STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3853, 17 January 1928, Page 19

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Weakly Stock Sales. Jhirnsido, Wednesdays. 'Addington, Wednesdays. Waiateka Railway Juuotion, Tuesdays Fortnightly. Sirersdale, Fridays (March, April, and May). Wallaoetown, Tuesdays. Ashburton, Tuesdays, lieriot, Thursdays. .Wintan, Thursdays. Wyndham, Thursdays. Clinton, Thursdays. Balclutha, Fridays. Gore, Tuesdays. Monthly.

Monthly (continued). Buntroon, 2nd Wednesday. Woodlands, 3rd Wcd- . nesday.

Milton, 2nd Tuesday. Balfour, 3rd Thursday. Thornbury, Ist Friday. Otautau, 2nd Wednesday.

Biversdale, 3rd Friday (except March, April, and May). . Waikaka, last Friday. Clydevale, last Friday

Edendale, Ist Monday. Palmerston, 4th Thursday.

Periodically, as Advertised. Lumsden, Mossburn, Orepuki, Waimahaka, Waikouaiti. Riverton, Ngapara, and Otago Central Salas.

Winton, 4th Tuesday. Matanra, Ist Thursday. Tokanui, 4th Monday.

OTAGO.

A fine week in Otago and good growing conditions generally, although up at the Lakes the dry weather is working havoc among some of the crops and vegetation. The harvesting of oat crops in North Otago and some ryegress fields elsewhere ia now occupying attention, while, of course, the roots are not being neglected, and indeed are making great headway. Both breeding ewes and wethers have had the attention of buyers during the ■week at good values, the former having been practically all sold. BURNSIDE MARKET. Supplies of fat stock at Burnside sufficed the moderate demand experienced. The fat cattle yarded totalled 185. compared with 214 the previous week; . the quality being only fair. Some well-finished heifers were featured, together with an odd consignment of prime medium-weight-bul-locks. The supply of medium to heavy cows was unduly large. The demand was brisk at the commencement of the sale and continued throughout. the appreciation being- £1 to £1 5s per head on all classes, beef making to 40s per 1001 b. The entry of fat sheep, 1560 (1332 the previous week), CfoKiprised fair to prime quality, together with a number of medium ewes. There were also a few pennings < f prime heavy sheep. All prime qualities met with good competition. The opening demand was firm at the previous sale's best rates to firm up Is to Is 6d per head as the sale progressed. Indifferent ewes were dull at times, and generally sold at rates ruling a week ago. Wether mutton of quality sold to 63d per lb. The yarding of fat lambs, 560 (323 a wcex ago), included a number of prime pennings, some well grown, but lacking finish, and a few' of medium quality. There was good competition, and exporters and others bid freely, with the result that prices were very'firm at a level of the average rates ruling the previous week, lambs making to 9{d per lb. The supply of store cattle was somewhat meagre, about 160 all counted. The bulk comprised cows of varying grades and young cattle, together with some 15 fair and forward three and four-year-old mixed coloured steers. There was a good demand, best bullocks making to £lO 10s, medium £9 2s 6d with cows selling freely. •The entry of fat pigs, 145 (64 last week , sold fairly well at rates commensurate with those ruling at the previous sale. lhe stores. 94 (64 last week), also met with i better if discriminating demand. Baconers sold around 6d, and porkers to 7-,d per lb.

STOCK NOTES

Wool continues to arrive, and the various Dunedin stores are about full. Fortunately wool prices at the most recent Dominion wool sale denote a welcome hardening, so that owners of late shorn flocks may' ■ well view the future with equanimity. , , , Shorn ewes and lambs were sold at the monthly Mataura sale at 18s Id. all counted, light fat wethers and ew es making 32s 6d and 31s respectively. A few fat cattle made rates on a par with those ruling at the recent Burnside sale. Store sheep are selling well at present. At Burnside last Wednesday a line of 150 fine-woolled wethers, mixed ages, made 27s 3d. Relatively few lines of store sheep come to this market, but when graziers know of good straight lines offering, and the season is promising, not infrequently competition is very fair. There is at present a sound demand for all classes of stock in Otago. Store cattle fare very firm indeed, and. there appears a danger of buying enthusiasts visualising the stock feed lasting for ever. Certainly buyers with feed, and they' are numerous, are not. discriminating, as witness some recent sales at Burnside for two, three, and four-year-old steers.

A few weeks of the warm weather now being experienced will serve to. put that condition on the lambs which is lacking in many' instances at present. There is feed e.nough, but its growthy nature, together with variable atmospheric temperatures. is not conducive to the fattening of young stock. Some shelter and dryfeed (such as oats) would serve to condition stock desnite any adverse climatic circumstance. Feeding is verily- an art, just as much as breeding. Another addition has been made to the list of Lancashire’s 2000 gal cows. This is Fylde Cherry- XI. a pedigree dairy Shorthorn in Messrs R. Silcock and Sons’ Fylde herd (England). She lias reached the 200figal mark in 3694 days, and averaged 291 b per day during the week when she completed this total. A total of 850 lambs, or 93 per cent, of tho season’s production, has been despatched from the Ruakura State Farm. The management has consigned tho lambs to lingland.

Mr J. H. Andrew, the well-known Southdown sheep breeder of Maheno, has been very successful with his stud sheep during the past season. Apart from the record he put up at the Roy-al Show at Christchurch; lie has sold rams to Marlborough, Wanganui. Auckland, and other northern" district breeders. He intends also sending a consignment to the Masterton ram fair next month.

The tale of the wonderful productivity of a sow which, with her progeny, was exhibited some years ago at the Christchurch show, as told at a recent meeting of the executive of the North Canterbury Farmers’ Union, created much .laughter (says the Press). The narrator said that at the show he had seen three of the particular soyv’s litters sold, the day finishing with the sow in possession of the litter with which the day started. He explained that the process was to get young pigs that appeared uniform in quality with those of the sow on exhibition and to sell them as her progeny.

The freezing works are busy on lambs, no wethers yet having been handled locally, although export buyers have secured a number of ewes within their limits. The lambs have not been killing out well, the proportion of “ seconds ” being unduly large. Later in the season these secondary quality lambs are not so upsetting, perhaps, as halffinished sorts off their mothers, but other factors possibly come in later which affect the demand. Lambs to-day, off their mothers, or prime and under specific weights, w must fulfil the conditions existing at the moment. The consumers create the particular demand and find the money, and should be placated. Within the last three years of the Victorian Government herd test 27 daughters of 13 Friesian sires have averaged over 6001 b of butter-fat in 273 days. These 13 sires, through their daughters, have 27 records all over the 6001 b, and averaging 6361 b of butter-fat a head for the test term. For the year ended June 30. 1927, the 10 top Friesian records showed an average of 6771 b of butter-from an average of 2041 gallons of milk a cow for the nine months. Three of the sires were purchased in America, three bred in Victoria, and the balance are of New Zealand origin. FOOT-AND-MOUTH VIRUS. The duration of vitality of the dread virus in frozen and chilled beef and bacon is a matter of world interest. Facts as to the length of time during which the virus of foot-and-mouth disease can be effective were given by Mr F. C. Minett, of the Institute of Animal Pathology in London, recently (states an exchange). He said that in 1926 evidence was forthcoming that in a particular instance the disease was carried into Great Britain through the medium of fresh pig carcasses from the Continent. In consequence experiments were undertaken to study the period of survival of the virus in frozen and chilled beef and bacon, and in salted carcasses. In the bone marrow of chilled and salted carcasses the virus survived at least 42 days, and in the bone marrow of frozen beef carcasses for at least 76 days. It had been discovered that the virus was highly resistant to destruction by carbolic acid, lysol, and certain coal tar disinfectants. Experiments pointed to formalin as being a reliable agent for general disinfection as well as for special purposes, such as disinfecting the outside of ricks or contaminated animal hides.

Mr A. Arkwright, of the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, said that ail attempts to propagate the virus in its tube had failed: the virus had only been observed to multiply on the living tissues cf an animal.

PERSONS EMPLOYED ON FARMS. <•' Persons Employed on Farms ” is the heading of a very interesting page ot information in a pocket compendium of statistics recently published. It shows the steady decline in the case of agricultural and pastoral holdings for the past 10 years, and whereas the dairying industry has picked up on the whole, it has declined steadily in the last three years. The figures are as follows:

COMMERCIAL BUTTER

There is no substitute for butter. On dietetic grounds, according to Dr Cramer, and reported in. the Australasian, butter is not merely twice as valuable as margarine; its place cannot be taken by margarine so long as the minimum requirements of the body have not been satisfied. So long as these requirements remained unsatisfied, indeed, it is truer economy to buy loz of butter than .to buy 2oz of margarine, for the cost of imperfect development, ill-health, and disease must be set against any apparent gain secured by the use of an insufficient diet. A recent investigation carried out by Dr Corry Mann, under the auspices of the Medical Research Council, has served to emphasise this truth. Dr Mann found that the addition of one pint of milk and loz of butter to the diet of boys produced a striking improvement, not only in physical but also in mental vigour. Again,' it was found by Gephart in a study of the dietary of an American public school that a daily ‘‘ ration ” of 200 grammes of tat per boy constituted the ideal quantity. The fat was supplied almost entirely in the form of milk and blitter. As Dr Cramer has indicated, so large an amount of milk-fat in this form is at present beyond the reach of the mass of boys and girls. Until new sources of supply are created, the prevailing deficiency must continue. Meanwhile, it is evidently of the utmost importance that the public should realise the dietetic value of milk fat, and should insist on being supplied with it whenever they can. Dr Cramer adduced evidence to show that at least loz of butter and three-quarters of a pint of milk are required by each person daily. He stated his belief that when this requirement is known there will arise “an enormous demand,” which must quickly result in the creation of fresh sources of supply, and so must exercise an important influence on the development of dairy farming iu vhiu country.

WORLD’S RECORD JERSEY.

On October 15 last Wagga Gladys, the seven-year-old Jersey cow of the Hawkesbury Agricultural College herd. New South Wales, completed 365 days' official test for

a yield of 29,8351 b milk, with an average test of 5.52 per cent, and 1,149.3851 b butterfat, which i s equivalent to 1384.81 b commercial butter (says the Victorian Weekly Tinies). This is an official world’s record for both milk and butter-fat production for the Jersey breed. It was achieved on twice-a-day milking, whereas all the great records in other countries have been made on three and four milkings a day. Wagga Gladys calved on November 9, 1926. and on the day of her last periodical test sne yielded 53.51 b milk, and 3.6941 b butter-fat, in 24 hours.

The previous world’s official Jersey but-ter-fat record was held by Darling’s Jolly Lassie, a four-year-old. owned by Messrs Pickard Bros., Oregon, United States of America, which produced 16,4251 b milk and 1141.31 b butter-fat (average test 6.95) on four-times-a-day milking. The Australian Jersey butter-fat record was held by Mr H. A. M'Donald’s (Leeton) Daphne’s Twylish of Glenrock, with 14,532j1b milk, 7.1 test, and 1029.151 b butter-fat. The best New Zealand record for the breed was that of Mr W. T. Williams’s Holly Oak’s Annie, with 10571 b butter-fat. The previous world’s official milk record for the breed was held by Madeline of Hillside, another American cow, which produced 20,6241 b milk _ and 10041 b butter-fat in 365 days on four-times-a-day milking. Previously the official Australian milk record for the breed, on twice-a-day milking, was held by Brighton Vanilla, owned by Mr C. R. G. Macdonald, of Ingleburn, New South Wales, with 18,1971 b milk (10111 b butter), which has stood for the past 10 years. Wagga Gladys was bred at Wagga Experiment Farm, where she was born on October 15, 1919. She did not drop her first calf (at Hawkesbury College) until she was three years and two months old. Nevertheless, on her first lactation she produced IO.SIZjIb milk and 608? lb buttcr-fat in 365 days.

AUSTRALIAN WHEAT CROP.

Harvesting operations are now in progress in all the wheat growing Australian States and a fair idea of the approximake out-turn in the Commonwealth is possible. During November weather conditions were more favourable in South Australia. Victoria and Queensland and the outlook in those States considerably improved. It was anticipated that the total yield for Australia would not exceed 100,000,000 bushels for the 1927-28 season, but this estimate may now be slightly exceeded. Crop observers forecast the yields in the various States as follows: — State. Bushels. Western Australia ... 36,000,000 South Australia 20,000,000 Victoria 23,000,000 New South Wales 25,000,000 Queensland 3,000,000

107,000,000

The Australian wheat crop for 1926-27 totalled 162,000,000 bushels, but this season Western Australia was the only State that enjoyed a favourable rainfall, and consequently for the first time will have the lamest yield of any of the States. This estimate of 107,000,000 bushels for the Australian 1927-28 season will leave a little over 50.000,000 bushels for export as wheat and flour —a little less than half the surplus last season. On December 1, the opening of the current season, there was probably a carry-over for the whole of Australia of 3,000.000 to 4,000,(XX) bushels, the bulk of which was held in New South Wales.

Assuming that the New South Wales crop will yield 25,000,000 bushels, and allowing for the needs of Queensland and an extra domestic demand on account of seed wheat, it is expected, says the Sydney Herald, that New South Wales will have an exportable surplus of 8,000,000 bushels in the form of wheat and flour. From December 1, 1926, to December 1, 1927, that State exported 19,355,000 bushels as wheat and flour, which, curiously enough, shows her as the lowest exporting State for the season, although having the largest harvest, indicating no doubt her large domestic consumption, increased by demands for stock feeding purposes, seed wheat and the extra requirements of Queensland.

AGRICULTURAL ANO PASTORAL NEWS.

The Minister for Lands in West Australia (Mr M. F. Troy) has announced that it is intended to appeal to farmers throughout the States to celebrate the centenary year, 1929, by a special record harvest < f wheat, wool, butter, potatoes, and fruit. One of the objectives is the production of a wheat’harvest exceeding the present record held by any one State in the Commonwealth, namely. New South Wales, which, in 1915-16, produced 65,000,000 bushels. It is estimated that if the area under crop is increased each year to the same extent as in recent years, there will be 4,000,0 v) acres under wheat for grain in 1929. With a 12J bushel average, this would produce a 50,000,000 bushel crop, and with a 15bushel average a crop of 60,000,000 bushels would result. ' The Department of Agriculture intends to conduct a campaign for increased efficiency in farming methods. A well-known Lepperton farmer has for the second year in succession taken his annual week’s holiday at the seaside. New Plymouth (says the News). On each occasion he has brought his herd of 28 cows with him, and, judging by the factory returns, they appear to have benefited by the change also. Needless to say, he does not graze his herd on the lupins, but on a who went over with the stud sheep shipped by the Mahia,. which sailed on December 24, advising arrival at Punta Arenas on the evening of January 9, after a rough passage. One sheep died on the voyage, but the others arrived in good order and condition. “ If what I have eaten in the hotels in this country is a sample of the bacon they propose to export, well, they will nevei sell it. I haven’t tasted a good bit of bacon since I have been in New Zea land; it is absolutely vile.” These were the remarks of Dr L. Harding, of Manchester, who is visiting New Zealand to investigate the possibility of utilising the food product of whey, to a Taranaki News representative in Hawera last week. He said the reason for this inferior nacon was the - ' improper feeding of tho pig». It was quite impossible to feed a bacon big on whey and grass as was done in this county. “ Unless you can get cheap grain or millers' offals you will never get good bacon,'’ he said. Two hundred acres of flax swamp have been affected by a fire which, has been

small suburban property of which ho is the fortunate owner.

Haymaking has practically concluded in tho Thames Valley and Thames coast farming areas (says an exchange). The crops in most cases have been rather light, but the quality is good and no losses have occurred through wet weather, conditions having been most favourable for cropping. A feature of the harvesting season has been the morq extensive use of machinery, particularly on farms where large herds demand a plentiful supply ot winter fodder.

When the East Coast-Auckland railway connection is made within the next 12 months, the fat lamb and frozen meat enterprise generally in the Bay of Plenty district should receive a powerful stimulus, as it has been necessary in the past for owners to arrange for the driving of their stock long distances to the nearest railheads* at Rotorua or Waihi. Apart from the expense involved, the loss of condition on long drives has caused a considerable net loss upon the killing. For the past few seasons the position has been made worse by the closing down of the works at Whakatane.

Dairy farmers in Waipukura district are experiencing a record season, there being an abundance of feed.

The use of big motor trucks for the conveyance of sheep and lambs from the back country, into Waipukurau is assuming big proportions (says the Napier Telegraph). Practically all the lambs are being conveyed to rail in this manner, and the days of the drover, like those of the horse, appear to be numbered.

It is reported that a considerable portion of this season’s Hakataramea Valley Velvet w'heat has been sold through an Oan'iaru firm at 7s 3d per bushel, f.o.b. This price is an exceptionally good one, but as it relates to a quality of wheat that is much sought after by millers it may not have a definite bearing upon the price that is to be paid -for the more common variety of Tuscan wheat.

South Canterbury farmers are complaining loudly concerning the havoc that is being wrought by small birds among the earlyripening cereal crops. It is stated that the small bird nuisance is worse this season than ever it has been in South Canterbury, and that some of the early oat crops, which promised to yield well, will now scarcely be worth cutting. The need for concerted action of farmers to destroy small birds in the winter months is urged. One grain grower told a Timaru Herald reporter recently that be had obtained excellent results last winter by feeding the birds on wheat poisoned with strychnine; and he considers that it would pay all farmers to adopt this method of getting rid of the destructive small birds.

Messrs Dalgety and Co., Ltd., have received a cablegram from Mr D. Philip,

raging foe several days in' a swamp afxTuL. a niile from the Foxton township, and which is still spreading (states the Wanganui Herald).’ Damage is estimated at present at several hundred pounds. The total area of the block, situated near Hartley’s Bend, is 350 acres.

ROMNEY FLOCK DISPERSAL. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, reports that on Monday, the 9th List., they held at I’oririia a dispersal sale of the Willowbank Stud Romney Flock founded by the late Mr Patrick Mungavin in 1892. There was a large attendance, buyers being present from various parts of the Dominion. Favourable comment was general on the snlendid condition in which the stock was yarded, reflecting great credit upon Mungavin Bros. This, together with the knowledge that the sheep had not in any way' been pampered, accounted for the keenness displayed by those present to fill their requirements from this well-known flock. The whole of the flock was classed up and penned in convenient numbers for buyers. Competition was general, brisk, and well sustained, resulting in a total clearance at most satisfactory prices. A start was made on the two-tooth flock rams, the whole of which were quitted at prices ranging from 5 to llgns; the four-tooths were all disposed of at lOJgns. In the ewes the aged sheep were well competed for, and found buyers at from 3 to 7|gns; the six-tooth realised from 3 to 9gns~ the four-tooths being quitted at from 5J to 9gns; the two-tooths changed hands at prices ranging from 4 to 7|gns. The stud rams claimed a good deal of attention, two-tooths selling from 32 to 40gns, fourtooths from 50 to 1024gns, and six-tooths up to 17|gns. The top-priced ram, a fourtooth and a fine typical sheep, came myjer special notice, and was eagerly competed for by a number of well, known sheep men, it being eventually knocked down to Mr Robert K. Murphy, of Gisborne. The ram and ewe lambs were a fine lot, and elicited keen competition, the former selling at from 4 to lOJgns, and the latter changed hands at prices ranging from 2} to sgns. THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY, < SYDNEY, January 12. Dr Earle Page (Federal Treasurer), in an address on the Government’s policy in regard to the dairying industry at Turwillumbah, in referring to the' reciprocal trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand, pointed out that six months’< notice was necessary before a variation could become effective. Re-

cently New Zealand had desired to increase the duty on flour by £1 per ton, and the Commonwealth had raised no objection, yet when Australia wanted to increase the duty on New Zealand butter there was an outburst from the Dominion. He suggested that a representative of the Federal Government should be sent to New Zealand to revise the whole treaty and see if the butter duty could not be settled without delay. New Zealand dairymen, he said, were hot benefiting by the exports to Australia, but only the speculators. Many countries where the standard of living was much lower than Australia, were going in for dairying, and in order to compete against them Australia would have to reduce her manufacturing cost to a minimum. * . The meeting passed a resolution requesting the Federal Government to approach the New Zealand Government, asking for -a revision of the whole trade agreement, with the object of bringing an increase of the duty on butter into operation as -soon as possible, and asking that a representative of the Federal Government be sent to New Zealand for the purpose of having -the matter dealt with at the earliest moment.

Er Earle Ea g e said that in Australia £125,000,000 represented the capital invested in the development and equipment of dairy farms. They had an annual production of £45,000,000, of which £30,000,000 was for milk products. Butter and cheese factories represented a capital outlay of £4,250,000. Their average annual production was valued at nearly £23,000,000. There were approximately 500,000 persons and hundreds of towns entirely dependent upon the industry. Directly or indirectly 1,OCX),000 persons in Australia depended for their livelihood upon the dairying industry.

THE PORK EXPORT SUBSIDY

While the pig sale was in progress at Burnside on. Wednesday opportunity was taken to bring before the large number present the question of the" proposed Government subsidy on the export of pork. Mr A. Moynihan, sen., who was the first speaker, referred to the importance of the question to pig breeders and tr, dairymen, and spoke of the assistance

given to the cheese industry in the early days to the freezing industry, and in later years to the apple trade. He reminded his hearers that the United Kingdom imported some £55.000.000 worth of bacon products, and referred to the infinitesimal percentage of that huge sum that was supplied by our Dominion. He thought the estimate of the Prime Minister that we could export pork to half the value of butter exported was a conservative one. He congratulated Air Coates on his decision to assist the Dominion to that end, and moved—“ That this large and representative meeting of pig breeders, dairymen, and others interested in the pork industry, congratulate the Prime Alinister and the Government on the decision to grant a subsidy on the export of pork.” The motion, which was seconded by Air WmHastie, and spoken to by several others, was carried unanimously amidst applause.

WELLINGTON, January 13. Prior to leaving for the north, Mr O. J. Hawken (Alinister of Agriculture) had a conference with representatives of buyers of pork. The difficulty of identifying the pig intended for export through all transactions leading up to shipment was gone" into, and it is understood the Alinister now proposes to place before Cabinet a proposal that the pork subsidy shall be paid per pig for export.

Agricultural Holdings. Dairying Holdings. Pastoral Holdings. 1917-18 15,799 47.354 56,402 1918-19 15,126 50,616 57,124 1919-20 16,190 55,695 60.364 1920-21 17,505 60,942 54,813 1921-22 18,409 68,661 48,325 1922-23 18,417 * 78,564 49,399 1923-24 14,832 76,823 52,044 192513,975 13,693 76,976 73,370 51,791 50,388 1926-27 13,373 69,801 49,625