STRAYS

Southland Times, Issue 22758, 7 December 1935, Page 14

STRAYS

The Show Season. Show dates for the 1935-36 season are as follows:— 1935. December 7. —Tokomairiro Farmers’ Club, at Milton. December 10, 11.—Southland, at Invercargill. December 14.—Otago Peninsula, at Portobello. 1936. January 11.—Blueskin, at Waitati. January 18.—Waikouaiti. January 24.—Palmerston and Waihemo. February s.—Waiau A. & P. Association, at Tuatapere. March 14. —Upper Clutha, at Pembroke. March 21.—Temuka and Geraldine, at Winchester. April 13.—Mackenzie County, at Fairlie. * * ♦ * Wool Sales. The following are the dates of the various wool sales for the Dominion this season and the allocations:—

* * ♦ * Rough Weather. The rough weather experienced early last week certainly was not restricted to Southland. It was very rough in Canterbury, and heavy rain was general up the east coast of the North Island. In fact, there were snow and sleet in part of Hawkes Bay, and there were of newly-shorn sheep. It is many years since snow fell in Hawkes Bay at the end of November. » * * ♦ Shearing Delayed. A continuation of the fine weather is being devoutly wished for by sheepfarmers throughout the province, so that the work of shearing, which has been so long delayed, can go forward, says a Canterbury writer. Although the clips are slowly coming forward there is considerable leeway to make up, as arrivals at the stores are below what is usually being received at this time of the year. It seems most probable that the first sales of the woolselling season will see the catalogues not completely filled, and with heldover wool constituting a bigger proportion of the offerings. * * * * Japanese Wheat Crops. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture announces that the 1935 yield of wheat will total 48,330,000 bushels, which is 2.2 per cent, more than last year’s return, and 32.4 per cent, above the average for the last five years. The barley yield is estimated at 36,500,000 bushels, and that of rye at 33,000,000 bushels, both of which are 7.2 per cent, above last year’s yields. ♦** ♦ * Lamb Fattening. Although the lamb-fattening season to date has not been up to the standard in the past, the lambs are doing quite well, and good weights are being obtained with a good proportion of the drafts. A spell of warm sunny weather is needed, however, to put the finish and bloom into the lambs. One of the pickers for a leading firm of exporters expressed the opinion last week that unless there was an improvement in fattening conditions, the lambs would probably go off in condition, and consequent fattening would be made more difficult. , « » Pigs in Britain. This year the number of pigs in Britain reached the record total of 3,800,000, or nearly 500,000 more than a year ago. The increase (44,000) in breeding sows is particularly noteworthy, this being a repetition of what happened in 1933-34. Quite clearly, it will be necessary for the Government to carry out its proposals to subsidize feeders by means of a levy on bacon imports if the unprecedented numbers of pigs now being fattened are to give a satisfactory return to their owners.

1935. Date. Sale. Bales. December 7—Wellington 26,000 December 12—Christchurch 24,000 December 16—Timaru 20,000 December- 20—Dunedin 25,000 1936. January 6 —Wellington 30,000 January 11—Napier 30,000 January 16—Wanganui 30,000 January 21—Auckland 25,000 January 27—Christchurch 28,000 January 31—Invercargilll 26,000 February 5—Dunedin « 30,000 February 10—Timaru No limit February 15—Wellington 30,000 February 20—Napier 28,000 February 24—Wanganui 30,000 March 3—Christchurch 26,000 March 6—Invercargill No limit March 11—Dunedin 28,000 March 16—Wellington 25,000 March 20 —Napier No limit March 24—Auckland No limit March 27—Wanganui No limit March 31—Christchurch No limit April 3—Dunedin No limit April 8—Wellington * * * No limit * Interesting Statistics. The following are the offerings at New Zealand sales in the last 16 years and the average prices secured a bale: Year. Bales. Av. a bale. £ s. d. 1919-20 580,093 23 9 10 1920-21 198,641 11 17 7 1921-22 467,381 9 0 0 1922-23 476,966 16 12 7 1923-24 503,896 23 1 5 1924-25 462,795 29 5 0 1925-26 491,582 16 16 2 1926-27 513,461 17 18 8 1927-28 543,712 23 18 4 1928-29 575,632 21 4 6 1929-30 425.902 12 1 0 1930-31 445,196 7 19 10 1931-32 475,135 7 10 4 1932-33 576,224 7 10 3 1933-34 650,688 16 1 3 1934-35 479,797 9 7 0