On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 25 September 1913, Page 59

On the Land

GENERAL. The Levin Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., paid its suppliers Is Id per lb for butter-fat supplied during August. Planting operations in the orchards of the Tasman district. Nelson, are practically completed for the season, the total number of trees planted within a two and a-half mile radius of Tasman being approximately 80,000, - bringing the total number of trees in the locality'to about 175,000, or a little over 1100 acres. A Southland potato grower has decided to plough several acres in owing to the unremunerative prices ruling. He consigned four tons of seed to Auckland and netted less than £8 for the lot, a return that does not warrant the employment of labour in digging and lifting. A new wheat has been discovered at Huntingdon. An expert has tested it. It is claimed that the wheat will greatly increase the yield. It is of excellent milling quality. A village postman was responsible for the discovery. He noticed a peculiar ear in a field and sowed the grain in his garden. The produce from the garden was sufficient to sow nearly three acres.

It having been reported that dry weather was being experienced in Great Britain which, if extensive, would materially affect the prices of New Zealand dairy produce on the Home markets, a cable message was sent to the High Commissioner asking for a statement of the position. The following , reply . has been received by the Government: With reference to your telegram of Bth September: Drought does not extend to Continent. Dry weather in United Kingdom has caused cheese output to be below the average, but hardly to the extent anticipated. Cheese prospects good.' Referring to the recent discussion as to the best date upon which to take the census of the sheep in the Dominion, Mr. C. H. Ensor told a representative of the Press that the shearing and tailing tallies would be the best to adopt. These, he pointed out, were exact tallies taken by every sheep-owner, and would be absolutely reliable. The figures based on these tallies could be available by the end of February, and would give those interested an idea of the number of lambs available in the Dominion. In the event of a shortage being disclosed, growers could make their lambs a little bit heavier. The returns being available in February would give those who wanted to produce ewes an idea of the number of the ewes available in different localities

in the Dominion.

There were average entries in all departments at Burnside last week. There was a drop of about Is 6d per head in the price of fat sheep, but fat cattle showed an increase in values. Only 117 head of fat cattle were yarded. The sale opened well, prices being up about 15s to 20s per head compared with previous week, but towards the end values receded a little. Quotations: Extra prime bullocks, to £l7 15s; heavy bullocks, £l3 10s to £ls; medium, £ll to £l2 10s; others, £9 10s to £lO 10s; prime cows, to £10; heifers, to £9 10s. The fat sheep penned totalled 2860. Compared with a fortnight ago prices on the average were back about 3s per head. The sale was erratic, and had it not been for the competition of graziers, which steadied the market to some extent for light weight and unfinished sheep, there would have been a further drop. Quotations: Extra prime heavy wethers, 28s to 31s; heavy wethers, 24s to 26s 6d; medium, 21s to 235; light and unfinished, 18s 6d to 20s 6d; extra prime heavy ewes, to 30s 6d; heavy ewes, 22s to 245. Fat lambs. There were 12 lambs penned. These were keenly competed for and sold up to 27s 9d. Pigs.—l4s pigs penned. Fat pigs did not sell up to previous week's rates. There was keen competition for all stores, late rates being fully maintained.

At Addington last week there were smaller entries of stock, and a moderate attendance of buyers. ' Fat

cattle were firmer by 3s per 1001 b. Store sheep un- ' changed. New season’s fat lambs sold well. Eat sheep opened firmly, but unfinished wethers were somewhat easier. Fat lambs sold -well .' Best lambs made 20s to 22s 6d; lighter, 17s to 19s 6d. For fat sheep the range of prices was: Extra prime wethers, to 32s 6d; prime, 23s 6d to 29s 9d; others, 21s to 235; extra prime ewes, to 295; prime, 25s 6d to 275; others, 19s 3d to 20s; hoggets, 19s to 21s; merino wethers, 18s to 265; merino ewes, 12s Id to 15s Bd. For. fat cattle the prices were:. Steers, £9 15s to £ll 10s; extra, to £l7 17s 6d; heifers, £6 10s to £lO I7s*6d; extra, to £l2 12s 6d; cows, £5 15s to £l2; vealers, £8 to £l3 10s. For fat pigs the prices were: Choppers, £3 10s to £5 2s 6d; heavy baconers, 70s to 755; lighter, 55s to 655; these prices being equivalent to sfd to 6d per lb. Heavy porkers made 48s to 525; lighter sorts, 42s to 465, equal to 6£d per lb. Store pigs, large, realised 35s to 395; medium, 25s to 335; and small, 18s to 245. Small weaners brought 14s to 17s, and better sorts 17s 6d to 21s. ' v SHORTHORNS. The Shorthorn is by far the most popular breed of cow throughout England. It is chiefly on account of its adaptability to both milk and beef production that it has gained this premier position. We have heard a great deal of late regarding the dual purpose cow, and there is no doubt that the Shorthorn breed furnishes the best type in this respect. Ayr shires, Jerseys, and Guernseys are typical dairy cows, and possess many special characteristics which place them in the forefront as far as milk production is concerned; but, in contrast to the Shorthorn type, they cannot be mad© to carry flesh profitably at the end of their dairying career.

Only too frequently, however, does it happen that over-much is made of the so-called dual purpose Shorthorns. Farmers are tempted to expect too much from these animals, and it is only natural that in a great many instances they meet with grievous disappointment. One may have. no hesitation at all in maintaining that it is next to impossible to find in a single animal the qualities that make for a yield of 1000 gallons of milk per annum, coupled with the propensity for rapid beef production, as shown in a typical beefy Shorthorn. No doubt this is accounted for by the fact that so many people fail to understand what really constitutes an ideal dual purpose animal. The opinion that prevails among the majority of small farmers is that any cow that does not come up to a fairly good standard of milk production shall be classed' as a dual purpose animalthat is, in the case of Shorthorns.: A genuine type of dual purpose Shorthorn is one which exhibits medium dairy qualities, and sells at a good price as a beef animal when fattened out. Further than this, a good type of dual purpose cow, such as is to be found among the Shorthorn breed, will have these ; qualities more or less firmly ingrained in the blood, so that there is reasonable certainty of their being transmitted to the next generation. ' Supposing that a really good type of Shorthorn cow may be expected to produce 3001bs of butter fat per .year, then a typical dual purpose animal of the same breed should yield not less than 2001bs of butter fat. and. in addition to this, her calves should make very fair beef animals.