STOCK NOTIS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3, 26 January 1899, Page 3

STOCK NOTIS.

1 (By TUSSOCK.) As the crops on the pl.iins are cut it is easy to see that there will be an abundance of stubble feed, and farmers are more .-mxioiis than ever Ut get stock to eat it. St'-ro shtcn are worth more, than as much again as at this time last year, are scarce, and, unfortunately, mostly in dealers' hands. At the prices they have already reached it is doubtful if it will pay to eat the tend off at all.

broken weather in tbe hills continues to delay shearing, and few of .the large stations in the Rangitata and Rakaia country have cut out. It will be very late before the stragglers are finished this year. Tho cry on the runs, as on the plains, now . is " Give us a month's fine weather."

At the various South Canterbury sales there bas been for some time, and still is, a keen inquiry for store sheep, and any lots which have been offered have been quickly snapped up at prices which will leave a very, small margin of profit to buyers. Large areas of rape, intended principally for lambs, are yet unstocked, and some wi.l certainly be ploughed down. Last year those who had rape- — and they were not many — made about £10 per acre from it.

At the Addington Market last week the first draft of the experimental lambs from the Canterbury Agricultural College for this season were sold. The experiments have been made on the same lines as last year with the view of showing which breed of sheep is? the mofet profitable for the fat lamb trade, except that the lambs are this year being sold at Addington instead of in the London market. Four lots, of fifty each, of the College farm cross-bred flock (in which Border Leicester blood predominates) were selected and put to Southdown, Shropshire Down, English Leicester and Border Leicester rams respectively. The ewes and their progeny were subjected to exactly the same treatment. The result shows that the Southclowns have again come out considerably ahead of the other breeds both in the-early maturity of the lambs and the price obtained. The following wero the prices: — 27 Southdown cross at 12s 4d, 11 Shropshire Down cross at 12s 2d, 9 Border Leicester cross at lis lld and 6 English Leicester cross at lis Bd.. The remainder of the cross-bred and the cull Border Leicester ewes on the farm, about 150 in number, were put to Shropshire rams, and the first fat lambs from these, numbering thirty, were sold on Dec. 28 at lis ld to lis 7d, and a further draft of eleven last wee]? at 12s.

Messrs H. S. Fitter and Sons, in their latest report, say that the quality of many of .tho Canterbury sheep continues very poor, many of them comparing unfavourably with River Plate sheen.

Commenting on the Smithfield fat stock show, a leading English writer says : — " It is surely a significant commentary upon not seem very far distant when further restrictive regulations will have to be resorted to to spare us the presence and overtime changes that have taken place unaer the enlightened and forcing methods of the present age, that, although outside the hardy West Highland breed, there was not a single animal of the bovine species over three years of age in the hall, there were sesn many specimens which in size and ■weight" certainly dick not comply with the modern demand for stock of handy weights. It is true the heaviest, though verging on a ton, were more symmetrical and. carried a'' smaller excess of fat than the huge oxer of a decade aero, but- if we may judtre from the evidences of recent years the rims docs rhndowing opposition of bullock' - of unpio fitable size and wasteful carcase."

Schoolmaster : " Now, my boy. te^l ye what is meant by 'the devil and all his works.'" Boy: "His inside, sir."