AUSTRALIAN FARMING

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 54, Issue 3894, 26 April 1937, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN FARMING

RAINFALL WORTH £2,000,000. PLIGHT OF DAIRYMEN. A Queensland Government official is responsible for the statement that rains falling in that State on March 13, 14 and 15 were worth £2,000,000 to farmers. Practically every part of Queensland benefited from steady soaking rains, which were the best since 1924. Some flooding was experienced, but no great damage resulted. At Bundaberg, a rich sugargrowing centre, 9in. of rain fell in 24 hours. The great rains were associated with a cyclonic disturbance and fears of a severe cyclone, similar in effect to the disastrous visitation of 1907, were felt on the northern coast. A paragraph in a recently-received Queensland paper mentions that, “After three anxious days, the cyclone pennant was hauled down, and residents of Cooktown knew the danger was past.” Dairying Saved. Dairy farmers had been faced wth the possible loss of most of their cattle, but the rain has fallen sufficiently early to promote good pastures for the hard winter months. The Director of Dairying (Mr. H. Heers) said that never before had butter producers been entering the winter under such ominous conditions. Even those farmers who practised fodder conservation would have been faced with disaster, as they had had little opportunity of replenishing their reserves for some time. The rains appeared to have been both plentiful and general throughout the main dairying districts of the southern portion Of the State. He did not expect any appreciable advance in butter output, but the rains would ensure a more sustained winter supply. Quality would be improved, and the industry would be placed on a stabilised basis. Stock Values. At the Homebush Saleyards, Sydney, on March 15, there was a yarding of 33,750 fat sheep, a drop of 3250 from the previous week’s yarding. Quotations were: Prime lambs 5d to sid a lb; hoggets, 4d to 43d; wethers 2d to 3d; ewes, 2id to 3d. All plus skin and fat values.

Cattle numbered 3350, a drop of 960 on previous sales, 4310 head. A dull sale resulted. Good to prime steers, 25s to 29s a 1001 b, heavy bullocks 22s to 245, cows 18s to 21s. A Western Queensland country stock report speaks of splendid lambings, as at March 13. Mention is also made ctf the understocked condition of great areas of the western grazing country and a rise in store stock values is forecasted, following the rains.

At one Queensland sale a yarding of 6500 head of cattle sold as follows:—Fat bullocks to £8 15s, heifers to £6 9s, and cows £5 7s 6d. In the Brisbane River district a yarding of 1000 head of cattle included 500 fattening age bullocks, Herefords and Shorthorns. The yarding showed evidence of the dry conditions that had prevailed. Threeyear Hereford steers sold at up to £5 9s; nice-conditiofled Hereford 3-4 year bullocks made £5 ss; good conditioned 23-year steers, same breed, made £4 ss; fair conditioned 18months to two-year steers, Herefords, £3 7s. Herefords comprised almost the whole yarding. Demand for Horiea. The Toowoomba (Queensland west) horse sale concluded with an entry of 200 for the fourth day. Young draughts were in good demand. A three-year-old topped the sale at £27 10s, and a two-year-old at £24. Saddle horses made to £8 15s. Amid the stock notes in Australian papers is evidence of the great droves made there. I notice in an Adelaide sale report that a portion of the cattle offering was of Queensland fat cattle. These had made a drove of possibly 1000 miles to reach that market.