ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, 17 June 1920, Page 43

ON THE LAND

At Burnside last week the yarding of fat cattle consisted of 181 head, the quality being fair. The sale opened at an advance of 20s to 25s per head on previous week’s rates, but towards the finish prices eased back fully 20s per head. Prime bullocks made from £l9 to £22 10s; extra, to £26 10s; medium, £ls to £l7 10s; light, from £l2; prime heifers,. £lB 12s 6d; medium cows and heifers, £l2 to £l4 10s; light from £8 10s. Fat Sheep; 2419 yarded, the quality being fair. Prices were steady throughout the sale at the previous week’s rates. Prime heavy wethers 53s 3d to 57s 6d, prime 43s 6d to 49s 3d, medium 33s 9d to 38s 3d ; light from 28s, prime heavy ewes to 53s 6d, prime 37s to 41s 9d, medium 32s to 35s 6d, others from 265. Lambs: 1567 lambs of good quality were yarded. Freezing buyers were operating freely for all lines suitable for export, a good sale resulting at prices slightly in advance of the previous week’s rates. Prime heavy made from 33s 3d to 365, prime, 29s to 32s 3d, medium 26s to 28s 3d, others from 21s. Pigs A small yarding, and as a much larger number could have been disposed of, higher prices to the extent of from 7s 6d to 10s per head were obtained. Best baconers realised from lOd to lid per lb, and best porkers from 10|d to llfd per lb. At the Addington market last week there was a big yarding of fat stock, and an average one of stores. There was an improvement in the store sheep market, the mutton market being very firm, whilst the overflow yarding of fat beef met with a much easier sale. Fat Lambs: A yarding of 2600 of indifferent quality. An average demand, freezing buyers securing the bulk. Extra prime lambs to 38s, prime 27s 6d to 32s Id, medium 24s 9d to 26s 9d, lighter 20s to 24s 6d. Fat Sheep; A big yarding, with many lines of very prime, both ewes and wethers. A firm tone was displayed throughout. Freezing buyers secured about half the yarding, and were operating more freely than usual. Quotations: Extra prime wethers 48s to 60s, prime 39s to 445, medium 34s 6d to 38s 6d, lighter 29s to 345, extra prime ewes 45s to 49s 7d, prime 38s to 425, medium 32s to 375, lighter 25s to 31s 6d. Fat Cattle : The penning being much more than butchers’ requirements, and the freezing buyers not operating, there was a drop in prices, particularly for secondary stuff, which chiefly comprised the entry. Extra prime steers brought up to £29, prime, £l9 to £24 15s, medium £ls to £lB, lighter, £8 15s to £l4 12s 6d, prime heifers £l3 to £l6 12s 6d, ordinary, £8 10s to £l2 17s 6d, extra prime cows to £lB 15s, prime £l2 15s to £ls, ordinary £8 to £l2 10s. Pigs: Chopj>ers to £9 10s, light aconers £6 15s, and heavy to £8 (average price per lb lOd to 10Id); heavy porkers, to £5 5s (average per lb. Is to Is Old). v ° A WONDERFUL GRASS. The Gundagai Times says:— D. Nicholls, a former Gundagai resident, has obtained remarkable results this season from Sudan grass, under irrigation on the Lachlan. On less than 400 acres of mnn riteC S Mr Nicllolls has this season carried 1600 sheep, 30 horses and a few dairy cattle. Amongst other crops he has grown 28 acres of Sudan grass sinc^ r v' rigat i 0n ’ From tllis he has fed a H his sheep to ke^Tu mber ’- anden ° U^ h ° f the last cut remains maL ?n them g °i ng for another month. Besides, he NUhnn ? S £ hay - From a measured acre Mr cholls states that he made seven tons, of hay from a second cut of six weeks’ growth. Y HINTS ON PRUNING. the If . * he w ° rk , of pruning is pushed through early, the winter ploughing can be proceeded with in good Msprint' 1 b<> P OB3 ? 16 to W full attention to the early spring spraying (says the Freeman’s Journal,

Sydney, quoting the Agricultural Department’s Fruit Expert). . : When pruning the peach it should be remembered that it chiefly crops on the previous year’s laterals, and not on old spurs; thus it is necessary to keep up a yearly supply of young laterals. This can be done if the old laterals are taken out regularly each winter pruning; young laterals will then start from the dormant buds at their bases. dare should be taken when cutting out the old laterals not to cut close enough to damage the dormant buds. . In a season when there is a bad showing of fruit buds, it will be necessary to leave some of the two-year-old laterals that are carrying sub-laterals, or temporary spurs showing such buds, but this is to be avoided as much as possible for the longer the laterals are allowed to remain after the second year the harder it is for the dormant buds at the base to start into growth. If the trees have been topped the previous pruning it will probably be necessary for a number of leaders to be thinned out this season, for if the top is allowed to become too thick the trees will not readily furnish fresh laterals along the main branches. It has also been found that in very vigorous trees that have their shape well established, it is well only to thin the leaders out and not to top them back for a season. This non-topping also encourages the furnishing of laterals below. The apricot crops both on the previous year’s laterals and on older spurs, but on most varieties the tendency is for these spurs to die out after two or three seasons, starting from the base of the lateral; consequently the laterals soon only produce fruit towards their tips. This may be avoided by following a system of renewal very similar to that described for the peach. Plums, on the other hand, mostly develop permanent fruiting spurs. These can generally be obtained by leaving the laterals long in the trees, and shortening them back in later years when the spurs are established and the trees are making less growth. In older trees where spurs have multiplied too numerously they should be thinned out in order to prevent over-setting and consequent small fruit; exhausted spurs should also be removed to encourage the growth of new spurs or laterals which will subsequently lorm fresh spurs.