OUR CANTERBURY BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3867, 24 April 1928, Page 21

OUR CANTERBURY BUDGET.

(From Cub Own Correspondent.)

AN OUTSTANDING SEASON

For many reasons the season which is drawing to a close will stand out as ono of the best experienced in Canterbury for many years. Only during the month of January was there any misgiving as to what the future held, and then rain camo which settled doubts and gave one of tho best autumn growths ever known. Tho suburban man still has to take his lawn mower out twice a week to keep tho garden tidy, and catch crops for fodder have done phenomenally well. There are more turnips in Canterbury this year dhan has been the case for the past 10 years, and prospects are in sharp contrast to those of last year. At this time in 1927 the outlook was very black so far as feed was concerned and had it not been that the winter was wonderfully mild the losses of stock would have been heavy From the price point of view the good values ruling this year for practically all classes of farm produce have meant that some of those who had been struggling have now turned tho corner. With some of the companies financing farmers i n Canterbury there has been a tendency to close accounts where headway was not being made, and some of those who had to leave their farms might have been able to forge ahead if they had had the benefit of the very good returns which they have watched ethers participate in during recent months. Tho grain grower has had extraordinary yields in many of the grain-growing districts, and all over Canterbury it is hard to find instances of poor yields. On medium land the crons were phenomenal. Just one Instance illustrates the verv fine wheat yields. A farmer on medium land, the value of which would be well under £3O an a°ro if placed on the market, previously had never had better than 47 bushels to t'm acr e on his farm. This year he grew 109 acres of wheat in three separate naddccks scattered over different narts cf h : s farm, lb's lowest yield was 62 bushels and the highest 78. the latter grown on a hlo'k of 40 acres. A few crops were caught in the latter part of the season, and snrotifefl enain is not uncommon. The season was late, end some ran risks with stool tb-n»h-ing- Oats and barlev figures were also high. STEADY MEAT MARKETS. -

Rarely has there lieen a season where' there have been less fluctuations in tho price of fat lambs and fat stock generally. The season opened with lambs at a good figure, and improved steadily throughout the season. Only at. one sale, so far as the metropolitan market is concerned, was there any easing, and this was hist before the Faster holidays when the cessation, of killing for a dav or so affected the position. At times the feed has been too soft, and lambs have been slow to fatten on this account, but when the freezing works close the killings are likely to compare well with any season in recent years.. Skin values have been a material factor in keeping the r-tes of lamb high, 'and splendid values rule at present for' skins of all classes. Fat cattle have not dropped so low in the past summer and autumn as they have been inclined to do of late years, and the cattle men are honing that their day is coming after many lean years. ;

PURCHASES OF BREEDING EWES. A matter of moment to farmers of Canterbury is the price that has to be paid to secure breeding ewes. On a great' number of farms on the plains the ewesare kept only a year, or mavbe two years, and a fresh lot purchased at the'fairs, where the larger pastoral properties sell their cast ewes. In addition, a greatdeal of importmg of ewes from the North Island is, done, and though there were indications at the commencement of this season that this trade would be smaller; than usual, when the figures ore available it w : li be found t’mt the shinm-mts ire. in the vicinity of t'rn usual 10109.'). At the comnipnoemri’t of tho season was everv indication that the s.-’e of eww from Poverty P y and Fawkes Bay would be very much lower. There v-as a reluctance on the r-vrt of sneenG'o-s to make forward commitments and they rt - 1 not net over their timidity imfl after the commencement of the autumn fairs. These sales established a standard o' valims and. then there business do'rg. Quite a number of Gisborne pastoralists ser-t t’mlr -heen down on their own account, and they did well cut of them. The goM two-tooths were worth from 37s to 40s practically right through the season, but there wore not manv sheep of_ this age of first-clasts quality available. Last year, owing to the very dry season on the east coasts the sheen mon of the north had to sa.erl.fice a good many of their two-t~oths, and there was some necessity of flocks being'

built up to strength by the retention o r two-tooths. In addition to this, purcliases were made in Poverty Bay of a good many thousands on behalf of the sheep farmers of the Auckland province. Aged and under-sized ewes were more common among the northern sheep than ever Letoro. Still with ail their faults they have beer absorbed, and tho avenues of wool will show up even more strongly than ever with the Romney cross and strong crossbred when the sales come round again at the end of the year. For the halfbreds and Corriedale ewes at the fairs there were great prices. Cast station ewes of the best quality were not obtainable under 28s to 335. and there were four-year-old ew is sold at even better figures than this. For two-tooths the prices were on similar lines to those of last year. A good ewe was worth 40s. Taking into consideration the b- >■ nrc.spocts ahead now comp iTed with those of a year ago the prices this year were better for the buyers. Last year thev were too dear altogether. What are soaring to extravagant prices in Canterbury at the present time are wethers. The best of half bred wethers in forward condition have been bringing up to 29s 9d in the store pens at Addington, and sales have been made at country auctions at better than 28s.