough weather, and on the whole there was an advance in prices. The yarding of fat cattle totalled 214 head, compared with 193 head last week and 339 a .fortnight ago. A large proportion of the yarding consisted of prime ox beef, but secondary quality was scarce. Extra prime and choice quality bullocks brought up to 34s per 1001 b, second quality up to 32s 6d, good heifer beef up to 28s, and good cow beef from 18s to 20s. A total of 1774 fat sheep were penned, compared with 2434 last week, the offering including some very prime and good-quality wethers. The fact that a grazier was a keen buyer of anything not just prime resulted in prices firming considerably. Extra heavy wethers made last week’s prices, but unfinished moved up Is 6d a head more than they were last week and ewes a trifle more. Ilandy-weight wethers were worth from 7d to 7gd per lb and ewes up to 6d, lighter and aged ewes about sd. 1 here was a medium yarding of store cattle, a pen of nice four-year-old bullocks bringing £5 5s a head. Cows and heifers suitable for canning purposes sold at usual rates, but yearlings and two-year-olds were difficult to quit and sold at cheap rates. j. here _ was a good yarding of pigs, and competition was brisk. Best baconers brought up to 7d and best porkers up to 3d. About 40 head of dairy cattle were forward, and these met with a good sale.

Good cows realised up to £ll, heifers £7 to £9, and aged cows from £5 to £6 10s. ADDINGTON MARKET. The feature of the Addington weekly sale was the jump up in the price of fat sheep. For the second week in succession the yarding was a small one. As a result the bidding was keen* and vigorous, and there was an improvement on the average of 4s per head. Best wether mutton sold at per lb, prime 6Jd to 7-£d, medium up to bid, and light up to 6d. Store sheep were yarded in fair-sized number, and though at times the sale dragged a little prices were well maintained. Good sound-mouthed ewes sold up to 37s 6d, failing-mouthed 265, aged and inferior ewes 18s to 21s 9d, extra good crossbred hoggets 28s 8d to 29s 6d, and good crossbred wether hoggets 24s 3d. The small yarding of fat lambs comprised a couple of trucks sent through the Otira tunnel from the West Coast. In a brisk sale the West Coasters realised 29s (o 31s 9d. In fat cattle there was a heavy yarding, and prices were a trifle easier. Extra prime beef made up to 32s per 1001 b, good beef 295, and inferior 15s to 22s 6d. Extra prime steers''brought £l4 10s to £l7 ss, prime steers £lO 153 to £l3 10s, and medium £3 to £lO 12s. Fair prices were realised for store cattle, but there was little demand for dairy cattlo. NORTH ISLAND STOCK VALUES. Small yardings of stock prevail in the North Island at the present time, and the demand is not brisk except for breeding ewes. Beef in the Auckland province at the Westfield market made up to 24s per 1001 b, which denotes a slight advance in value. Fat sheep were dearer and medium ewes (in lamb) made 25s 3d. At Poverty Bay at the Matawhcro yards small entries were received, but apparently suffice the weak demand. In the Wanganui-Feilding districts lambs are beginning to appear, but there is no great inquiry for stock. In the Wairarapa wether hoggets made to 18s 3d, small 15s to 17s, old ewes (in lamb) 18s to 20s, fair mixed to 28s 6d, good mixed 31s, forward wethers 27s 9d to 31s 3d, fair ewe hoggeiji 20s, two-year-old steers to £3 15s, springing heifers to £B, and draught horses £35 to £4O. In Hawke’s Bay wether hoggets made 15s to 17s, inferior ewe hoggets 15s 6d, and' five-year-old in-lamb ewes 24s to 30s 9d. STOCK NOTES. The business passing in stock in Otago is _ not large, but values axe well maintained, and generaly conditions look fairly promising. At a meeting of the Draught Horse Committee of the Canterbury A. and P. Association it was decided to recommend that the horse parade be held on September 19. Draught horses to be examined at 12 o’clock, judged at 1 p.m., and the parade at 2 p.m. The question of in-

cluding thoroughbreds and cobs in the parade was left to the Light Horse Committee. It was also decided to recommend that a committee be set up to consider the question of holding a Winter Show in 1924. -^ IH president (Air Small) of the Dairy X armors Lnion (says a Hawke’s Bay corlespondent) predicted at a meeting of dairy--,,10n| iNorsewood that New Zealand norT M 8 exporting £5X00,000 worth of four' v':‘ a y "7 th;n the »ext three or which I n, ■ pc, l Un S ■ put that Denmark, lington I!! 7 ab ° Ut thc size of the WoiaMuallv ,nT?i,’ e £ ports £16,000,000 worth of their f* h;lve to buy most The hi fl ° m Amenca to do it. u n |o„ the D a ir r ee"or m o e f ntß the ha i e ive bC Sfc T“IV y* Ihe local secretary reported that had been mJd/fo Mr Gor S]% ! f! re R at /P ari ”»' Gore, Inverward hn* ° lumsden, and Sea- ™ °“ matl6rS pertainin S to the damy h ShoHho S rn CCe f fu i' ,e of ourebred under ErW P' to °k place at Wottonwhen Ml- g T £’. ou< ;estershire, on May 25. r.4?i”ed £4I97 K ir SS e ' I ' t - lre h , crd of 4 l'bead -ansed £419 1 18s, making the highly satisfactory average of £lO2 7s 9d The Irdiest lUng’sdere f - Sl °*L ,T as bVt Bth a T-T Stables for Bridesmaid <3 W - U f h . won first PrGe and the West Show 8 T da l at lbe Bath and was r 1&A! / Another notable price a hp-in/ifnl , or ., Bidolestone Seraphina 2nd, a beautiful heifer which went to the Lanoa up' G to TclT f f Mr r , He T W P rth - Bulls made up to lt/Ogs for Combebank Highness a M? F r ’w V f C ', by Mr L Mond breeder- It' M ?- rlov * of t! '° best-known the 'b, f f rocu ? ree Shorthorns, sold the gieater port on of his herd through the medium of Messrs John Tbovrv* i CYt of D-ii , b ,; ,onn ihornton and Wiltshire, on There TOsTfe trade, and the dispersal of 47 head brought of £lO9 7s‘ 1 £s2 f, u p’rnn hi-G'h prices were topped by one of oOOgs, which Mr ,T G Peel th» 5”? f A n ° iod CW ’ire herd, paid f„ ru b ?V, Fra . ff ra n ce. a cow bred by Sir and A hiVh won prizes at the Royal Show and the Bath and West Earl"' Fr Her *™ d ««”• Bud"llJone lor , St rPe i mad ° tho highest Price tor a bull, too buyers, at 250 gs being WilMi- e laU na Ashton, Marlborough* Chile Pin otber a Pr J^ S f °r females included 210 gs and 200 gs (twice), while PHnce r T I s - n,endid bull calf. Biddestone T unce. John, made 150 gs from Messrs Hope bimpson Bros. 1 * A^v? Urds . all the co-orerative Jaun-hlenes in Denmark show that the pro I’T," pl 7 s . neatly increased during ’be toUl reached 1.880.090, while m U2l only 1.400.000 swine were slaughof ah l f'h 1? 1922 - ] , t .b° re "’as an increase of about half a million. In spite of this prommtion of pork m Denmark at present is s .11 below that of pre-war years? when it almost reached two and a-half millions. However, from statements one gathers tnat considerable add tions of young pigs have been made, so that in all'probability the current year will &oe a still greater increase than last. In killing live stock (says an American paper) there is a natural loss in weight through evaporation, in addition to waste material that has no value whatsoever, -lire shrinkage of an average pig approximates 20 per cent, of the live weight, and the corresponding loss in cattle and sheep approximates 30 per cent, of the weights purchased on the hoof. In all cases 'the shrinkage from evaporation is about twothirds of t-he total shrinkage, as compared wjlh a waste of one-third from valueless material that must be burned or carted away Non-edible products equal apnroximately j. 6 per cent, of the live weight of an average sheep, 10 per cent, of a steer and 6 per cent., of a pig. Even -though the percentage of these is small their values have an appreciable effect upon live stock prices. When prices of hides and other important by-products, such as tallow, oleo stearine and oil, fertiliser and specialised products developed by the meatpacking industry, have either an upward or a downward trend the effect upon the live stock prices is unmistakable. In short, the live animal to-day is regarded as a source, not only of meat, but also of other material of value—by-products. The live animal’s value is in relation to the total value of both rather than of meat alone. Thc chief preventive measure advocated for calf scour in a pamphlet issued by the University . f California are sanitary housing of calves, cleanliness in feeding, treating the navel with tincture of iodine as soon as possible after birth, and dusting with drying powders, avoiding overfeeding (21b whole milk twice daily for the first few days is recommended as sufficient), feeding milk at todv temperature. Mention is made of a calf-scour serum by Jensen, of Copenhagen, which has met with great success The treatment recommended in cases of scour is to completely withdraw milk from the diet for 24 hours. Warm water, water containing one. or two raw eggs, or barley water mav be substituted. Milk may then he added t<s the diet and its effect observed. Acidity in the faiccs of the calf is tested with litmus paper, and if present loz of sodium bicarbonate and 2dr of aromatic spirits of ammonia in one pint of warm water should be given one hour before feeding, night and morning.

PRODUCE NOTES. The strike of dockers at Home is holding up a considerable quantity of New Zealand dairy produce. Six steamers are held up in London, and one at Manchester. These vessels, together with their cargoes of but-

This shows that 3083 tons of butter, besides a very considerable quantity of cheese, are awaiting discharge. The s.s. Westmeath, with over 1000 tons of butter is nearing destination. Both the butter and cheese markets are quiet as buyers anticipate an early termination of the strike, when there will be exceptionally large supplies available, and prices must then bo lowered.

Heavy supplies of butter have been received from New Zealand (says the Launceston Courier). The market in that centre still remains at about Is 6d per lb., but the duty and other charges bring the value here, at cost, to nearly another 3d. A few lines of cheese have also come forward, the quality of which is excellent. There is a fair enquiry for honey, lard, and bacon, but no enquiry for hams. According to a statement made by the Commonwealth Minister of Customs (Mr Chapman) on July 2, the restriction which it was intended to place on the export of butter, unless it had been manufactured from pasteurised cream, had been decided upon in order to improve the overseaa market and to establish a reliable standard for Australian butter. It was officially explained further that on the average at present Australia had the lowest returns of all the butter exporting oountries, and this was the principal reason why the regulation was adopted. To prevent hardship, provision had been made to allow creamery butter to be exported until January 1, 1924. The regulation will not be brought, into operation until approved by the Australian Dairy Council on July 16. On an estimated offering in Australia of 1.610,000 bales for the ensuing season, it is suggested by the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia (says Dalgety’s Review) that the following quantities ba submitted prior to Christinas:

810,000 It is oroposed that the season commence in Sydney on September J. 7, followed by sales in Adelaide on September 21, and sales in Brisbane on September 24. and that the quantities to be offered in each of the principal centres lie evenly spread over the whole period to May 15. A report from Melbourne, in discussing wool, refers to the English buyers mainly operating in crossbreds and slipes, and states that all lambswool is much dearer, and then goes on to say:— “Judging from the constant hardening of prices and insistent demand for lambs in the local markets, it appears os if users of such were at last waking up' to the fact that tho supply of lambswool next year will ho about the lowest on record, reports from the country boing that percentages will generally be extremely low, some districts putting the markings down at only 29 per cent.” MECHANICAL STOCKING. Trials of a new stooking attachment to the reaper and binder have been made by the English Ministry of Agriculture, and are reported in the May issue of its official journal. While there appears to be room for slight modifications, the device, which costs nearly as much as tho binder itself, should have a distinct value where labour is scarce and expensive. Under English conditions, however, its use was more costly than hand-stooking. the figures quoted in the official report being: Two binders drawn by a tractor—Cost of cutting per acre, oats 4s 4d per acre, wheat 4s 9d; cost of stooking, oats Is 3d per acre, wheat Is lOd. In the case of a binder and stooker drawn by tractor tho cost of cutting and stooking per acre was 6s Id for cats and 7s 6d for wheat. The mechanical stooker, in addition, leaves the stocks scattered more irregularly over the paddock than when the work is carried out by hand. The new machine is thus described in the report mentioned: —The stooking machine is a device of special interest and calls for a detailed description. It is attached to the rear of the hinder, and stooks the sheaves' while the binder is travelling. The power for performing the various operations is obtained by means of a shaft driven from tho crank shaft of the binder. The sheaves are delivered on the fork in pairs. The first sheaf is held on tho binder platform until the arrival of the second, when a “kicker device” delivers them simultaneously. In so doing a trip lever is actuated which causes the fork carrying the sheaves to describe a scvni-circular movement, thus de'ivering tho sheaves into the stook-setler with their butts in the rear. The number of sheaves contained in the stock may he determined by previous regulations, but tho stook may also be tripped at will by the operator, irrespective of the number of sheaves it contains Upon the requisite number being placed in the stook-setter a compressor arm which also forms the needle, is set in motion, causing it to compress the stock and tie it. The stooks are discharged with a Qu’ck movement, and as they leave the stook-settter tines spread the butts m order to give the stooks a substantial base. Facilities are provided for raising lowering th'e stook-setter, as necessitated by the height of the cron. The report adds that one man only is required to operate the binder and stooker. The stooker was readily attached to the binder and worked with very mile attention, while the proportion of time lost was comparatively low.

The sum of about £1260 is to be snenfc in building a library at the Ashburton High School. . ~ ._. Sir John Salmond’s trip to the Disarmament Conference at Washington cost New Zealand £2942.

ter and cheese, are as follows: — Butter Cheese At X»ondon —- boxes. crates. Maliia 4.191 12 630 Port Nicholson .. 38,199 15,812 Raranga .. 37.S35 18,537 Humnui 12,238 49,862 Kaikoura .. 16,041 7.828 Rotorua 14,871 At Manchester — 112,637 119,540 Wh-akatan© .. 10,696 5,644 123,333 125,184

Bales. Sydney Brisbane Victoria South Australia "Western Australia . .. 47,030