THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3871, 22 May 1928, Page 20

THE NORTH ISLAND.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Very mild conditions have prevailed in xhe North Island during the past week, and there is now a wealth of feed that is most unusual at this time of the year. It is true that there has been exceptionally heavy rain in the Auckland province, and that thunderstorms have been experienced in others, but on the whole the weather has by no means been like that of May. We should now be having frosts, and yet these nightly visitations have been few and far between. Perhaps it is good that this has been so. During the long spell of dry weather the grass got burned out, and when the rain did eventually come it had a remarkably quick effect. Young grass shoots sprang up instantaneously, and it has not had any setback. The beneficial results are to be seen in every paddock of the North Island, and on those holdings where top dressing has been carried out the verdant pastures speak eloquently of tire wisdom of farmers applying superphosphates to their lands. There appears now to be reason to believe that there will be ample feed for winter; there is certainly no expectation of a shortage. The fine condition of stock is a source of gratification, and both sheep and cattle should go through the winter well unless unforeseen circumstances arise in the shape of severe weather. HERD TESTING. The Manawatu Herd Testing Association has completed its work for the month of April, and the results show an average over the whole association of -19.971 b butter-fat per cow for the 30-day period as 23.771 b butter-fat per cow for the 31-diiy period of March, a drop of 3.30!b bsfej thus recorded for the month. Tta is a summary of all grewse:-—

Group No. I.—Average 19.511 b butterfat; highest herd 24.64; lowest 12.05; highest cow 53.55, lowest 1.74. Group No. 2. —Average 21.101 b butterfat; highest herd 34.59, lowest 10.02: highest cow 45.95. lowest 2.81. Group No. 3. —Average 17.341 b butterfat; highest herd 23.38, lowest 10.07; highest cow 46.23. lowest 1.98. Group No. 4. —Average 19.49ib butterfat; highest herd 28.62, lowest 14.74; highest cow 48.08. lowest 4.60. Group No. 5. —Average 20.]81b butterfat; highest herd 26.06, lowest 14.05; highest cow 48.08, lowest 2.46. Group No. 6. —Average 19.521 b butterfat; highest herd 26.53, lowest 12.75; highest cow 62.37, lowest 1.62. Group No. 7. —Average 18.161 b butterfat; highest herd 31.53, lowest 7.94; highest cow 56.44, lowest 2.25. Group No. B.—Average 20.071 b butterfat; highest herd 26.91, lowest 9.45; highest cow 41.34, lowest 2.25. Group No. 9. —Average 22.331 b butterfat; highest herd 32.15, lowest 18.30; highest cow 54.06, lowest 3.37. Group No. 10. —Average 23.671 b -butterfat; highest herd 32, lowest 16.45; highest cow 59.53, lowest 4.42. A HEAVY FRUITAGE.

The fruit season of the Hastings district has been exceptionally heavy—in fact, the apple crop has been a record one. The total exported has reached over 192,000 cases, and this is easily a record for the district; in fact it will be very nearly double that of the previous best total. AYRSHIRE CATTLE BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION. The executive meeting of the New Zealand Ayrshire Cattle Breeders’ Association was held at Palmerston North during the week. Mr A. M. Weir, of Christchurch, wrote suggesting that the South Island championship be allotted to Christchurch but during the discussion that followed the opinion was expressed that it was now too late to change the venue from Dunedin.

The report to be presented to the annual meeting states that the association has managed to live within its income, the receipts and expenditure account showing a credit of (77 Ils 8d for the past year’s working. Members should endeavour to get every farmer who is interested in the breed to join the association and register his purebred stock. There have been five full meetings of the executive, in addition to committee meetings to deal with urgent business. Lot was drawn to decide what show should have the autumn show shield last year for competition, and the shield went to Greymouth, in which district it served to stimulate interest in rhe bre-d The shield was won by Mr C. M. Williams, of Kaiapoi. A large number of breeders are continuing with tattooing, which should be to their ultimate advantage. The executive has decided to make tattooing optional, as in certain cases difficulty is experienced in obtaining a set of the necessary ‘ tools. It is the desire of the association to see the practice widely adopted. The executive has been pressing the authorities with a view to securing representation of Ayrshire cattle at the Massey Agricultural College, and we have every reason to believe that next season will see some of the breed at the college. The North Island championship for 1928 will be held at the Hamilton Spring Show, and the South Island championship at Dunedin. The champions for 1927 were: South Island Royal Show— Bull, Mr G. R. Herron’s Rising Star; cow, Mr A. M. Weir’s Molly Bawn. North Island (Stratford Show) —Bull, Mr P. Bremner’s Glencairn Craigellachie; cow, Mr F. Mills’s Dolores. It is pleasing to note that the South Auckland, Taranaki, and Southland branches lead in membership, and the executive desires to place on record the good work done by the branches during the past year. NEW ZEALAND AND DANISH BUTTER. In the course of a recent circular an interesting reference to the relative positions of New Zealand and Danish butter in the British market is made by the

Anglo-Continental Produce Co., Ltd., which states: —“ The chief feature of the market noticeable during the last few months is the fact that Danish and colonial butters are two entirely separate markets, and the price of Danish is not influenced at all by the quantity of New Zealand and Australian butter that comes along* So long as Denmark has only 33,000ewt to 38,0C0cwt of butter to export to Britain per week, it looks as though it does not matter what the retail price is. this quantity dears, and it is only when her supplies increase that the Danish market comes more into line with that of New Zealand. There have been good quantities of New Zealand butter shinned to Manchester, Liverpool, and the West Coast ports, and there has always been a stock lying in the stores up north, yet this has had no effect upon the Danish trade, for reasons already stated. There is now an agitation to get more New Zealand butter to Manchester, but if New Zealand shipped the whole of her product to Manchester, we do. not think that it would in any way help in getting the New Zealand farmer a better price for his butter, but, on the contrary, it would tend to lower the values. In order to get the best price for New Zealand butter it is necessary to centralise more instead of decentralising, and if all the New Zealand butter came to London, instead of having competition from Manchester and other West Coast ports, the average returns would be better. Latvian and Esthonian butters, though in small quantities, are fetching extreme prices. These butters are chiefly bought by the blenders, who say they cannot rely upon the colonial butter keeping without preservative, for though it is a fact that much New Zealand and Australian butter has been shipped for many years without preservative, when this butter was bought by the blenders they added preservative to it in order that their rolls would stand in the shops -at least 14 days. Now that preservative is forbidden they find it necessary to buy a certain amount of Continental butter to blend with what colonial they buy.” '

Writing of other butters the firm-«ays that Argentine butter has shown great improvement in quality this year, and is fetching the same price as Australian “Kangaroo” butters for best brands. There is still quite a quantity of Argentine butter that is well below this standard. Siberian winter-made butter is coming to hand in really fine condition, and has so far brought extravagant prices. ■ MARKETS FOR NEW ZEALAND MEAT. The New Zealand Meat Producers’Board issued a statement a few days ago, dealing with steps taken towards opening up a market for frozen meat in the United States of America and Canada. The board has made several trial shipments, and as a result of a special visit made by the London manager to Canada and the United States, it has made further shipments this season. A trial shipment of 12,500 lambs sent forward by the board was recently marketed in New York, and a further shipment has been arrange'’. Coinciding with the arrival of Mr Forsyt i in New York last October, the board shipped to New York a consignment o c beef, mutton, and lamb. The beef inwith ‘a very favourable market, an ’ realised good prices, showing that the—is a demand for New Zealand frozen be"' in this direction. At present an embargo exists prohibiting .importation into thUnited States of any meat from count’-’"s where foot and mouth disease exists. Th - whole of Europe and South America a- ■ precluded from shipping meat to the United States. Canada. New Zealand, and Australia are outside this embargo. From close investigations Mr Forsyth made in the United States, he found the general opinion to be that the quality of New Zealand lamb was excellent. There is. however, in the United States a greater prejudice against frozen meat than in Britain, due to the fact that the United States so far has had plentiful supplies of fresh meat, and consumers and retailers are not accustomed to frozen meat. Until this prejudice is broken down there will always be a fairly solid price discrimination between frozen and fresh meat in the States. During the last few months there has been a considerable demand for New Zealand frozen beef from New York and Montreal. Considerable quantities have been shipped to these ports. There has also been a good demand for beef for Army orders in Great Britain this year, which, combined with the demand from New York and Montreal, has caused a good inquiry for fat cattle throughout the dominion. From September. 1927. un to April 30, 1928. the following quantities of frozen m°at have been ‘-hinned by various shippers from New Zealand to United States of America and Canada: —35.383 quarters of beef. 12.856 carcasses of mutton. 34.965 of lamb. Having in view the "nssibilities of a market for New Zealand beef in the United State*. the board is at n>e--nt investigating the question of making a trial shipment of chilled beef to that market.

THE SEASON'S KILLINGS. Accordin'’’ to th" N"v- Z-a’-nd Meat Producers’ Board, the kTlings of'meat for "xnort from the Domi "inn for the period October 1 to April 30 compare as follows: — 1923. 1927. Beef, quarters . . 253.856 69.307 Wether mutton, c/cs 979.607 1.183.082 Ewe mutton, c/cs .. 634.7 78 655.946 Lamb. carcasses . . 4.807,714 4,538.1.27 Pork (porkers'), c/cs 109 118 43,730 Pork (baconers), c/cs 23,503 32,396 Boneless beef, freight carcasses . . . . 191 565 13G.’ 1 61 Sundries, freight c/cs 45,358 41,076 The growth of the beef and decline of mutton will be nofeed Pork If IFnrs have also expanded. The lamb is but slightly increased. SHEEP DOG TRIALS. Hawke’s Bnv and G ; «b" r -”" ’--ovip-cs enter very enthusiasfca’ly into sheep dog trials, and it is not surprising that the Tikokino trials last week-end nroved to b? the most successful ever b»ld by the club. There ”’"r-? close-on 130 entries, all parts of th" Hawke’s Bay province being represent The results were: — Long Head —W. M'llwraith’s (Brooklands) Help. 49 noints, 1; Du-ald Ri-rgir’s (Havelock North) Gem. 4S poll's. 2; E. R. Lowe's (Tangoio) Speed. 45 points, 3; T. Jowsey’s (Kerern) Ln<’v Maud. 44 points. 4; Bruce Douglas’s (K r ru i Spice, 43 points, 5. Maiden Event.—A. Avre*’« (Dannevirke) Mack, 42 points. 1; M. J. Hall’s (Makareru) Tweenie. 40 p.fnts 2; A. Parkinson's (Tikotino) Dan. 39 points, 3; A. Parkinson's Scott. 38 points. 4. Short Head and Yard.— T. Bennett’s (Wa’koau) Bnrdo- Lily. 58 point*. I; W. MTlwraith’s Help, 54 points, 2; P. Bradshaw’s (Havelock N-”-fh) Kot. 52 points, 3; T. Jowsey’s Lady Mrnl, 51 points. 4: W. Staniland's (Puketapu) Sam. 50 points. 5. Huntawav.—J. Dnnnellv’s (Maknneka, Havelock North). Sam. 42 points. 1; J. Williams’s (Gwavas, Tikokino) Fly, 40 points, 2: A. Price’s (Glonalvon) Boy. 38 points. 3; R. M’Dona.ld’s (Dannevirke) Boy, 37 points, 4; A. Bibby’s (Takapau) Skin. 36 points. 5. Special trophies were won as follows:— Mathews Memorial Cup. A. Parkinson; Forde Cup. W. MTlwraith: Butler Cup, J. Donnelly; Williams and Kittle’s special, A. Ayres (Dannevirke). Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Co-operative Asociation, Ltd., special, W. C. Aldrich (Takapau). Armstrong Cup, R. M’Donald (Dannevirke), G. Summcrsby’s special for oldest local competitor, J. Carswell. CARING FOR PIGS. An interesting position has been created in HaWke’s Bay. Elaborate new piggeries. complete with a bath for the pigs, and hot water laid on. have recently been erected at the Parke Island Home, replacing the old ones condemned by the Hawke’s Bay County Council on the grounds that they were too near the road. The work cost £I4OO, and interested bodies are now disputing as to who shall bear the cost. The Parke Island Committee has billed the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board with the whole of the cost, but that body is refuting the claim, and legal opinion is to be obtained on the matter. It is claimed that the board was never consulted about the matter, and the question at issue is whether the rebuilding of “ the piggeries on a new site can be regarded as maintenance or capital expenditure, as if it is the former the three contributing boards —Waipawa,

Dannevirkc, and Hawke's Bay—must share the cost pro rata, but if it is capital the Hawke's Bay Board must bear the lot. BIG PROFITS FROM PIGS. During a discussion on the Parke Island home piggeries by the Hospital Board it was stated that the piggeries profits last year had increased from £IOO to £2OO. The estimated profits this year were £IOOO. Last year they were £9OO. There was no doubt in the minds of the board that ■ the piggeries were an excellent investment, and were returning one-third of the capital cost.