CANTERBURY BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 22

CANTERBURY BUDGET.

(From Oua Own Correspondent.)

A REMARKABLE MONTH.

Not for more than a decade has there been a month to compare with July of this year. The average temperature ■was very high, and in the latter part of the month there was a growth which made it appear more like the middle of spring, than mid-winter. For the month gone by the rainfall was less than an inch in districts close up under the ranges aiid much below that in the country close down to the sea. In the latter part of the week there was a reversion to the fronts which had been absent for some weeks. Several were over lOdeg. Light nor’-west winds have prevailed in many parts of the country, and it is surprising how the cereal croris are coming along. LOSSES OF HOCCETS. Quite a number of sheepmen in districts close in to the hills have had a fairly considerable mortality among their hoggets, especially where they have been turnip fed. ’ One grazier with two blocks of country reports that he has been able to minimise the trouble among his turnipfed hoggets by feeding a little crushed oats to them. Losses of hoggets have been quite severe in the higher agricultural districts. FLOATING THE WHEAT POOL. Sidelights on the functions of the recently formed Wheat Marketing Association were given by Mr W. W. Mulholland at the meeting of the North Canterbury Executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union this week. The speaker said that arrangements were in hand to launch the canvassing campaign. It was intended to pool the wheat according to the quality, and just how many separate pools. would be needed could only be determined by experience. The system f payment proposed would be an advance and then two later payments as the pool was wound up. When this was done all .the money with the exception £>f a deduction up to Id a bushel would be returned to the grower. CHEAPER IMPLEMENTS WANTED.

The growing charges the agriculturist has to face is- a fruitful source of discussion among farmers, and of late the big increase in the price of farming implements has come in for a good deal of comment. Various branches of the Farmers’ Union think that the doubling of the price of ploughs, which they allege has taken place in the • past 14 years, with a deterioration in the quality of the implements, is not justified. A special report is to be prepared on the subject by the Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union. Incidentally in the discussion at the meeting Of the union several members stressed the wisdom of farmers supporting the local manufacturers, and one speaker was sure that if they were better supported the prices would come down. The suggestion that there was a deterioration in the imple-

ments could not be laid against the local manufacturers. The very generous terms which the sellers of the imported machinery are always willing to give is a factor which helps to swell their sales. The New Zealand manufacturer is not able to finance his business so as to give such long-term credits. One farmer, speaking at a recent meeting on this question, mentioned that he had been offered an implement costing over £6O by the representatives of an importing firm, the first half of the money to be paid at the end of a year from th e purchase and the remainder a year later. No money down was asked for at all.

FARMERS BUYING EWES FREELY.

..P urin S P as >' week the weather conditions were in the main quite springlike, and it was not until August that we were brought face to • face with the fact that the winter has not been passed yet. Despite the weather change ’.here are plenty of buyers of store sheen about and the disposition is for them to select ewes when making their purchases, and it seems that right through the winter when ewes were selling alongside wethers and hoggets the best hope for the buyer ' vas 1 - n buying ewes. At a clearing sale lield in the Alethven district there were several pens of useful three-quarterbred ewes sold, and the best of them made 4os, and these had a few strong crossbreds among them. They were two-shear ewes, and the six and eight-toothed sheep or the same <.cscription of wool brought 39s 9d. Anything at all sound sold at figures close up to £2, and the aged were bringin„ 33s and thereabouts. These were off a farm which was being sold to n up a deceased estate, so the buyers had some confidence in making their purchases. The sale at Addington this week was more interesting on the fat stock side than the stores. It was the last chance the butchers would have of stocking up prior to the double market which precedes the National races. The cream » 6^oc k the country filters to Addington on that occasion, and the butchers buy more with the object of making a display than securing a commercial return for their meat. On this occasion the shrewder butchers were looking ahead a little, and buying more than they needed for a week, with the object of escaping the high costs they have to face at the ordinary National double sale. In the past two years there has not been the same inclination to pay exorbitant prices for the fat stock as was the case- a few years back, but the figures are high enough to cause the prudent to look ahead.

FEW GOOD STORES ABOUT. With half a dozen pens out of the way the store sheep at Addington would have been a very poor lot, but an odd.pen of ewes of mixed ages were a little out of the ordinary, especially one pen of finewoolled ewes, which were up from Otago. They were discoloured on account of the journey, bu they sold at 395. For the hoggets which were offering there was a free sale, and a pen of stron"woolled ewes brought 31s 2d. The wool was strong but even, and the hoggets were moderately well grown. A good wether hogget was selling at 23s to 25s 6d, and the latter was paid for a strongwoolled line. Some crossbred wethers brought 33s 9d, and any good sheep at all were selling at something better than 30s. SHEEP FROM THE NORTH ISLAND. Evidently graziers in the north are seeking an outlet for their mutton, for there was a two-truck lot of sheep yarded this week which had been sent down from one. of the sheep districts of the north, and they sold very well, sc it is likely that the vendors will send more along.

It was a strikingly good lot of mutton which the butchers had jilaced before them, and as usual there was a proportion from southern districts of the province, with some from Southland. The best of the wethers brought big figures, and the tendency of the sale was to harden, and this in spite of an exceptionally big entry. Mr G. Thompson (Racecourse Hill) sold the highest-priced line, 54 bringing from 43s 7d to 58s 3d, but the high figure was only for an exceptional wether. A pen of three wethers sold on account of Mr R. Waldie (Waihao Forks) brought 53s 6d. A very fine pen of eight wethers sold on account of Mr A. F. Marr (Methven) brought 49s Id. A truck lot on account of Mr D. M Donald (Edendale) sold at from. 43s 4d to 48s lOd. It was a day of big averages for wethers, though there were some exceptionally good slieep sold. Mr J. E. Watson (Methven) topped the sale for ewes, selling 48 at 40s 4d to 44s 7d, and there were eight in the pen which brought the latter figure.

LITTLE OUTSIDE BEEF OFFERING.

Canterbury has been much more selfreliant this winter in regard to beef than for many years past. Had it not been that there was a few pens from the West Coas + on Wednesday the offering would have been derived from the province entirely. The quality was quite good, and the best of the light-weight beef touched 47s a 1001 b, with the good prime ranging from 42s to 455. A very nice line of Hereford steers, sold on account of Mr Godfrey Rutherford (Locliiel), brought figures which averaged out at £2O 13s 4d, and the best price was for a trio which sold at £22 12s 6d. A single beast sold on account of Messrs M’Adam Bros. (Balcairn) at £23 17s 6d. Quite a number of exceptional cows were sold One on account of Mr T. Brankin (Little River) brought £l9 2s 6d, which is the highest figure for a cow for many months past. A fine line of cows sent' over by Mr W. Diedrich (Kokatahi), which were •a fine advertisement for the West Coast, sold at figures which averaged £l4 4s, and the best pair brought the excellent price of £l5 17s 6d.

Incidentally it may be mentioned that the beefmen are paying good prices when they set out to buy stores. This week there v ..s a few pens of good steers offering, and the bestrof them, a straight-bred Hereford lot, sold at £9 2s 6d. Some two-year-old heifers brought £6 3s 6d. Times have changed in the store cattle section at Addington—or at least the prices have.