ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, 4 November 1920, Page 43

ON THE LAND

■« ''ft'.i'y. 5? : r i? -Vv .? ?’ “V ;-’i- -'4 ■ ' MARKET REPORTS. There was a very large yarding of fat cattle at Burnside last week, 247 - head coming under the hammer. The quality of the yarding was mixed, a number of the cattle offered being unfinished. The number forward was in excess of requirements, consequently the}'price for heavyweight cattle dropped about 30s per head, while light cattle were down about 15s. Prime bullocks brought £25 to £32, medium £lB 15s to £23 10s, light £l4 10s to £l7 10, prime heifers and cows £lB to £23, medium £ls to £l7 ss, light and inferior £lO to £l3. Fat Sheep.---There was a medium-sized yarding, 1501 being penned. The quality of the sheep was very good, and amongst the entries were the first shorn sheep of the season, which came forward .in excellent condition. There were, however, very few ewes on offer. Competition was not so keen, and despite the small yarding, prices showed no improvement on the preceding week’s sales. Shorn wethers realised from 33s to 45s per .1 head; shorn ewes 24s 6d to 365, extra prime woolly wethers 64s 9d, prime woolly wethers 50s to 555, medium 42s 6d to 47s 6d, light 38s to 41s, prime ewes 40s to 465, medium 35s to 38s, light 30s to 335. Pigs. The entry ,of fat pigs was not large. The number penned was, however, sufficient for requirements. Medium weights met a fair sale .at prices from 7s 6d to 10s under those of the previous week. Heavy -pigs were not wanted at 15s per head under previous sale’s values. Spring Lambs. —These came forward in larger numbers, 38 in all being offered, and all of good quality. There was keen competition, best lambs v realising 36s to 40s, others 25s 6d to 31s. '

At Aldington market last week, there was an increase in all sections of stock, notably beef and store sheep." There was a slight easing in the values throughout to about £1 per head for cattle, 2s 6d for all but the primest mutton, and about the same for coarsewoolled store sheep. Fat Lambs.—l3s penned. Good well-grown lambs brought up 37s 3d, and medium from 28s to 335. Pat Sheep.—Selling rates opened about 2s6d per head easier than on the previous week, and this about represented the drop on that week's values. ..The, conclusion of the sale was as firm as at any time throughout. Quotations: Extra prime wethers 54s to 725, prime wethers 46s to 53s 6d, medium wethers 40s to 455, light and unfinished wethers 33s 9d to 39s 6d, prime shorn wethers to 41s 6d, medium shorn wethers 31s to 36s 3d, prime ewes 40s to 445, medium ewes : 34s 6d tp 38s 6d, light and unfinished ewes 27s to 335, shorn ewes to 39s 7d, hoggets 26s lid to 365. Fat Cattle— big yarding, 385 head being forward. .The sale showed a slight easing on the preceding week's rates. Extra prime steers brought from £33 10s to £37, prime steers £27 15s to £34, medium steers £2l 7s 6d to £26 15s, light and unfinished steers All 10s to £2O 10s, prime heifers £l6 15s to £2l ss, ordinary heifers £l3 15s to £l6, light and unfinished heifers £9 to £l3, prime cows £l6 15s to £l9 12s 6d, ordinary cows £l3 10s to £l6 10s. light and unfinished cows £9 5s to £l3. Vealers.—There was a firmer demand. Runners brought up to £9 10s, good vealers £7 17s 6d, medium vealers to £4 2s 6d mfenor £2 ss; Fat Pigs.—Choppers £8 to £ll, light baconers £6 15s to £7 10s, heavy baconers £7 to £8 15s, extra heavy baconers £9 to £V 10s—average price per lb, 12£d to 13d; porkers £5 to £5 10s, heavy porkers £5 15s to £6 ss average price per lb Is 3d to Is 4d.

\ THE BENEFITS OF CO-OPERATION. L + Toj&e erae farmer (says the organising officer of the New South Wales Agricultural Bureau) this is •probably the strongest case that could be made for cooperation—the element of chance is exactly that element whxch he finds altogether too . prominent in his

I \ ff 'f > ■ job. Twelve ordinary months offer the ordinary farmer all the ~ opportunities for juggling^with^ doubtful factors that he has ia - fancy forlet * people less closely associated with the vagaries of nature‘look, for more. Co-operation is not a trans-pacific religion- —it is a selfhelp scheme,- born in a little Lancashire mill town nearly eighty years ago out pf dire necessityy}f6r;lthe easing of intolerable ..economic insecurity. - An - eightyyears try-out of co-operation > has not brought about a Utopia in any part of the world, but never l once, have loyal supporters found it fail them. ’‘ ' , BROADCASTING V. DRILLING OATS. ; The relative advantages -of drilling or broadcasting cereals have often been discussed and investigated by tests, but without precise; results one: way of.; : --the other (says the Farmers’ Union Advocate). ; To obtain definite information for the guidance of-, farmers the North of Scotland Agricultural College , started in 1913 a scheme which it was intended to continue for several years. Unfortunately the investigations were interrupted after 1916 by the war, but results had been already obtained which, although not final, convey useful information, and they are therefore, published in the Scottish Journal of Agriculture. "' he investigation to be more complete was designed to test not only broadcast versus single drill, but combinations of the two, cross-drill and broadcast plus drill. The test crops were grown on a. lea-sod after two years’ grass, and the varieties grown were Record, Leader, and Banner the quantities of seeds used per acre were for broadcast, 8 bush. ; single drill, 6 bush.-; broadcast and drill, 7 bush.; cross-drill, 6 bush. The average results in dressed grain over the four years were : -—Broadcast, 63 bush. 211 b.; single drill. 63 bush. 161 b.; broadcast plus drill, 64 bush. 171 b.; cross-drill 65 bush. 121 b. It will be seen that, taking the whole period the system of cross-drilling stood first. As regards yield of straw, broadcast came out best with 35.69 cwt., followed by cross-drill 35.56 cwt., broadcast plus drill 35.25 cwt., single drill 34.25 cwt. Cross-drilling gave the highest average yield per acre in grain and second place in straw production. Single drilling, though taking a high place in respect of yield per bushel of seed, does not compare favorably in its acreage yieldpossibly the spouts in the seed drill, 6in. apart were set too wide. The broadcast plots suffered from birds, and this liability renders it necessary to use more: seed as an offset against this however, the greater, time .required to drill must be taken into account, and it may be that the saving in time in sowing broadcast will balance the greater expenditure in seed. _ } | % However, all points considered, cross-drilling • appears to have much to recommend it; the crop in the cross-drilled plots was noticeably more equal in height and more regular than those in the broadcast plots. In the single-drilled plots the crop had a slightly thinner appearance .than any of the others, particularly in the earlier stages.