THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 20

THE NORTH ISLAND.

|F<rom Our Own Correspondent.! The North Island is still experiencing unsettled weather. There is not nearly the amount of sunshine there should be at this time of the year, and the heavy winds prevailing have played havoc with pastures. It really requires plenty of rain to counter the effect of the winds. The dairy season, nevertheless, is promising well, and a satisfactory yield of butter-fat should result. Shearing is being pushed on with all possible speed, and both trains and motor lorries are engaged transporting the fleece to the stores. THAMES VALLEY SHOW. The annual show in connection with the Thames Valley Agricultural, Pastoral, and Horticultural Association was held at Te Aroha, and proved to be a record one in every respect. In the horse section there were seven entries in the champion hunter, division. Although the hunters represented the best in the province, it was a.noticeable fact that the numbers are declining, and although the prizes awarded represented a considerable sum of money, it did not seem sufficiently attractive to encourage the breeding of high-class hurdlers for the show. The competitions, however, proved spectacular, and the jumping was very attractive. The cattle entries were especially heavy, represented among them being some of the best-bred animals in the Dominion. Friesians were much ip evidence, showing the popular trend among dairymen. The Jersey section was heavy, and competition was extremely keen, no fewer than 150 entries being received. Shorthorns were poor numerically, but some splendid animals were on exhibition. The general tone of the show was good, and from expressions made about the 1925 fixture the executive were encouraged to prosecute greater effort in the direction of breeding nothing but the highest quality of dairying stock. YOUNG TARANAKI FARMERS. The judging of entries in the boys and girls’ agricultural club’s calf-rearing competition in South Taranaki are now taking place, The keen interest shown by the large mynber of boys and girls taking part in the competitions was plainly evident, and the quality of the calves brought forward, and tho records of their rearing, were eloquent of the value of the competitions as an instruction to young farmers at an impressionable age. After tho judging at each school all the pupils were gathered together to hear tho instructive remarks of the judges, who pointed out where competitors had succeeded or failed. This year no account is being taken in judging, of the cost of rearing the calves, the maximum points allotted being: Chart (showing tho complete record of the roaring), 50 points; condition, 100;—total, 150. The methods of judging provide for the entries at each school to be judged, the placed calves then being judged in group centres, tho winners of the groups again being eligible for the championship,. which will he judged later. Tho entries placed first, second, and third in the results shown bolow will bo eligible for the group judging. The results are as follow:

Judged on dairy type, the competitors were placed in the following order: Doris Jordan 1, Ruby Coleman 2, Clare Jordan 3, Jack Jordan 4.

In the judging on dairy type the placing was the same as above. The yearlings, two-year-olds, and three-year-olds were placed as follows (the judging being on dairy type only): Yearlings, Jerseys, Elliott Major 1, J. Gernhoefer 2; Friesians, Maud Major 1; two-year-olds, Jerseys, Maud Major 1, Elliott Major 2; three-year-olds. Jerseys, J. Gernhoefer 1, Milljg Gernhoefer 2. At Finnerty School the results were as follow in the Shorthorn-Friesian class: —

On dairy type the placings were: E. Robinson 1, M. Christiansen 2, M. Suter *3, C. Babington 4, 13. Suter 5, A. Robinson 6, F. Steiner 7. The results in tho yearling classes were: Jerseys, F. Christiansen 1, B. Suter 2; Friesian, May Jones 1. NEW ZEALAND LAMB POPULAR. During his visit to the Old Country, Mr J. C. N. Grigg, of Longbeach, Canterbury, who has just returned to New Zealand, purchased several fine stud Southdowns, but owing to the ukafle of the New Zeuland Agricultural Department he could not get them into the Dominion, and had to let them go to other buyers. One ram was a particularly well-bred animal, and the fact that ho was leased on behalf of the King shows what was thought of him. New Zealand is frightened of the foot-and-mouth disease, which hoe broken out again in the Old Country. Mr Grigg said that he had talked with a number of old shepherds at the Royal Shdw, and they told him they had never known sheep to get the disease. Mr Grigg does not intend relinquishing his intention to import some high-olass Southdowns to improve his flocks, and says he will merely have to wait until the gates are open and they can be brought into the Dominion.

Speaking of the prospects of our meat in London, Mr Grigg, who is a member of the Meat J3oard, said New Zealand lamb was growing more and more popular every day. Light-weight and medium-weight lambs were what was wanted, as the i>eoplo preferred them to the heavy weights. Asked what he thought of the prospects of beef, Mr Grigg said he could not give any information until he had reported to the Meat Board, but personally he thought it would remain steady. Chilled beef? No, he did not approve of it, as far as New Zealand was concerned. It was essential, in dealing with chilled beef, that it be distributed immediately from the ship, whereas with the frozen article there was more time. New Zealand meat had to go a very long way, and he felt that we must rely on freezing and not on chilling. LUCERNE IN HAWKE’S BAY. It seems surprising to many that graziere and dairy farmers in Hawke’s Bay do not go in more for the cultivation of lucerne. Dairv farming has not made the progress it should, because most men on the land appear to be obsessed with the idea that though the land is of excellent quality it is too dry. One of the puzzles, however, is the reason why the cultivation of lucerne does not become general. If it did, there seems to be no reason why Hawke’s Bay should not one day be one of the premier butter-producing provinces of the Dominion. One lucerne enthusiast has been writing to the local paper on the question, and in the coiirse of an appeal to grow lucerne he put up the following argument :—“Every acre put down in lucerne in Hawke’s Bay, and intelligently handled, doubles its value. It throws from five to six times as much fodder per acre as any other permanent pasture on the same land. The farmer is absolutely 'asured against the disastrous effects of the requent drought periods which are experienced. If it is not required in a good growing season, the hay is always saleable at a very payable figure, because a stack or two of lucerne hay, or supply of ensilage, is better than all the insurances the dairy farmer can take out. Instead oi' depleting it is always improving the quality of your land. Its feeding value, weight for weight, is superior to any other hay. It absolutely smothers and eradicates (within two seasons) that bane of our good land—Californian thistle. These are merely a few of the countless reasons why lucerne should occupy 50 per cent, of every Hawke’s Bav dairy farm, out until the weary dairy farmer can find time to pursue his inquiries on this matter he must be prepared to face drought seasons with shortage of green feed, cold winters with little or no hay, small milk cheques, and a life of drudgery. Is it not worth while for dairy farmers to get every atom of information that the Agricultural Department can give regarding lucerne ? Let them read the standard works by men who have devoted a lifetime to the study of lucerne—Americans mostly—but their knowledge has enabled them, by growing alfalfa as they call it, to turn thousands of acres of originally honeless looking desert into waving green fields. GISBORNE SHEEP-FARMERS’ AFFAIRS. At the annual meeting of the Gisborne Sheep-farmers’ Frozen Meat and Mercantile Company the financial position was shown to be as follows“ The company began the year with a bank overdraft of £110,894 13s 4d, which at the end of the financial year stood at £131,143 5s lid. The difference, £20,248 12s 7d, is accounted for by the fact that the latter year contained two and a-quarter half-yearly debenture interest payments, as against one in the previous year, which represents a sum of £13,750 more paid than in the financial year ending August 31, 1924. Mortgages to the extent of £2414 were paid off, and capital expenditure to the extent of £14,598 was outlaid. Another factor which had an important bearing on our bank account was the fact that at the end of August, 1925, we had in store some 74,000 freight carcases, on which freezing and felling charges, though earned, were still unpaid, as against 24,000 freight carcases in store at the expiration of the previous 12 months; £2562 6s 4d has been written off cost of floating debentures and amalgamation expenses; £12,860 expended in repairs and maintenance, and other smaller liabilities discharged. If the earnings represented by the carcases in store are taken into consideration the improvements in the company’s position is quite equal to that made in the financial year of 1924, a more or less satisfactory result, taking into consideration the fact that the receipts, owing ma'inly to lower rates from the felling and freezing charges were less in the latter year to the extent of £20,560.” A STRONG APPEAL. Mr J. W. Nolan, chairman of directors of the Gisborne Sheep-farmers’ Company, made a stirring appeal for more loyalty on the part of shareholders when discussing with them at the annual meeting the present position of affairs. He declared that “ unless a considerable supply of stock was forthcoming for each of the works operations would have to be carried on at a loss or the factories shut down. The killings at the three works show a shortage of some 41,500 as compared with last season.” stated Mr Nolan. “ Hicks’s Bay showed an increase, and Tokomaru Bav a slight decrease, "which is much more tnan accounted for by a strike at the works toward the end of the season, which necessitated closing down, leaving heavy bookings with which we were unable to deal. The killings at Kaiti were 37,395 short of the number put through during the previous season, whilst Taruheru for the same period increased its killings by 74,208. I would ask you to take careful note of these figures, as they must give any loyal and honest shareholder cause for serious thought. The increaso at Taruheru came from your own district, and must have come from shareholders, as there are few. if indeed any, sheep-owners in the district who are not shareholders in your company. That such a position should arise or be allowed to occur under the conditions existing in this district is, I suggest to you, neither loval, right, or even honest. You have invested your capital in the company, and by doing so have induced fellow shareholders to do likewise on the distinct and mutual understanding that you will assist one another in the preservation of that capital, and work together for the general weal, and yet we find that, a largo proportion of shareholders, ns shown bv the figures quoted, are deliberately risking not only their own capital, but that of their co-shareholders. Now think this position over, and ask yourselves, ‘ Is this a fair deal?’” “The conditions under which tho freezing industry throughout New Zealand has been

working are anything but satisfactory, and if permitted to continue have every appearance of becoming less satisfactory and indeed serious. Competition nas been so keen that charges have been cut down to a figure that unless a very considerable supply of stock is forthcoming to each works the works musf+e carried on at a loss or shut down. “As no company can continue to work at a loss, it is evident they will have no option but to cease operating. Some companies have already done so, and more are likely to follow, and unless works are dismantled and scrapped will no doubt be open for sale to the highest bidder and sold at probably 5s in the £ on their cost or value, which enables them to be brought into competition on an invested capital that permits them to again lower charges, thus squeezing out other still existing companies, and so the process goes on until only the companies with immense capital, or ‘trusts,’ as Mr Lysnar would call them, are left to carry on the industry. “If and when this does happen you sheep farmers will know all about it. We in Poverty Bay have had an experience of this kind of thing, that, so far as I know, has not happened elsewhere in New Zealand. Prior to the year 1902 there was only one freezing works in this district, when the ruling price for wethers was a maximum of Bs. In 1902 this present company started operations, true, in a very small way, but it had the immediate effect of raising the price to 15s and 16s. “Now, that is what is going to happen to you again if you allow yourselves to be squeezed out—and soueezed out you will be .unless you pay more attention to your own company’s welfare and are more loyal in its interest.” MUTTON AND LAMB IN HAWKE'S BAY. The Hawke’6 Bay freezing companies are now getting into stride, but growers are not receiving the prices they did last season. The prices fixed are 9d per lb for lamb and s£d for mutton. Last year the opening price for lamb was lOd ner lb, but an impression prevailed among some exporters that lamb would be in extraordinay demand, arid the reeult was that the price locally advanced to 12d and 13d. These prices were never warranted by the actual conditions of the trade, and, of course, the losses were heavy. Mutton prices last season were 8d per lb; the price now is s£d per lb.

Te Roti School (Jersey Class). Chart. Condition. Total. Ruby Coleman .. 36 100 136 Doris Jordon . ... 39 95 134 Clare Jordan . . ..42 85 127 Jack Jordan . . .. 38 75 113

Rawhitiroa School (Jersey-Ayrshire CJ«ss). Chart. Condition. Total. J. Gernhoefer .. .. 40 100 140 Owen M'Donald ..43 94 137 L. Gernhoefer .... 44 90 134 D. M'Donald .. ... 30 96 126 L. Robinson .... 41 84 126 l). Robinson .... 39 80 119 Judging on dairy type the results were: D. Robinson 1, Owen M'Donald 2, L. Robinson 3. L. Gernhoefer 4, D. M'Donald 5, J. Gernhoefer 6. Shorthorn-Friesian class results wore: — Chart. Condition. Total. Maud Major .... 44 98 142 Elliott Major .. £0 100 140

Chart. Condition. 'Total. May Jones .. 43 103 143 P. Christiansen ... 37 98 135 B. Ogle .. .. .. 45 83 128 D. Ogle .. .. 80 A. Ogle .. .. .. 42 78 On dairy type the same order of places was maintained as above. In the Jersey class the results were: — Chart. Condition. Total. M. Christiansen .. 39 100 139 C. Babington ... .. 30 80 .. 33 82 M. Suter 72 107 E. Babington .. — 90 — A. Robinson .. — — F. Steiner .. 29 68 97