ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 11, 15 March 1923, Page 51

ON THE LAND

MARKET REPORTS. A largo yarding of fat cattle at Burnside last week comprised 296 head, the entry including a number of wellfinished steers and heifers. Owing to the large entry, competition was somewhat slack, and prices were easier to the extent of 10s to 15s per head on the previous sale. Quotations: Extra prime heavy bullocks realised up to £l3, prime bullocks up to £ll, medium £8 to £9, prime cows and heifers realised from £6 to £7, medium £4 10s to £5 10s, light £3 10s to £4. Fat Sheep.—A fair yarding, consisting of 1930, were yarded, and as this number was rather below butchers’ requirements, a fairly good sale resulted. The quality on the whole was fair, a good portion of the yarding consisting of ewes, a number of these lacking finish. The wethers offered were not particularly heavy, only a few pens of well-finished sheen being yarded. Bidding was fairly keen, the price for wethers advancing Is and ewes '2s per head on the preceding week’s sale. Quotations; Extra prime heavy-weight wethers realised up to 43s 6d, prim© wethers 35s to 375, medium up to 30s, light and unfinished up to 235. Extra prime heavy-weight ewes realised up to 37s 6d, parime 25s to 31s, light and unfinished from 19s upwards. Fat Lambs.— moderate yarding, comprising 850, the quality of which was not equal to late yardings. There was a good demand for all lambs suitable for export, freezing buyers operating keenly. The prices realised were about on a par with the previous week’s rate. Quotations: Extra prime heavy lambs realised up to 41s, prime from 30s to 345, medium 26s to 28s, light-weights from 23s to 255. Pigs.—A large entry, comprising mostly porkers and light baconers. Competition was brisk, and the preceding week’s prices were maintained. Prime baconers realised from 6ld to 7£d, and prime porkers from 7id to 8d per lb.

At Addington market last week there were heavy yardings in practically all classes of stock. The previous week’s prices generally were maintained. Fat Lambs. — 4620 were penned. A good sale at from lOd to d per lb. Light lambs were a shade easier. Extra prime lambs 33s 6d to 365, a few special to 38s Id, prime 30s to 335, medium 27s to 29s 9d, light and unfinished 24s 6d to 26s 9d. Fat Sheep.— slightly larger yarding, but prices were practically unchanged. Exporters operated freely at Old for wethers, and up to od for ewes. Extra prime wethers 34s 6d to 375, a few special to 40s, prime 30s 9d to 34s 3d, medium 28s 6d to 30s 6d, light 26s to 28s 3d, extra prime ewes to 32s Id, prime 27s to 29s 9d, medium 23s 6d to 26s 6d, light 20s 9d to 23s 3d, old 18s Od to 20s. Fat Cattle. —A big yarding of 490 head. Prime beef was in good demand and made from 29s 6d to 32s 6d, light beef and cows were slow of sale at 22s 6d to 275. Extra prime steers.£l4 15s to £l6 7s 6d, prime £ll 15s to £l4 10s, medium £9 10s to £ll 12s 6d, light £7 10s to £9 ss, extra prime heifers to £ll 2s 6d, prime £7 10s to £9 15s, light £4 10s to £7 6s, extra prime cows to £lO 17s 6d, prime £6 15s to £9 Is, medium £4 10s to £6 10s. Vealers. Good calves met keen competition at improved prices. Good runners made up to £5 ss, ordinary vealers £3 10s to £4 15s, small calves from 8s upwards. Fat Pigs.—A good demand. Prices showed an improvement, especially for porkers. Choppers £2 10s to £5, light baconers £3 15s to £4 ss, heavy £4 8s to £4 15s, extra heavy £4 19s 6d (average price per lb 6-id to 63d), light porkers £2 8s to £2 14s, heavy £2 18s to £3 (average price per lb 8d to 9d). GOING TO MARKET. All. generations of farmers have gone to market, and will continue to go as long as markets exist, because it is an essential part of the business of farming; but how differently farmers take their market going! Some go as a matter of rule, others only when business takes them, and while you see. the latter when they have something either to buy or sell alert and businesslike and off again when they have finished, the habitual market goer for going’s sake makes more or less of a day of it,

and has his customary ways of spending his time after the actual business of the market is over. In other words, he does not treat market day as a real working day, but a half-and-half kind of thing, and when long days at market become a habit, there are people at home who get to look at it in very much the same way. HOW TO MAKE FRUIT PAY. ' The art of making fruit farming pay consists first of all in car© in details, and secondly in getting continuous marketable produce. Apples, for instance, should be planted so that the varieties go on the market without a break from very early in the apple season until the very latest keeping varieties. That is to say that from the time that early apples are in to the spring of the following year the wise fruit-grower will be able to send a quantity of apples week by week to the market, whether small or large quantities does not matter.

By this means he has a steady income which should help to pay the cost of cultivation and when markets are up should leave a good margin beyond expenses. Naturally advantage should be taken of the best markets to send bigger lots, and when markets are very low a week or two may be missed.

By the adoption of this system the disadvantage of mixed farming, entailing outgoings for three-fourths of the year and returns at irregular periods, is overcome especially as the changes of hitting a bad market are just as likely to come along if all the goods are sent within a short space of time as they are if the sendings are spread over the whole year. To make the most of the fruit farm it is necessary to know what has a saleable value, and how to place this on the market. THE FUTURE OF ARABLE FARMING. The success of arable farming in the future will depend entirely on the yield of crops (says a writer in a Home journal). In other words, it may still pay to grow 10 or 12 sacks of wheat per acre, but it certainly cannot pay to grow five or even eight sacks, and so with other cereals. Low yields are usually associated with mismanagement of the soil, particularly the treading about of heavy land when it is in a wet condition. Land of this character should be ploughed as deeply as possible in the autumn or early winter, so that it may bo well pulverised and shaken by frost, after which it must not be cultivated or cross-ploughed in the spring until it is thoroughly dry. Dirty stubbles, or those which it has been impossible to skim and clean, should be deeply ploughed, so that the weeds are afforded an opportunity of rotting during the winter. If such land is cross-ploughed in the spring and well worked it can be rendered reasonably clean.

The dirtiest land, or that which contains a wealth of troublesome weeds like couch, thistles, docks, etc., should be reserved for the growing of roots, and particularly potatoes, provided the soil conditions admit of this crop being planted, as this affords the only means, with the exception of bare fallowing, of cleaning this class of land.

It is no use growing a root crop unless the ground is kept thoroughly hoed and cleaned, and if this is thoroughly well done here should be no difficulty in growing at least two straw crops afterwards without any fear of the land becoming foul.

Those who take full advantage of pressing on with work in the autumn, and again in the spring, usually accomplish it much better than those who drag out land work and other cultivations throughout the winter.