SHEEP AND CATTLE CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 19006, 6 May 1924, Page 8

SHEEP AND CATTLE CONDITIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA.

AN AUTHENTIC REPORT. The South American representative of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board in his last monthly letter has given some very interesting particulars of the general conditions as applying to live stock in the Argentine. He writes as follows:

“I had a lengthy conversation yesterday with Mr Gresham, manager of Armour and Company’s interests here, I and he assures me that his company anticipates an increased killing on , the south coast this season, which he calculates in ten to fifteen per eentover last year’s figures. In his opinion the same conditions would apply to the other plants. I also saw Mr. L. O. Barr, manager of I Swift and Co., and that gentleman gave me the same impression as . Armour’s manager, but added that the earlier anticipations had on some former occasion proved to be wrong and nobody could be sure of the i state and numbers of the sheep i slaughtered till the season was over, as prolonged drought with strong winds in the beginning of March caused the sheep in that part of the country to lose condition rapidly. Mr Barr says it would be safe to calculate, at the very least, an equal number of sheep to be slaughtered this season on the south eoast. It surprises me that they are able to maintain their sheep kill in that part of the country, as the conditions there are similar to the Falkland Islands, where no sheep are available this year for export, while last year I went there and purchased 37,000 for importation here to finish off on the good pastures here, though there were several lots of good quality fat wethers when they were bought in the Falklands. Ther- is a good demand for all classes of fat sheep here, especially lambs, which are in request at higher prices. The

Messrs Gibson sold the breeding flocks on one of their small estancias and got very good prices. Cattle.—There is a good offering of best quality chillers which are worth 3.562 d per lb. put in works. It is considered by well-informed persons that best quality fat cattle will be scarcer in the near future, and prices higher. There is no interest for what was formsrly known as “freezer” grade; big, heavy, or plain quality cattle are classified as “Continental,” as about half of the frozen beef exported now goes to the Continent This grade of cattle is worth 2.625 d to 2.812 d per lb. in works. Canner cows are worth 2.0 62d and canner steers 2.2 sd. There is more Interest for store and breeding cattle and values are higher. It is very probable that prices for all classes of cattle will be considerably higher within a year, as the continues slaughter of an extraordinary righ percentage of calves, male and female, will have its effect on the f-ture cattle supply. Pasture is go<M to the south of the Province of Buenos Aires, though large areas of alfalfa lands have suffered from the prolonged drought and the extraordinary quantity of small native locusts which have been more destructive this year than ever

previously known, and have eaten up all vegetation in many districts, and ' what they have left has little feeding value for cattle. This is such an enormous, good country, as far as its ■ soil and climate goes, and what may be detrimental to the production from one class of camp, will equally favour . another. The Provincial Government has been studying the respective advantages of the two freezing plants offered it. Considerable numbers of live cattle continue to be shipped to Germany, Belgium, and Italy, mostly big cattle that would yield over 9001bs. of ! dressed beef, thouigh some light, 660 lbs. (dressed) weight AberdeenAngus steers have been sent to the 1 Switzerland market. 1

Sheep prices are as follows: Shorn wethers, 6.187 d to 6.562 d; shorn ewes, 5.25 d to 5.625 d; shorn lambs, 8.25 d to 9.00 d; lambs in wool 8.437 d to 9.187 d.

The pound sterling is worth to-day 12 dollars 80 pesos.”