SOUTHLAND NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3996, 14 October 1930, Page 15

SOUTHLAND NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

THE STOCK MARKET.

Nothing doing would be the best description of our stock sales just now*. Farmers are busy with the lambing, and the current prices of fat sheep do. not encourage anyone to sell unless it is a case of necessity. Wethers have, if anything, fallen in value at the latest sales at Lorneville. only very prime sheep exciting any interest at all. A few pens are being picked up by graziers for shearing at low figures, but the advices received of the last London wool sales do not hold out much hope of wool being any dearer this year than it was 12 months ago. One or two farmers who shipped their clip Home and sold it in London in September are now ivishing they had quitted it in Invercargill. A number of small lines of ewes and lambs have been sold, all counted, at from 5s 6d to 8s 6d, but in these cases the ew*es have been failing mouthed, no really .good lines having yet been offered in the markets. As far as forward delivery buying is concerned, the inquiries are nil, either for lambs or ewes off stations, and it would be hard to say just what a fair price for station ewes for delivery next autumn would be. Fat Jambs seem to be the sheep farmers sheet anchor in the meantime, and

if a grower can get about £1 per head off the mothers and get a decent draft away there will be a living in it.

AMONG THE COWS. The dairying season is now in full swing, and the intake at the factories is in most cases well up to last year’s figures. Like sheep farmers, dairymen would welcome a spell of fine warm days to bring along the feed, as although the rain has caused a decided growth, there is no body in the grass yet. Representatives of the different buying firms have been scouring the country soliciting consignments from the factoiies, and at present it would appear that all the cheese in Southland will be going forwayd to England on consignment, as it is absolutely impossible to get a straight-out offer of any sort. Ten days ago it was reported that one or two factories had been offered 7d f.o.b. for the seasons output, but even if these offers were authentic, they have been withdrawn since, and it is understood that the advances from firms for this month will be ojd for cheese and lOd for butter. These figures are low, in fact, too low to enable the supplier to make a living, but the market reports from London do not warrant any higher advance. Two large pedigree bull sales are advertised to be beld in Invercargill about the end of this month, and it will be interesting to see if tins new departure meets with the same support here as it does in the north, where sales of this description have been successstul for years. WET WEATHER. At the beginning of the month we had a pf.fiowhng nor-westers, after which the wind veered round to the south bringing, as usual, heavy rain, which has more or Jess continued ever since, the result being that rivers and creeks are running a banker at time of writing, and, should the weather not take up there is every chance of a flood. The rain, although heavy* has not been cold, and has not caused a great death rate in newly-born iambs, but some warm weather is badly needed to bring awaj* the grass, as well aa to allow team work to be gone on with, lhe reports from farmers who have finished tailing lambs indicate that the percentages will be about on a par with last year, and already a few complaints are heard of the biggest lambs dying. With the slow growth experienced this season early lambing had no advantages in the way of feed, and it will probably be found that lambs born m the beginning of Octboer are ready for the freezing works as soon as those dropped nearly a month earlier, learn work has, of course, been interrupted, and a considerable acreage of oats are still to be sown, but mostly on land that was in turnips last winter.

MORE LAND UNDER THE PLOUGH. In every part of Southland the area of land ploughed this year is far in advance. of that of the past few years. Apart from the big increase in both wheat

and oats that can be expected, the big margin between the prices of fat ana store lambs, and the very doubtful outlook for the store sheep market next autumn, has caused farmers in general to get more land ready for lamb feed. Growers of wheat are sitting on velvet as far as a price for their product is concerned; and they can thank their lucky stars that this is so, as had they to accept the world parity in common with sheep and dairy farmers they would have had their work for nothing. The high price ruling for ryegrass has also tempted many to cut seed next season, and altogether the average Southland farmer has planned a summer’s work that will not allow him many idle hours. One sign or result of the increased area in cultivation is the excellent demand that has existed all winter for draught horses, any young sound horses, either at clearing or public sales being readily sold at high prices. Most men on the land now recognise the fact that they will have to face a lower, basis of value for their output, either alive or dead, and that the only way to in any degree counteract this is to produce more and spend less. Incidentally, it is a very good thing for the community at large that the farmers are willing to do this, and so far they are the only section of the community that have done much (except talk) to help things. N.Z. MARKETING ASSOCIATION. Mr G. D. M'Farlane, the local representative of the above association, addressed a large meeting of those interested in dairying on Saturday, the 4th inst., and put forward claims for consigning factory support.' At the conclusion of the address, a dismission took place which developed into very little better than a mud-slinging competition between the association’s supporters and Mr John Fisher, who fought the issue on behalf of Amalgamated Dairies, Ltd. After listening to the arguments, the opinion among dairy farmers present was that it was a splendid example of the pot calling the kettle black, and that dairy factory directors would be well advised to shy clear of both concerns. If opposition organisations will insist on washing their dirty linen in public they cannot expect to retain the confidence of their clients. The number of rosy billets being found and paid for by the dairy farmers of the Dominion is absolutely staggering, and right from Auckland to Bluff sellstyled leaders of the industry are drawing high salaries. If 90 per cent, of these were dispensed with to-morrow the producers would save their salaries, and neither the quantity nor the price of our exports would be affected one decimal fraction. JOTTINGS. A well-known Invercargill business man has purchased a property in the Kauana district. Perhaps the fact that a company is at present being formed to prospect for oil close to hie purchase may have influenced him in the choice of a district.

It is rumoured that a very successful and prominent Eastern District fanner will be a candidate at the next general election for the Mataura electorate in the Reform interest. One Southland property bought by the Government last year, and now occupied by seven settlers, is known in the locality as. “ Strugglers’ Flat.” . If the present price of butter-fat continues much longer the name will be very appropriate. Mr Sant Shaw, who has been chairman of directors of the Wyndham Dairy Factory for a number of years, has resigned from the position on account of a difference of opinion with regard to the firms appointed to handle the factory’s cheese on consignement this season.

A North Otago farmer who has settled in Southland has evidently some faith in the potato market next year, as he has planted over 20 acres in thia crop. _His farm for the most part is good river flat land, and given ordinary luck, there is no reason why the venture should not be a profitable one.