OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3619, 24 July 1923, Page 14

OUR CANTERBURY AGRICULTURAL BUDGET.

(Fhom Ouh Own Correspondent.) WEATHER SURE CORD AND WET. What was said of the weather a week ago could practically be repeated on this occasion for it remains wet and cold, with grey skies, with a tendency towards frosts iti t.he latter port of the week. The rainfall has not been at all heavy, but it has been incessant and there is no relief from the unsatisfactory position that the agriculturist is in. It is not surprising that the Canterbury and North Otago members of Parliament have warned the country in the House of Representatives of the position that the Dominion is likely 7 to lie in a year hence, with regard to the supply of wheat. Only a few early nor’-wesiers will render the ground fit for wheat sowing in time for the crop to have a chance of success. VALUE OF VETCHES. Mr F. E. Ward. Instructor in Agriculture, recently visited a farm in the Toniuka district on which the owner had been advised to try oats and vetches. The farmer, who engages i-’i dairying, sowed

slightly less than an acre and a quarter, and harvested from that area a crop of 77 bushels of vetches that on present values are worth 12s a bushel. This compares favourably with what would have been received from a wheat crop off the same land. In addition, the farmer has a large stack of vetch haulms, which he is feeding to his dairy 7 cows along with mangolds; further he has ground in a clean condition and enriched in nitrogen through having grown a leguminous crop. Mr Ward is widely recommending the sowing of vetches to provide winter feed for dairy cows. A FEDERATION WANTED. _ In the past two years the from Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Associations have met in Christchurch prior to the Conference of the Council of Agriculture and discussed the various remits forwarded by them with the object of saving time. 'I he usual meeting was held this year, and a strong plea for the federation of the various show-controlling bodies of the South Island was made by the delegates from the Banks Peninsula A and P. Association, The chairman of the Conference (Mr R. E. Alexander) mentioned that the North Island associations have a federation of the kind already. Mr F Coop, in urging that this step should be taken. said that the different bodies in the South Island were not working together as they should. If the Canterbury A. and P. associations worked together they could place A. and P. matters in the Canterbury district on a better footing than was at present the case. The North Island Associations had federated, and it was essentia! that the South Island bodies should do likewise, if they were going to make a success of the "proposed South Island Royal Show. Mr AY. FI. Mont, gome i y said that A. and P. associations required some sort of legislation which would necessitate standardisation right throughout the Dominion. Some standardising was required, he said, and all the remits which had been discussed that morning were but asking for some sort or other of standardisation. Sush a body should be formed in the South Island, and the

standardising body, if set up, could read the rules of all the different A. and P. associations in the South Island, and formulate a series of rules which would be used by all the different bodies. They also wanted a unity of effort and the elimination of measures which did not meet with tile approval of the whole. The Conference decided to approve of the remit, and to ask the Canterbury A. and P. Association to take stops to put the suggestion into effect. UPWARD PRICE MOVEMENTS. I hough the stock markets are becoming tery small, they are becoming none the less interesting. At Addington on Wednesday the auctioning of the store stock that was forward only- occupied an hour, but tne sale was characterised by very .icen bidding, and prices were well up to the values of recent markets. In fact for some classes prices were an improvement. Store wethers, for instance, met " it'll a better trade than was the case a week previously. The excessive prices that are being paid for store sheep now are an embarrassment to the men that have recently bought properties, and they are also keeping many others from buying what seem (on paper) to be very reasonably priced runs and farms, compared with what they would have sold at in the. boom days. Numerous farms can be bought in Canterbury at the present time that have been very substantially written down since the boom period, and there are prospective buyers, but the barrier to business is the high cost of stocking the new purchases. The one factor that has exercised a very material control on the upward movement is the fact that so many farms have little sheep feed on them, owing to the poor autumn growth and tne very- disappointing turnip crops that followed the sowings of last summer. Had it not been for this there would have been hundreds more farmers in the market for sheep, with the result that prices would have ruled well above their real value. GOOD EWE PRICES. Vv it.li the smallest entry of the season m the store sheep pens, there was an odd pen of good ewes of a class that are hard ' to liick np at present, and they made good prices. One draft that was described as four, and eight tooths made 395. and another of 169 six and eight toothed ewes that run fairly strong in the wool made 40s. The latter consignment was sold on account of Mr J. Connolly (Rakaia). Two other lines of ewes made 38s 6ci. Only three pens of wethers were offered, and they sold well—somewhat ahead of the previous sale, when there was a disinclination to keep to the very high rates that had ruled for sheep of this class. There was nothing outstanding in the dozen pens of hoggets that were sold, and they realised excellent prices. PLAIN NORTH ISLAND BEEF. Some of the North Island beef that was offered at .Addington this week was of a very plain character, and it is difficult to understand the vendors going to the expense of paying the heavy freight and charges on animals of the description that lacked finish and were far from what the market requires. Two northern lines were forward, one of 41 head and the other ot 32. One draft was a serviceable lot of cattle, but the fact that the other only made from £7 15s to £ll 5s goes to show that they were not a particularly good line. They 7 looked hard and jaded. Considering the market, they sold well enough. The sale was a much better one from the point of view of the vendors, as the market for once was not oversupplied. With an entry of 300 a week the price of beef keeps at a reasonable level. On Wednesday there was only a few above this number, and prices ware better, though the fact that the offerings at the three previous sales were exceptionally 7 heavy kept the level of prices. down to some extent. The extra good cattle sold at 32s a 1001 b, with good from 27s 6d to 29s 6d. If yardings are not heavy in the next, couple of weeks there should be an improvement of a substantial character before the end of July. A steer sold on account of Mr W. 11. Mulligan (Maronan) made £l6 17s 6d. The consignment of North Island caltle that was the best of the two sold realised from £lO 10s to £l3 17s 6d for 41. With the exception of the North Island cattle there was none forward from beyond the confines of the province. Southland and Otago graziers held off. EXCELLENT MUTTON SALE. Owing to the fact that the season is now well over it was not necessary to hold a fat lamb sale, the hoggets that did come forward being offered along with the sheep. The very high prices that vendors have received for sheep in the past week or so attracted a larger entry of mutton on Wednesday. There vtas an increase bf a race and a-half compared with the preceding sale. As butchers did not hold any substantial number of sheep, the increase did not: depress the prices at all ill fact, the movement was all the other way. Values were from par to in some cases Is a head better than the previous week. The best of the wethers were from 7d to 7yd a lb. and some sales would have gone close to Bd. The competition of many country butchers and buyers from the West Coast made itself felt. For wethers the highest price was paid for the best of a consignment forwarded by Mr J. J. Earl (Orari). This was 46s for a pen of nine. The most outstanding line was sold on account of Mr L. IF. Adams (Aylesbury), which realised from 40s Id to 44s 3d for a consignment of 40. A pen of nine ewes on account of Mr B. Goss (Tinwald) sold at 395. The most even ewe draft was sold on account of Mr James Campbell (Ealing), 54 selling at. from 37s to 38s 3d. Nothing better than 27s 3d was paid for hoggets, a pen of 15 on account of Mr M. Poff (Methven) selling at this price. AGRICULTURAL AND PABTORAI NEWS. What is probably the best oat. yield so far recorded this past season (states the Southland News) is that from Mr James Brown’s farm at Oporo. Mr Brown threshed the splendid yield of 115 bushels to the acre. The oats are very heavy, weighing 44.451 b to the bushel measure. It, is interesting to note, as illustrating the rapid growth of shipments of wool from Wanganui, that in 1922 86,120 bales of wool were exported through the local port. For the first six months of this year 45.760 bales were disposed of in a similar manner, making 131,880 bales for the 18 months. Farmers in the Oamaru district are likely to pay more attention to the pig industry in the coming years than they have done in the past.. A prominent dairy farmer told a North Otago Times reporter that he be-

lieved there would shortly tie a big move in the direction of pig-raising. The proposal to adopt, a system of herdtesting in tiie Dannevirke district has been extensively adopted, no loss than 73 farmers providing 2475 cows for a start. The next block of land to be opened for selection in Otago is in the Teviot settlement, between Roxburgh and Miller's Flat. The area is over 12,000 screa. Owing to the unusually 7 wet season there were very few good turnip crops in Southland, and there is an acute shortage of this class of winter feed (states the Winton Record). In an ordinary season the price per acre for swede turnips varies from £5 to £B, but only in rare cases is the latter figure exceeded. This season, however, prices have risen to an abnormal height, and rece7itly 7 an exceptionally good crop, grown by Air Fiddler, East Winton. was sold at £ls an acre, Mr P. Burke being the purchaser. This is probably a record price for Southland. CANTERBURY CRAIN AND PRODUCE MARKET. DEARTH OF POTATOES. CHRISTCHURCH, July 20. There was considerable activity if not excitement in the potato market to-day, and telegrams were being sent all over the country 7 inquiring for stocks. Inquiries are from an Auckland source, and indicate that large quantities have been oversold as a result of which sellers are now at their wits' end to know how to fulfil their orders now tney me being pressed for them. It is estimated that since Thursday the advance has been equivalent to 15s per ton. As an instance of the position in the northern centre, a Christchurch firm which had bought from an Auckland merchant wired him to ship the potatoes by 7 vessels now loading, and received a reply that an endeavour would ba made to comply with the request, but reasonable notice was expected of potatoes being needed. Potatoes for the July and August delivery 7 were sold vest.; rc7ay on a basis of £lO 10s, f.o.u, s.i., for whites, and actual sales for the July- delivery were made at £9 10s. On Xhur sday the price in each instance was 15s less f.a.q.s., which were sold at £7 10s on Thursday, and which realised up to £8 10s to-day-. Information from Auckland Is to the effect that only 995 sacks of Tasmanian potatoes arrived there by the Kaitangata, If the prices in Christchurch were likely to be affected by those ruling in Auckland speculators were likely to experience a hard time. The position is that farmers are showing no inclination to sell at present, being convinced that there are no great quantities of potatoes in the country. Some merchants, too, are determined to store with the chance of reaping the benefit of higher prices later on in the year. Very few potatoes have been going to Auckland lately. The Wingatui, which left Ljdtelton yesterday for northern ports, took the first shipment for about 10 days. It- consisted of about 2000 sacks. Cocksfoot promises to realise better prices in the near future. Advices from London state that Danish seed, 2922 crop, 17-18 lb, is quoted now up to B£d per lb, c.i.f. JulyAugust and new season’s cocksfoot for delivery in October is quoted at a figure equivalent to B*cl, c.i.f. Cocksfoot has firmed locally, and it appears that instead of being the cheapest of seeds as it is to-day it is about to show an advance. Several inquiries have been received lately for Akaroa standard seed. Italian and perennial ryegrass are both firm at late rates. Within the last few days has been a renewed inquiry from Ganaaa for high germinating seed (perennial). Lucerne is if anything flatter than it has been during the past few weeks. There is no activity in other lines. ODR YORKSHIRE LETTER. CLOSE OF A MOST SATISFACTORY SERIES. (From Our Special Correspondent.) BRADFORD, Mav 17. Ihere is always profit to be obtained and one s knowledge of the wool trade increased by a careful study of the movement of values, and the record of the sales just, closed wdl bear close analysis. It is quite . true to say that it has been a sellers market, and the prices realised cannot but have satisfied importers as well as B.A.W.R.A. Of course, the secondhand lots of wool, bought at the height of the Australian season, could not be disposed of in many cases at the prices bid. for had they been accepted they would certainly have shown a distinct "less However, there is time yet for them to be disposed of at a profit, for merinos seem well able to take care of themselves. The amount of business done in fine wools can scarcely be exaggerated. Anything showing good combing character realised prices which exceeded expectations, and to find on re-offered lots an advance paid on the prices bid in March of anywhere from 2d to 7d per grease lb is phenomenal. We do not ever remember seping such a transformation. In one case 8d more was actually paid than was bid at the previous auctions for the self-same lot of wool, and it was no uncommon thing to see anywhere from 4d to 5d per lb advance readily given. This clearly indicates the strength of the market, and shows the confidence that buyers have in the future. Of course, the market was mostly made by outsiders; but that matters not one jot or tittle to those having the raw material to sell—. Their object is to make a profit let who will buy the raw ((lateral. The activity of France was phenomenal, and Frenchmen candidly say that they have faith in the future of raw wool values. America’s purchases in ihe aggregate were "smaller than expected, the Continent purchasing 81. COO bales, the home trade 80,COO bales, and America 70CO bales. The big industry across the Atlantic is easily able to absorb this small quantity of raw wool, and it will need to purchase continually in Ijondon this year. Of course, their own domestic clip is now being marketed, and the prices American growers want appear to be somewhat excessive and above a European parity. However, the domestic clip is not now a very big one, aggregating around 250.000.0001 b, whereas America’s consumption to-day is at the rate of 800,000,0001 b yearly. The reader will therefore see that American needs am very great, and an inroad will be made upon offerings to follow in Coleman street and our colonies.

CHANGES SEEN Ihe closing days of the series saw very little change, merinos holding up to the very last in a remarkable way. Crossbreds slightly eased, but scarcely to an extent worth mentioning. We give below our usual table showing the changes seen compared with the close of the previous senes, and which in some cases are remarkable:— Greasy merinoSuperior 3d dearer Average to good .. .. 3d dearer Poor condition .. .. 3d dearer Inferior locks and pieces lAdto 2d dearer Scoured merino— Superior 4d to 5d dearer Average to good .. .. 4d to 5d dearer Inferior 3d dearer Faulty locks and pieces 3d dearer Greasy merino lambs— Superior 3d dearer Medium 2d dearer Inferior Id dearer G reasy crossbred— Fine superior 2d dearer Fine ordinary Id dearer Medium superior .. .. par Medium ordinary .. .. par to Id dearer Coarse superior .. .. Id dearer Coarse ordinary .. .. Jd dearer Lambs 3d dearer Scoured crossbred— Fine 2d dearer Medium and coarse .. Id to 2d dearer Slipe crossbred,— Fine lambs Id dearer Medium lambs .. .. 2d dearer Coarse lambs Id dearer Faulty classes .. .. Id to 2d dearer Greasy Punta Arenas— Well conditioned .. .. Id to 2d dearer AVarty Id dearer Greasy Falkland Islands 2d dearer SOUTH AFRICAN AA’OOL. Snow 7 white— Super Westerns .. 4d dearer Super 3d to 4d dearer Medium 3d dearer Inferior 2d dearer Greasy combing—■ Light 3d dearer Heavy Id to 2d dearer Greasy clothing— Light 1 d to lid dearer Faulty Id dearer QUANTITIES ABSORBED IN COLEMAN STREET. A rather significant comparison can be made with the disposals of wools in Coleman street during the first three series this year and the corresponding series of 1922. Gradually but surely both the Continent and America are coming more to the front as large buyers of wool. The following shows the quantities taken by the different sections of the trade during the first three scries for some years back, and we include one or two pre-war years in order to compare the takings to-day of the three respective series of the industry with pre-war times: Year Home. Continent .America. Total Bales. Bales. Bales. Bales. 1923 242,000 211,000 31.000 487,600 1922 325,000 189,000 6,000 520.0)0 1921 92,500 75,000 13,500 179.000 1920 296,000 97.000 15,000 408,000 1915 450,000 40,000 41,000 531,000 1914 264,000 135,000 46,000 445,000 1913 255,000 134,000 14,000 403,000 The most significant item in the above table is the big purchases in London bv the Continent, and the decent takings by the home trade, the purchases of America being more or less a side line. For the huge consumption which is proceeding across the Atlantic 31,000 bales are a mere bagatelle, but the takings of the Continent are significant, particularly in Gcw of the. fact that political and economic conditions are much more to-dav than a year ago; Ihe Continent purchasing so largely in London perhaps helps to emphasise ihe smaller purchases in Australia and South Africa of merinos by both France and Germany. In any case, the weight of wool absorbed in London is significant, although the home trade has bought less than a year ago. Seme attention is being drawn to the reported cancellation of piece goods orders in the United States, but we do not think that any great importance need be attached to this matter. We regard it as being to a large extent the natural result of a boom period, particularly as the slump of 1920 is still fresh in the memory of ihe great majority in the trade. It lias been known for some little time, ihat the American Woollen Company had taken definite measures with regard to the acceptance of orders for their goods, haying made it known that they intended to deal only with the firms of sound financial standing. This was a very wise move to make, particularly as trade across the Atlantic is not generally conducted on such sound lines as are recognised to be desirable in this country. Business for piece goods across the Atlantic is often conducted on less sound and safe lines than in Great Britain, and the cancellation of orders in the former country cannot in itself be regarded as an indication of any impending demoralisation of raw material values generally. COMBING IN CANADA. News is to hand from Toronto that a start has been made on the new combing plant put down by the Dominion t omb inrr Mills (Ltd ). A bigger weight of tops jjL hcen exported to Canada during the past 12 months than ever before; but it is only a natural development for comhirg to he commenced in ihat country. Whether tops catt be combed at a Profit remains to lie seen, for the plant, installed for the purpose was very expensive. Everythirio- will depend upon the character of the “tops turned out, whether they can compete with Bradford tops Many think this will be almost impossible; but, with the same market in which to buy wool, and given capable management we see no reason why the Canadian venture should not succeed.

\ mixed partv of Southland and Otago sportsmen recently visited Clyde to obtain some quaii shooting. They had a successful time and secured about 200 quail in the three or four days the guns were operating. Ihe shooting w 7 as in some places difficult on account of the frozen nature of the ground. A Bluff High School girl named Millie Millar missed the 6.20 p.m. tram from Invercargill the other night ,and walked to Bluff (says the Southland Times). She left Invercargill at 6.30 p.m. and reached her home near the Pilot Station about midnight. Next morning she caught ihe 8 a.m. train to Invercargill and attended school as usual. The war pensions in New Zealand number 26,460, of the annual value of £1,349,857. a decrease of 2631 on the previous year.