CLOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 19

CLOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

»mM» DlKk Milt. Ninthly (ctntlnuid). Bnrn.ia., Wean..a«,«. Puntroon W «Jn» Addington, Wednesday.. Waiareka Hlilway Juno- , Uon, TueadayA J’rtnlaj.tlr. Hilton, !nd Tneedly. Tn«a.yi. ®‘ ,tour - W Tb " r *a*J. Ashburton, TasMsys. Thotnbary, lit Friday, Hsriot, TTiuridays,, Otautau, 2nd Wednss* WintOn, Thursdays. 4»J* Wyndham, Thursdays. Biversdale, Srd Friday, Clinton, Thursdays. tVaikaka, last Ftldajr. Baidutha, Fridays. Clydsrals, last Friday Qsrs, Tuesdays. Ninthly, f ' , r"< llc *"> *• ■dandate, let Monltiy. AdviftlMd. Falmaraton, 4tb Thur. Lamsdan, HoMbnrn, day. Orepuki, Waimahaka, Winton, it* Tuesday. Waikouaiti. Rirsi* Uataura, Ist lliursday. ton, Ngapara, and Tskanui, 4th Monday. Otago Centra] Salsa. OTAGO. The weather during the past week was for the most part good, if at times cold at night. The absence of wind and rain is a noticeable feature in what so far has proved a very open winter throughout Otago. Stock sales during the week were held at Milton, Balclutha, and Clinton, where prices were in the vendors’ favour. At Balclutha on Friday some 4000 sheep met with good attention from a large attendance of prospective buyers. Twotooth ewes made 41s Bd, full and failing ewes 12s 7d to 20s, extra 29s 6d, fat and forward wethers 275, mixed sex hoggets 20s 6d (mostly wethers), and small wether hoggets 18s 2d. A moderate entry of medium cattle met with a good demand. At Milton a few hundred sheep were readily sold at the following values: —Good store wethers, 26s to 27 Id; ewe hoggets, 255, 28s, 30s; small, 21s 9d; mixed hoggets, 26s 2d; wether hoggets, 22s 3d; full and failing ewes, 15s to 235; extra, 30s Id; two-tooth crossbred wethers, 25s Id. At Clinton a few pennings of sheep were offered and sold on Thursday last, and realised prices very similar to those obtained at Balclutha the following day. BURNSIDE MARKET. The yarding of fat sheep at Burnside totalled 2050. compared with 2300 the previous week. The quality was very fair, but the demand was irregular, the early sales being made at lower rates than later on, and prices for the last race of sheep sold being much in advance of previous sales. Values on the run of the market demand may be quoted as Is to 2s per head better than was the case a week ago, with higher values ruling for sheen offered towards the close of the sale. Wether mutton may be quoted.as making up to sid per lb for butchers’ sorts, with light primes and ewes unchanged. The 50 fat lambs (385 last week) proved a meagre supply, and a splendid sale resulted, prices being up Is to 2s per head, and lamb making up to lOd per lb. The entry of fat cattle, 200 (297 last week) comprised mixed quality, some very well finished bullocks and heifers from Central Otago being of marked quality. The inclusion of a number of plain steers and cows was not helpful to the demand. The best of the ent:: met with a good demand, but early sales were no better than the previous week. Towards the close of the sale, the tone of the demand improved, and prices moved up 10s to 20s per head, beef making to 40s per 1001 b. The store cattle pens were fairly well filled, chiefly with fair sorts of cows and heifers and some young medium steers. The latter met with a good demand, with females making rates much on a par with those of the previous week. The supply of fat pigs was better, but few stores were penned. Values eased for fats, with the latter selling under a brisk demand. Baeoners made to 8d and porkers to 9|d per lb. NORTH ISLAND STORE STOCK VALUES. The markets continue firm at the values recorded in our previous report. In the Auckland Province, at Westfield market, beef sold at up to 32s per 1001 b, forward bullocks £7 5s to £8 10s, forward wethers' 24s to 25s 6d, fair 20s to 23s 3d, and aged breeding ewes 15s to 20s. In the Wairarapa forward wethers made 23s to 255, medium 17s to 19s 6d, small 16s 6d, spring calvers £9 to £l2 ss, and springing heifers £6 to £7 ss. In the Wanganui-Feilding areas small ewe lambs made 14s, fair wether lambs 12s to 16s, medium wethers 20s to 225, and aged ewes in-lamb 21s to 25s 6d. In Hawke’s Bay fair breeding ewes made 18s to 21s, young mixed to 265, small lambs Bs, fair springing heifers £4 10s, yearling steers £1 15s, and ordinary dairy cows at clearing sales, £4 16s to £9 10s. STOCK NOTES. Store stock values in Otago remain firm at last week’s prices. There is not much doing, but holders of good sheep are firm, while the demand for good sorts of steers does not seem to slacken. No doubt the fine open weather and ample feed throughout the province accounts for the demand, as values of fat stock show but little appreciation. A consignment of Clydesdale colts and stud Corriedale and Border Leicester sheep was despatched per s.s. Waikouaiti last week to Melbourne. The horses comprised 15 Clydesdale colts, sent on behalf of North Otago consignors. The sheep were drawn from Waimate and the Mocraki Estate, and numbered 235—viz.: 108 Border Leicester ewe hoggets and 19 Border Leicester rams, 101 Corriedale ewes and seven Corriedale rams. Mr Webb, M.P., the Socialist highbrow, wants to know (says the Scottish Farmer) why a misleading title like Canterbury lamb “ should be tolerated.” • The public thiuks it is eating Southdown lamb produced in Kent. ~ Mr Allan Batchelor, Milton of Finavon, has the honour of having bred the first heifer in Scotland to give over 2000 gal of milk in 365 days with her first calf (says an exchange). This promising British Friesian yielder, Finavon Primrose, is by Seaton Roland out of a dam by an imported bull. Huntera if well up to weight and in the fronfc rank sell well at Home at the pres-

ent time. The Hertfordshire Hunt horses met an excellent demand, 24 head making £2185, with a top of £405, for a gelding. At Sherborne, in Dorset, England, an average of llSgns was obtained for 14 hunters, the highest price being 300gns for a eeven-year-old mare. Experiments in evolving a tailless breed of sheep have been in progress at the South Dakota (U.S.A.) Experiment Station for the past nine years (reports the Producer). As the foundation stock native Siberian rams, which have no tails, have been used for crossing with Shropshire, Hampshire, and Rambouillet ewes, lambs have now been produced with tails so short that they do not have to be docked. If it is found that this new strain is prepotent, the problem will seem to have been solved—at least, so far as the tail is concerned. Of the quality of the wool nothing is said. All the Queensland works except Biboohra and Burdekin in the north, and Murarrie in the south, have been slaughtering cattle for the export trade during the last fortnight, says the Australian Meat Trade Journal. In addition, the Western Australian Government’s plant at Wyndham is killing with a full board. The first shipment for the season was made from the last-mentioned works on June 12, and comprised 16,270 quarters or crops, including some 50 of chilled beef. A process for preserving meat by dipping it in hot liquid, which when dried forms an air-tight skin, has been discovered by a resident of Johannesburg, according to a report from the American Trade Commissioner in that city. The commissioner reports that Johannesburg cold storage firms and exporters are chary of expressing any opinions upon the discovery until they have had an opportunity to thoroughly go into the matter. FROZEN MEAT EXPORTS. The total value of New Zealand’s exports of frozen meat for the year ended March 31 was £10,126,095. In a circular the New Zealand Farmers’ Union states: “By selling their meat at the freezing works farmers had far the best of the deal in the 1925 season, many exporters making a loss on the year’s transactions. Notwithstanding the fact that exporters have been very cautious in their purchases this season, prospects are not too bright, for apparently they will not have a very big margin to work on.” The prices paid for fat stock during the season were, as compared with the preceding season, considerably less, because, among other things, there was a favourable fattening season in Britain, because the shipping strike upset the balance of New Zealand’s old season's kill, and because of Australian devtlopments. “The output of lambs from the Commonwealth was considerably ahead of the two previous seasons. In an ordinary season the output is reckoned at one million lambs, whereas this season’s shipments will reach 1,900,000. Australian lamb commences to go on the London market at the end of October, and the greater quantity is off the market before our main shipments reach there, but owing to the strike last October the usual shipments were delayed, with the result that considerable quantities of Australian lamb were still on the London market when our main shipments commenced to reach there.” BACON PRODUCTION. It is a commonly held view that in the production of pork or bacon it is a sound commercial proposition to use a first cross (states the journal of the Ministry of Agriculture, London). The reasons advanced are twofold: (1) a suitable'first cross gives an ideal side of the bacon, and (2) the first cross matures more quickly and costs less to feed. An experiment on commercial lines carried out at the Lord Wandsworth Institution at Long Sutton, Hampshire, during the winter of 1921, is of interest in this connection since the results of the trial indicate that a firstclass cross does mature more quickly and is more economical to feed. In the trial nine purebred pigs and nine pure first crosses were compared. The pigs were eight weeks old when the trial commenced. For the first two months both lots of pigs received the same quantity of food, but as the crossbreds thrived much better, it was found ne jsary to feed them a little more generously in the latter stages of the trial. In both cases the pigs were given as much meal as they would eagerly clear up at each meal. The weights of the pigs were as follow: PUREBREDS. Age. Lb. Eight weeks (beginning of trial) 232 End of first 28 days 408 End of second 28 days .. .. 655 End of third 28 days 964 End of final 29 days 1279 CROSSBREDS. Eight weeks (beginning of trial) 271 End of first 28 days 451 End of second 28 days ~ .. 718 End of third 28 days 1083 End of final 29 days 1502 The nine purebred pigs gained 10471 b during the trial, and consumed 34191 b of mixed meals, plus 4561 b of skim milk, 1161 b of green kale, and 731 b of mangolds —approximately 35031 b of food, reckoned as mixed meals. The nine crossbred pigs gained 12311 b during the trial, and consumed 37671 b of mixed meals, plus 4561 b of skim milk, 1161 b of green kale, and 731 b of mangolds —approximately 38151 b of food, reckoned as mixed meals. From the above data it will be seen that the crossbreds matured more quickly. For each lib of live weight increase put on by the purebreds 3.31 b of meal were required, whereas the crossbreds required only 3.11 b of meal for every pound of live weight increase. These results indicate that, where circumstances allow, the first cross between two pedigree pigs is desirable if used for commercial purposes. It must, however, be clearly borne in mind that these remarks apply only to the first cross, and do not apply to all crossbreds—i.e. crossbreds resulting from second or third crosses, or what can be regarded as a mongrel type of pig. BEEF AND DAIRY SHORTHORNS. Reports from the Old Country indicate that some divergence of opinion is developing between the breeders of the two

types of Shorthorns. It appears that with the object of encouraging the breeding of good class stock the Dairy Shorthorn Association gives prizes for bulls and the Shorthorn Society for females. A discussion on the subject was initiated at the annual meeting of the York Shorthorn Association. One speaker remarked that the Shorthorn Society is of the opinion that the Dairy Shorthorn Association is gaining the upper hand to such an extent that a halt should be called with the view to getting back to the production of the old type of dual-purpose animal capable of either yielding milk or being grown for beef. So long as the association is allowed to call the tune in regard to the type of bull which is allowed to be registered in the Herd Book of the Dairy Shorthorn Association, just so long, it is said, will the tendency to develop single-purpose milk-producing cattle continue to extend. The production of milk cattle alone ought not to be imposed upon the Shorthorn Society. The question was of far-reaching importance. Still, it was urged, the Dairy Shorthorn Association should not be allowed to dictate the terms on which classes for bulls shall be provided at shows. It was alleged that attempts were being made to persuade people not to use Scotchbred bulls on the ground that,the dairy herd would be ruined! There are, it was argued, as good stock in the North as in the South, and it was intimated that the milk-recorded herd owners of the South are in the habit of coming North to replenish their herds, well knowing that an animal bred and reared on the high lands will soon distinguish itself when called upon to augment a southern herd. No council or body should have the authority to dictate what a breeder shall breed. One speaker said that they did not want two classes of Shorthorns. By that he meant they did not want a beef animal that will not give milk, neither did they want a milk animal that will not put on any flesh. There had been an intention that there should only be cows with a 2000-gallon yield, but the idea met with such strenuous opposition that it had had to be rigorously modified. Every individual breeder should be allowed to breed what he thought bestf and surely the Shorthorn Society was capable of managing its own business without allowing the Dairy Shorthorn Association to indicate the line of procedure. The decision was come to that the association give prizes for dairy bulls at the Royal and provincial shows in 1927. NEW ZEALAND ROYAL SHOW JUDGES, 1926. The Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand has, subject to acceptance, appointed the following judges to officiate at the third Royal Show, to be held at Auckland:— —Horses.—■ Thoroughbreds. Saddle Horses, and Hunters.—Mr W. Swale (Limehills, Southland). Cobs and Ponies.—Mr H. S. S. Kyle, M.P. (Riccarton). Trotters, Pacers, and Harness Horses.—Mr E. E. Lelievre (Akaroa). Clydesdales.—Mr Walter G. Wilkinson (Victoria). Working Draught Horses.—Mr R. D. Knight (Longburn). —Cattle.— Aberdeen-Angus Cattle.—Mr J. A. Macfarlane (Clyde road, Napier). Hereford Cattle.—Mr D. P. Buchanan (Cunninghams, Feilding). Shorthorn Cattle.—Senor F. Rovenano (Buenos Aires). Ayrshire Cattle.—Mr G. L. Wilson (Berwick, Victoria). Jersey Cattle.—Mr C. D. Lloyd (Malvern. Victoria). Milking Shorthorns.—Senor F. Roverano. Red Poll Cattle.—Mr A. E. Anderson (Piriaka). Dairy Cattle.—Mr G. Yule (Featherston). Fat Cattle.—Mr E. Hay (Pigeon Bay). —Sheep.— Border Leicester and English Leicester. —Mr T. S. Little (Windsor, Oamaru). Lincolns.—Mr A. Kirkpatrick (Patutahi, Gisborne). Corriedales.—Mr D. J. Ross (HillgroVe, North Otago). Merinos.—Mr J. S. Goulter (Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay). Romney Marsh.—Mr A. S. Murray (Clydevale, Balclutha). Ryelands.—Mr E. Withell (Ealing, Canterbury) . Southdowns.—Mr John Deans (Coalgate, Canterbury). ShropsKires.—Mr T. Evans (Longbush, Southland). Fat Sheep.—Mr Joseph Webb (Taihape). —Pigs.— Mr A. C. Stewart (Box Hill, Victoria).

AGRICULTURAL AND PABTORAL NEWS. By an electric process now in use in Germany, green hides are turned into finished leather in about one-half the time required by usual methods, it is reported. The hides are soaked, scraped, and prepared in .the customary manner, then hung on rods in a pit containing the tanning liquid.* At both ends of the vat are groups of electrodes. For eight hours current is passed through the bath, driving the water from the fibres of the hides, allowing the preparation to soak through thoroughly. The skin resembles a squeezed sponge when it is taken from the pit, and is in such condition that the next tanning material is absorbed rapidly. At the Hawera Winter Show on July 8 another record was established, the attendance, excluding complimentary season and stallholders’ tickets, totalling 28,793. The turnstile receipts were £1492 —an increase of £378 on the previous year, when the season was three days shorter. Senor Humberto Bidone, Consul-General for the Argentine, in the course of his remarks at the annual dinner of the FruitGrowers’ Federation in Wellington, stated that the Argentine imported this year from New Zealand 60,000 boxes of &t>ples at an average price of 21s a case, which showed that it was a very good market. He added that he was certain that if next •eespn there was a 9004 organisation for

the distribution of the fruit the Argentine would buy more than 100,000 cases of apples. During the past fortnight there has been considerable activity in regard to shipments of cheese from Bluff. The Port Pirie has taken 1984 crates for Avonmouth and Glasgow, while the Mahana cleared the port for London with 6053 crates abroad. * .These shipments, left a total of 8172 crates in store (reports the Southland Times), 4000 of which will be loaded by the Hertford for London. The Tainui is due to load at Bluff about July 26. and in all probability will clear the remaining stocks. The Mataura Dairy Factory closed down on July 2 after experiencing a very successful season. The output of cheese amounts to approximately 860 tons for the season (reports the Mataura Ensign), and this is 110 tons better than last season, and some 60 tons better than any other previous season. The Agricultural Department working in conjunction with the Education Department has formed a Boys’ and Girls* Agricultural Club (says the Wanganui Chronicle). The Agricultural Department supplies the seeds and fertilisers with full instructions for planting to the pupil. The crops are visited twice within the year and judged. An interesting commentary on the knowledge that the dairy farmer has of his industry appears as the result of a competition that was held on the farmers* special train to Taranaki. The question set was: “What is the tonnage of butter exported from the Auckland province in the five years ending June, 1925?” The answer varied from 25,000 tons to 14,500,000 tons. _The actual figures are 161,360 tons (says the Taranaki Herald), and Messrs H. Hull (Waiuku) and J. Thomsen (Hamilton) guessed 160,000 tons, and shared first and second money, while Mr J. Rennie (Taupiri) was thira with 163,009 tons. Although advertised to close down on Wednesday, June 30, the South Otago Freezing Co.’s works continued in operation till. Tuesday last. The season was not so satisfactory at that of the previous year, the number of sheen and lambs put through for the season being 86.547, as compared With 109,932 for the corresponding period last year. It la probably many years now since farmers in the Eastern District have been so well placed in regard to winter feed (the Mataura Ensign says) as they have been during the present season. This is due to the fact that the weather has been so mild that there has been very little check in the growth of grass, enabling farmers to alternate the feeding of their stock with turnips and grass. Autumn-sown wheat in South Canterbury Is now showing well above ground. The crops have a healthy appearance (reports the Tlmaru Herald), and are growing well. Wheat is still being sown at evwy w>*h•ble opportunity, but the recent rains have denyed the work somewhat.