CANTERBURY BUDGET.

Otago Witness, Issue 4085, 28 June 1932, Page 14

CANTERBURY BUDGET.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) USE OF SOUTHDOWNS. CHRISTCHURCH, June 25. With fat lamb raising a more payable proposition than wool growing there has been a striking change in breeding fashions in Canterbury this season. There has been a very pronounced swing-over in favour of the Southdown, and fully 75 per cent, of the breeding ewes that have passed through Addington during the last six or eight weeks have been mated with this breed of ram, with the English Leicester next in popularity. It has been noticeable, too, that where finewoolled rams have been used the demand, everything else being equal, has not been as free. The fact that these two breeds sold more readily than any other at the last Christchurch ram fair suggested the trend then. The lamb-getting qualities of the Down ram are well proven; the lambs fatten quickly and develop into a good type for export purposes, and it is not surprising that farmers are looking chiefly to their lambs to pay their interest and rent next year, even though the market during the past season has been far from encouraging. The wool returns have not helped them out of their difficulties, and it does not look as if they will be any more helpful during the coming season. Lambs appear to be much the better gamble, the more so if something advantageous, to the Dominion emerges from the Ottawa Conference. They are readily converted into cash, and they ensure some return when the farmer is most in

need of it —at the eml of the winter. The earliest lie can get his wool cheque is December. The greatest success in fat lamb production is achieved by those farmers who concentrate on early maturity and good mutton qualities. The man who can get his lanibs away early in proper condition for the Home market —that is, not big and not too fat, is the man who is going to profit most by the lamb-raising business. The discarding of the long-legged breeds of rams is a favourable sign. Their too general use in the past, when wool prices have been high, has had an undoubtedly serious effect on the quality of this province’s fat lambs. ADDINGTON YARDS. After the collections of rubbish that have found their way into Addington lately it was quite a change to see a few' respectable ewes penned this week. Taken all round, it was the best muster seen in the yards for weeks, but there were not many farmers who were ready to appreciate it. A good deal of interest was shown in the sale, but the attendance consisted chiefly of spectators. Many of those who have not got all the ewes they want by now generally regard it as a wiser policy to wait until the spring, when the ewes come forward with their lambs, thereby avoiding any of the risk and expense of holding them. If last year’s experience is repeated, they should be on the right side of the ledger by doing this, as ewes and lambs then were available at low prices. It was rather strange to see the Stonyhurst four-year-old ewes in the yards again this season. They are one of the standard drafts at the Amberley' ewe fair, but because of the drought they w’ere withheld from this fixture and marketed at Addington last April. The fact that the original purchaser has taken over his former property again w-as responsible for their, reappearance. There were 128 of them yarded, and at Ils 3d they looked quite a useful buy. They were in good winter order, and in lamb to Southdowns.

One line out of. the ordinary sold at 18s 3d, the highest price listed at Addington for a long while. If consisted of a truck-lot of two-tooth halfbreds in lamb to Corriedales, and they made some of

the two-tooths that have changed hands within the last few weeks look like weeds. They were great, sturdy sheep in splendid condition and carrying great fleeces.

There was nothing very notable about the few pens of wethers forward, yet they sold very well considering the market for ewes. They were mostly halfbreds, and slow fatteners, and the prices some of them made did not appear to leave much of a margin compared with values in the fat pens. One line of youngish sheep with no more than ordinary condition on them sold for 10s 4d, and it was a good sale. They looked worth no more than 9s at the outside. A trucklot of four and six-tooths that brought 9s lOd a little later was a better buy. They were not quite as big, ■ but they carried more condition. A line of small but fairly' useful-looking two-tooths were not out of the way at 9s 6d. Some improvement in the beef market might have been expected with the big drop in the entry, which totalled 255 head, as compared with over 400 at the last few sales, but there was little perceptible movement either way. There were instances where good handy weight I steers were a shade dearer, but they were few' and far between. The tendency, if anything, was for the market to be weaker, particularly for the heavy beef, which, in many cases, was up to 15s a head cheaper. Most of the choice beef I made round about 17s to 20s a 1001 b, I with the low-grade stuff making as little as Bs. There were several sales of steers I at round about £3 to £4 a head, and in i one case below the lower figure. These I prices are much on a par with those ruling at some of the North Island sales, where the best of the steer and heifer beef is making up to 19s a 1001 b. Top price for steers on Wednesday was £lO 7s 6d, which was secured by Mr G. O. Rutherford (Lochiel), who topped the i cow and heifer market last week, and Mr C. S. Lyall (Pigeon Bay). The latter vender sold a line of 17 steers at from £7 12s 6d to the top figure, the average price being £8 17s 6d.

As can only be expected at this time of the year, with the export season nearly over, the fat lamb entries have not been anything to grow enthusiastic over in point of quality, though the yardings have kept up very well. There are not many of them left in the country now, and the next couple of weeks will see most of them off the farms. Another drop in the schedule is anticipated before the season closes. If it does happen, it will not affect many farmers. Though the schedule rates were observed fairly closely, on Wednesday light lambs, which made up a fair proportion of the 2600 penned, were inclined to be a shade easier. Competition from the export buyers and the butchers was steady throughout, but some low- figures were shown among the sales, a fair proportion of the entry bringing under 10s. Mr C. A. Ridgen (Greendale) topped the market with seven that sold from 10s lOd to 19s Id.

Judging by the entries that have been coming forward lately, there does not appear to be any lack of mutton available. Wednesday's yarding was again a heavy one, in fact, the heaviest for some weeks, totalling about 6500 head. Quality was as good as could be expected for a mid-winter offering, though the proportion of heavyweight sheep was noticeably smaller. Butchers supplied the most consistent competition, though one or two of the freezing buyers operated actively for the export weights. The market was a little easier, particularly for ewes, which, in many cases, were Is a head cheaper than they were the previous week. Wethers were down about 6d a head on the average, but taking it all round the clearance was a satisfactory one. Mr C. A. Ridgen (Greendale) secured the distinction of topping this market also, selling five big .prime wethers at 20s 7d. An even line of heavyweights from Otago sold readily at from 17s 7d to 18s lOd, and for the tops of his line of 29 Mr G. J. Crampton (Domett) obtained 18s 4d. There w’ere a few more wethers than usual penned. Best ewe price was 14s Id, which was secured by Mr J. Farrell (Hinds) for the tops of a line of 26. The others made from 12s. 7d. HERD-TESTING. During May the Canterbury Herd Testing Association .tested 719 cows, and

the butter-fat average for the month was 16.741 b. In the Plains group, where 174 cows were tested, it worked out at 22.711 b, in the Rangiora group the average for the 242 cows was 15.931 b, and in tlie Peninsula group, consisting of 303 cows, it was 13.971 b. The Plains group produced the highest herd average, a herd of 25 cows yielding an average of 31.401 b of fat. The lowest herd average’ was found in the Peninsula group, thefigures being 3.641 b. The Plains group also had the highest producing cow, which gave 491 b. The highest in the Rangiora group was 4Ub, and in the Peninsula group 301 b.

SPROUTED WHEAT. Commenting on the special tests thathad been applied to sprouted wheat from South Canterbury and North Otago, Mr W. W. Mulholland, at this week’s meeting of the Wheat Research Institute, declared that they had justified all that farmers had spent on the institute so far. Dr F. W. Hilgendorf, the director of the institute, stated that the samples of about 200 lines, representing about 150,00'J bushels of wheat, had been received from merchants and millers who, instead of rejecting the wheat outright, had submitted it for milling and baking tests. As a result, 58 per cent, of the wheat was found fit for milling, so that farmers received milling prices for 80,000 to 90,000 bushels of wheat that otherwise would have been rejected. JUMBUCK AND GARNET. The following interesting report on the two spring-sown wheats, Jumbuck and Garnet, was made by Dr Hilgendorf: hollowing instructions from last committee meeting, all available information on Jumbuek wheat was collected, and. as it was clearly a spring wheat, the information was published in April to prevent any mistaken sowing in autumn. As was done last year, growers of Garnet vvere circularised in order to collate their experiences. Nearly 40 answers were obtained, and they show that Garnet was only some three bushels down on the expectation for Tuscan, contrasted with seven bushels down last year. In view of the fact that Garnet is not a droughtresister. and in view of the severe drought last spring, this result shows that Garnet is now being grown on land more suitable to it, namely, on heavy soil that cannot be got ready until late in spring. Of the 37 crops recorded, nineteen were on heavy land, seventeen on medium, and only one on light. The hardness of Garnet is apparently making it difficult to handle in a blend for white flour, and its special sphere is proving to be in the production of wholemeal.