ON THE LAND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 197, 24 September 1914, Page 3

ON THE LAND

ADDINGTON MARKET.

THE CONCLUSION. FAT SHEEP. Very little more fat sheep tha*" suffices for local butchers for the week were yarded at Addington yesterday. The sale opened at a trifle below the. prices paid last week, but soon livened up to the former level. When the last few races were reached values again receded, though grafeiers assisted competition by taking sheep to hold fov a barer market. Generally the quality was all that could be expected at this time of year, light-weight wethers predominating. Values were as follow: Prime wethers, 25/- to 31/-. Extra, to 36/-. Medium sorts, 19/- to 24/-. Merino wethers, 16/3 to 25/6. Prime ewes, 22/6 to 28/-. Medium sorts, 17/6 to 22/-. Hoggets, 18/- to 31/6. The N.Z. Farmers' Co-operative Association, Ltd., sold: On account 0. Nankivell (Oust), 120 wethers 21/- to 23/3; W. W. Foster (Omihi), 60 wethers 23/9 to 24/9; J, E. Lochhead (Rakaia), 120_ wethers 22/9 to 28/2; P. Morrison (Darfield), 65 wethers 21/5 to 23/2; E. F. Coe (Irwell), 13 wethers 23/6 to 30/9; T. Dowling (Methven), 49 wethers 28/- to 32/6; -J. Addinell (West Eyreton), 50 hoggets 18/- to 21/-; D. McMillan (Waddington), 62 wethers 21/9 to 24/7; B. Phillips (Templeton), 2 wethers 20/6; L. A. Oakley (Mayfield), 119 wethers 21/6 to 23/3; F. E. Fairweather (Gust), 32 wethers 22/4 to 25/7, 5 merino wethers 16/3; H. Smith (View Hill), 64 wethers 22/6 to 24/5; H. Oliver (Hororata), 52 wethers 21/3 to 22/10, 9 merino wethers 17/1. Pyne and Co. sold: On account John Duncan (Kirwee), 211 wethers 22/- to 24/-; M. Wilson (Halketfr), 20 ewes 23/-; E. Gardiner (Ricearton), 38 wethers 25/7 to 26/3; P. Morrison (Darfield), 66 wethers 23/- to 25/-; Malvern client, 34 wethers 24/11, 34 ewes 21/- to 22/-; R. W. Johnston (Dunsandel), 58 wethers 24/2 to 24/3;, P. Gordon (Hawarden), 25 wethers 24/6 to 26/6, 35 ewes 20/- to 24/-; T. Dowling (Methven), 53 wethers 31/to 35/6; D. W. Westenra (Dunsandel), 28 hoggets 23/6 to 31/6; G. Robinson (Glen-iti), 110 wethers 22/6 to 28/6; North Canterbury client, 64 wethers 23/- to 28/1. The National Mortgage and Agency Co., Ltd., sold: On account M. Leonard, ;jun. (Waimate), 58 wethers 24/6' to 28/-; G. Farquhhr (Mitcham), 66 wethers 22/- to 23/4. , The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., sold: On account W. Morgan (Methven), 9 halfbred wethers 23/-, 11 merino wethers 21/3, 15 ewes 21/-; W. G. Breach (Lyndhurst), 1 wether 31/-; W. J. Campbell (Methven), 23 ewes 17/9 to 26/6; J. Taylor, jun. (Lawnston), 22 wethers 24/6.

H. Matsoii and Co. sold: On account G. Osborne (Doyleston), • 2G wethers 20/6 to 22/6; A. McGiffert (Cheviot), 32 hoggets 18/1 to 21/-; Brooksdale Estate (Hawarden), 15 eyves 24/- to 28/-, 34 wethers -27 A to 29/6; F. Townend (Swannanoa), 241 wethers 21/- to 27/-;. F. J. Andrew (Craig: Estate), 32 ewes 21/6 to 24/-, 14 wethers 24/7. STORE CATTLE. Only a small proportion of the store cattle yarded changed hands, though the quality was fair and included o lot of young cattle. Quotations are:— Yearlings, £1 13/-. Fifteen to 18 months' cattle, "£3 5/to £3 9/6. , Two-year steers, £3 15/-. Two-year heifers, £3 9/- to £3 15/-. Three-year steers, £6 5/- to £6 10/-. Three-year heifers, £4 15/- to £5 15/. Store cows, £1 10/- to £5. " DAIEY COWS. ■■•■*■

Pew good dairy cattle .were penned, but good cows met with a free demand. Inferior stuff was neglected to some extent. Prices ruled from £3 10/- for inferior cows to £9 10/- for better types. STORE PIGS.

A good entry of store pig.s sold readily, quite a keen demand being experienced. Quotations are: — Large stores, .38/- to 43/. . Medium, .3,0/- to 37/-., Small, 22A to 29/-. Weaners, ,12/- to 20/-.

FARMERS' SHEEP.

ON THE SMALL HOLDING.

A VALUABLE ASSET. There is not a farm of any considerable area in the whole Dominion that would not derive benefit by the grazing of some sheep, and it is unnecessary to add that the farmers' pocket would likewise gain, for the sheep is the most economical and quick-returning animal of the farm. Even a strictly dairying farm has got room for some s sheep to help keep the pasture clean and evenly grazed, and provide good-meat for the house at cost price. Where the farm area is of considerable dimensions and used for crop growing, dairying on a large scale, or for cattle, the grazing of sheep is an essential if the farmer wants to derive the best results from his land. Sheep will consume what would otherwise be waste. As the Yankee farmer put it when asked what he did to get rid of his weeds, "Sell 'em as mutton at 10 cents a lb.! "

It may take some time to impress it upon the wide numbers of our farmers that the day of crude farming has vanished into the past. The complete colonisation of the world's pastoral and agricultural areas, the increasing population and increasing prices of farm products give ample evidence of the needful trend of modem farming. Intensive and scientific methods must be pursued, not alone to secure a better income from the prevailing better prices, but to, prove the income-bearing capacity of the farm to a would-be buyer. Intensive culture has got to be applied now to all kinds of farming, that of. stock included. • . ■■ ANOTHER SOURCE OF INCOME.

The farmer who has a fair-sized place is not making the bestiof his opportunities unless he mingles sheep with his other sources of income. If an agriculturist, with paddocks of grain crops, then there are countless pickings to be had for a flock of sheeff throughout the greater part of the year, and, whether the farm and flock are of moderate or considerable dimensions, it will pay him handsomely to grow rotational paddocks of roots and fodders to give feed at the period of little pasture growth. Many purposes are served in doing so. The paddocks are rested from the strain of a singular crop, are manured well by sheep-folding, and they provide change of, feed for sheep,' which gives condition, resists. disease, and avoids, a. check, in wood growth. And here we shall emphasise the curse of overstocking. If you want to lose money and lose interest in your farm, then overstock. It should never be forgotten that 50 sheep well treated will return as much as 100 subjected to. hard usage.

It" has. of ten. occurred in the experience of agriculturists that they had '.to part with their crops at prices admitting of no profit. But, if they conjoin arming with cropping there is not much likelihood of this happening with the present good prices for .fat sheep. Hay, chaffed straw, and grain can be mostprofitably fed to sheep, and it should take a- farmer -very little arithmetical effort to prove when it will pay better to feed such products to sheep than to assist in.still further depressing the value of his standard products by. sacrificing them oh a dull market. . \

HANDSOME RETURNS.

Many, mixed farmers have over and over again disc vered that the feeding of such products to sheep, on .full ration to fatten, or half ration to tide over seasonal severity, pays handsomely. It may be mentioned, for instance, that 101b of crushed oats will feed a sheep for six weeks with soine grazing, and such diet will lay oh flesh, and that lib of chaffed hay * per day will keep a sheep in good condition and tide it over any severity or shortage of pasture, and that 21b per day is ample food supply.- There ->is such a plethora of feed in the growing season, a large part lof which is trampled to waste, that tiding over the short bad time df the year means virtually saving the full year's profit of ten sheep, which we shrill presently see is pretty considerable. «

, We have provides valuabj% maijiiriaitaid „tp the agriculturists' crop ~.. Indeed, we may add, that with a j udicious use of the" fence, plough, anxlssheerp r an owner of second-class land can in a few years make of it a richer pastitre than a lot of the first-class soils we observe holding indifferent grasses, weeds, twitches, arid rubbish.

, To those contemplating mixed farming it should be-interesting, for. them ,to knbiflr that sheep kept in small flocks always give better returns than large herds. The existence of this wellknown fact leads one to believe that the closer attention they get not only accounts for this result, but also, is a deductive indication that the farmer is bestowing such attention derives a lot of pleasure out of fending his .flock. If bred upon the farm they are coutentedand adapt themselves to surrounding conditions. With insecure fences, how : ever, and mongrel sheep he may as well keep out of the business. The necessary yards can easily and cheaply be erected, and if the flock is not large, a handy sheet-iron dip bath can <. be bought for some few pounds. The cost of labour involved in attention to a flock of sheep is an infinitesimal part of the derivable income. SELECTION OF BREED.

The clay is quite gone when an. indifferently bred sheep is to be grazed at an annual profit of "8/: or 10/- by any kind of sheep farmer, bar the roughcountry p.astoralist. With the exercise of a little attention and care tljat figure should on a mixed farm be more than doubled. With, good sheep of the suitable breed, the ewes should return 100 per cent, of lambs, and give a valuable fleece worth C/- or 7/-. In fact, a Hock of 100 ewes should be made to return one way and another, by lambs' wool, and soil enrichment, from £IOO to £125 a year. The breed of-sheep to go in for depends to a great extent upon the class of land and proximity to market. So long as the farmer starts with good ewes, let them be Eonmey,- Lincoln, Leicester, or Merino, as country suits and opportunity to purchase occurs, ami fuses good rams, to breed crossbred* if his fancy should prefer, and saves besjt ewe lambs to breed from, he will work up a flock that will give him great pleasure and profit.