ON THE LAND

Southland Times, Issue 21109, 14 June 1930, Page 7

ON THE LAND

REVIEW OF THE WEEK

INCREASE IN DAIRY PRODUCTION

END OF FREEZING SEASON

The fine, mild weather conditions that have been ruling during the past week have enabled farmers to push ahead with their various outdoor activities which include ploughing and topdressing. The dairying and sheep and lamb fattening seasons are about at an end, and in both cases there is a very considerable increase in production to be reported.

Many farmers are taking advantage of the suitable weather to do their ploughing, and the indications at present are that a considerably larger area of land will be turned over in Southland this season than has been the case' for some years past. This is probably due to the satisfactory prices obtained this season for grain crops. Top-dressing is occupying the attention of a number of farmers at the present time, and already fairly considerable quantities of fertilizers have been delivered and some has been applied. It was feared earlier in the season that a number of farmers would abandon their top-dressing programme this year on account of the reduced market values for produce, but only a few seem inclined to pursue this short-sighted policy. One beneficial effect which the fine, mild weather has had is that the growth of grass has been much better maintained during the winter than usual. It is expected that unless a spell of very rough weather occurs there will be plenty of winter feed to keep the stock in good condition until the spring growth commences. Some of the winter root crops have proved to be very satisfactory, and where clubroot has not exacted its toll heavy crops have resulted. Some farmers have shown a tendency to increase their stock for the winter by buying store lambs and wethers and the market for this class of stock has shown a firming tendency of late. Several clearing sales of cattle have been held recently and the demand has been surprisingly keen. For cows of good quality, no difficulty has been found in securing buyers at prices above £lO per head. Tested cattle having good records have been in particular demand and prices equivalent to those for attractive purebred stock have been paid for these individuals. There is ■ still a great deal of inquiry for farm properties' and it is apparent a good deal of interest in the market is being shown from prospective buyers from other provinces including the North Island. The farm of the late Mr J. P. Nicholson at Lochiel was recently purchased by Mr William Chalmers, of the Orkney Islands. Sales are also reported to have been effected to two buyers from the Tapanui district. It is also understood that one or two prospective buyers of land have come down to Southland from Taranaki in search of suitable farm property. Recognizing that land values in Southland are much lower than in the north, many farmers in those high-priced districts are turning their attention to the land in the. south, which shows prospects of being a more profitable proposition at a time when values for produce are depressed. Freezing Industry, A large number of lambs are still coming forward to the freezing works, but the rush appears to be practically over. Local operators are beginning to take more interest at the sales than has been evident at previous markets and for the first time for many weeks there was spirited bidding for fat lambs at the weekly Lorneville stock sale this week. This is probably due, to some extent, to the fact that pressure on freezing space is not at such a premium as recently, although the stores still carry large stocks which cannot be reduced until the arrival of the Turakina at Bluff next week. Another factor bearing on the position is that the schedule prices for fat lambs have recently advanced a farthing a pound, bringing up the rate for prime lambs under 371 b. to 7{d delivered at the works.

Mr A. Derbie, manager of the Southland Frozen Meat Company reports: The end of another killing season is in sight and although up to this week there has been no great falling off in quantities, the increasingly small drafts are always a sure indication that the buyers are experiencing difficuly in maintaing the supplies. Both our Makarewa and Mataura works have had a busy time since the commencement of the season, and in all probability it will be possible to close the former works about the end of this month, while the latter will be operating until the middle of July. This depends on the quantities offering, and as in former years, arrangements will be made to confine the work to certain days to enable the final drafts to be handled. The total killings to date are approximately 440,000 sheep and lambs, and compared with the corresponding period of last year show an increase of 132,000 sheep and lambs. As far as shipping space is concerned, our worries should cease after next week when the Turakina shipment is completed. This vessel‘has been delayed at Port Chalmers and is now expected at Bluff early next week. Dairying. The dairying season has now practically concluded and a number of the smaller factories have closed down, although it is expected that the larger ones will continue to receive the greatly reduced supply that is offering until about the end of the month. The supply appears to have been well maintained in comparison to former years and the production for the season, according to the figures of the quantities of cheese and butter received into the Southland Cool Stores (supplied by the secretary), is well ahead of last year. Cheese shows an increase to the end of May of 8,000 crates, and butter has improved to the extent of over 2,000 boxes.

The extraordinary position in regard to the stores at Bluff being overcrowded was relieved during the month by several vessels taking shipments of dairy produce from the port, but the stores are still well-filled. At the end of the month of May, there were over 40,000 crates of cheese and 7,000 boxes of butter held in store which total is only about 2,000 crates short of the qantity in hand at the end of the previous month, when the stores were crowded and no further stocks could be accepted until shipments had been take out. Fortunately, the supply is dwindling rapidly and it is probable that no further trouble will be experienced. The cheese market is showing signs of firming, and it may be to the advantage of consigning factories in Southland that their produce has been delayed in reaching the London market, as their output may meet a slightly better demand when it eventually reaches London. It is reported that the shipping difficulty will be overcome shortly and there should not be much difficulty in getting the produce on the water within a reasonable time. The exact quantities held in store at Bluff at the beginning of the current month were 40,186 crates of cheese and 7,066 boxes of butter. The figures of the quantities of cheese and butter received into store during the various months of the last three seasons are as follows: — —Cheese.—

1927-28 1928-29 1929-30 September .. . 100 — October .. .. 6,354 7,513 8,293 November .. .. 19,160 18,880 20,369 December .. 24,047 24,482 24,502 January .. ’ . ... 24,345 27,205 28,719 February .. .. .. 21,123 21,559 25,319 March .. .. .. 18,276 19,847 20,789 April .. 13,103 17,967 15,741 May .. 10,683 14,436 16,319 Totals .. .. 137,091 151,989 160,041

r —Butter. — 1927-28 1928-29 1929-30 September .. .. .. 752 16 129 October .. . . .. 1,484 637 1,346 November .. .. .. 5,081 2,483 2,030 December .. . .. .. 6,056 3,245 4,292 January .. . . .. 5,940 4,011 4,057 February .. . . .. 4,114 2,573 3,005 March .. .. 1,944 1,427 2,227 April . .. 1,191 1,077 891 May . .. 608 461 412 - Totals ... 27,170 16,930