On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 29 June 1911, Page 1222

On the Land

tw«,* considerable quantity of oats is being sown in the Masterton district this year, farmers being tempted to some extent by the high price of chaff. y i. oi h f° rSe K i 8 pi^ ing U P S°° d habits while he is contracting bad ones, ad i it requires a knowledge of the horse to make these good habits permanent and develop them into further usefulness. ueveiop W -W AU & ?? { \* a 6°^- lo °king pig and there is no reason ,?S looks , Bhou I ld not 80 «# the highest usefulness, but neither good looks nor fancy breeding should stand for a moment in the way of the pig that combines vigor of constitution, growtlnness, and reasonably early maturity with a form pleasing to tho eye of either breeder or farmer. • .Instruction in wool-classing seems to have caught on 3 S e + Y' ai^-i a F a -i , Tho^ £ at Tinui has a membership of 30, the Brieford class 18, Te Wharau 23, Masterton 16 and Gladstone 18. The Bideford and Te Wharau classes are conducting experiments in top-dressing the soil with proSion T wool ltU *™ W t 0 SGeing itS effect U P on the . At the Hawkesbury College, the Kerry cattle have been m use for some time, and they are spoken highly of bv the ofheers m charge of the dairy section. As is well known, the land comprising the Hawkesbury College Farm is of a poor nature-chiefly an admixture of sand and clay, there are thousands of acres of similar land in the State, winch could be put to as profitable use were it tested in the same way Tfie adaptation of animals found suitable to a certain locality is an important phase of rural economy. of>,S f , th^ Kerry - attle is cited to direct the attention or tanners to the expeidency, where necessary, of securing animals better suited to their districts. Kerry cattle are named after the County Kerry, Ireland. Up to a few years ago they were confined chiefly to the south-western couS Sn.2?fisi S 5 U > nh? i Stud y of Breeds '' savs that the unartificial conditions which surrounded them for centuries have made them the hardiest of the British dairy breeds They have frequently been called the ' poor man's cow ' from the great service they have rendered to the cottager in rural districts. The extent to which they have been teristicdocilit PlirPOSe measurabl y accounts for their characThe market at Burnside last week was exceedingly buoyant in tone, there being a general and in some instances pronounced advance in prices (says the Otago Daily Times). Over 4000 sheep were yarded, and a large number of them were very good quality animals. Wethers showed an advance in price to the extent of Is per head, while the market m ewes although inclined to Toe erratic, advanced Ah* f iSnf °f fr ° m ls 6d to in some cases 3s P«r head. About 1500 lambs were penned, and prices were fully ls 6d per head higher than they were the previous week, one pen realising the unusually high price of 24s per head, freezing buyers were again operating heavily in respect IS sheep and lambs and in a great measure wire responsible for the general advance in prices. The yarding ot cattle was not large, comprising about 140 head, and the quality was only medium, but nevertheless the market hardened as the sale progressed, and at the close was fully 10s per head higher than at the previous sale. There was a very small yarding of pigs, and it was probably due to tins tact that prices showed such a big advance, there being an average rise of about 7s 6d per head for pigs fit

Q+ There were fairly large entries of stock and a good attendance at the Addmgton sale last week. Store sheep sold well, and tat lambs and fat sheep were firmer. Fat cattle were a shade easier and fat pigs were likewise somewhat lower than at previous sale. The yarding of store sheep showed a still further falling off in numbers and included some good lines of lambs and a better class of ewes than of late. There was a good demand for lambs and prices were improved by about 6d per head. The" yard of fat cattle totalled 299 head. The quality was sTnn V ?i nm but l standing this and Se XrtS supply the demand was not very keen and prices were somewhat easier. Steers made £7 7s 6d to £ll 15s and i? s r 6d to to £l |n 0 7; h r e i fers 'Tf 512 s6d to £lr and °M i«™i ±i U i s , cL . There was an entry of 2315 fat lambs, the quality being much better than the average. There was a bnsk sale for all freezing lines, and prices were firmer. The export buyers took 2169 at prices rang! m : from 10s 6d to 20s The yarding of fat sheep was largf There was an active demand on the part of both export!™ and butchers, and the market opened at advanced rates prime wethers selling at ls and prime ewes 6d to 9d better wether's fiTS Sa & rftn ,s e of P rices was-Prime --el i'o 18s to lid; medium, los to 17s 6d; prime ewes, los to 19s lid; extra, to 21s. Pigs were entered in W« numbers in the fat pens, and therefor^less brisk! Eners the bidding. Choppers sold up to 69s • ■ heavy baconers 50s to 555; and lighter sorts, 86sT to 45s • larS porkers 25s to 30s; and lighter sorts, 20s to 23s ' g