ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LI, Issue 8, 21 February 1924, Page 45

ON THE LAND

' MARKET REPORTS. There was a large yarding of 320 head of fat cattle at Burnside last week. The bulk of the entry consisted of prime quality steers and heifers, there being also a number of choice quality cows. The sale opened at only a shade .under the previous week’s values, but as it progressed prices receded noticably, and on the average could be quoted 30s under the preceding week’s rates. A number of pens were passed. Quotations: Extra prime bullocks made up to £l4 15s, prime £lO 10s to £l2, medium £7 10s to £9, light £6 to £7 os. Extra prime cows and heifers realised £9, prime £6 10s to £7 10s, medium £4 to £5, aged to £3 10s. Fat Sheep.A large yarding, 2624 being penned. With the - exception of a few pens of heavy-weights, the entry composed medium and handy weights sheep, with a fair, proportion of aged ewes. Exporters were operating freely and values on the average were on a par with those obtaining on the previous week. Quotations : Extra prime heavy-weight wethers made up to 445, prime 37s to 39s 6d, medium 32s to 345, light 25s to 27s 6d. . Extra prime heavy ewes realised 365, prime 26s to 28s 6d, medium 21s to 235, light and aged 8s to 12s. Lambs. —A medium yarding, numbering 1225. The entry consisted of several pens of prim© quality lambs, with a fair proportion of light and unfinished sorts. Prime lambs met with a ready sale at an increase on the preceding week’s rates, while inferior sorts were very hard to quit. Quotations: Extra prime lambs brought up to 39s 3d, prime 30s to 325, medium 25s to 27s 6d, unfinished 12s to 15s. Pigs.—A full yarding was offered, all classes being represented. Competition was fairly brisk, but prices, both for baconors and porkers, were easier to the extent of fully 5s per head. Last week’s prices for prime baconers are on a basis of about 63d, and for prime porkers about 8-kl per lb. Following were the quotations at last week’s Addington market:—Fat Lambs.—46oo were penned, a few less than on the previous week. There was a keen sale at 10-id for under 421 b, lOd for over 421 b, and 9-id for seconds. Extra prime lambs 34s to 37s 3d, few show pens 39s to 44s lOd, prime 30s 9d to 33s 6d, medium 27s 6d to 30s 6d, light 23s to 275. Fat Sheep.— There was an average entry of 10 races. Values showed on an average little change from the preceding week. The companies operated more freely. Wethers from 6id to 6-]d, ewes from 41 dto sd. Extra prime wethers 37s to 40s, prime 31s to 345, medium 27s 6d to 30s 6d, light 24s to 275, extra prime ewes 32s Gd, prime 24s 6d to 28s 6d, medium 21s 6d to 245, light 20s to 21s 3d, old 17s to 19s 6d. Fat Cattle. —There was a smaller yarding and an improved demand at the start of the sale of from 25s to 30s per head for good beef. Late entries augmented the penning to 380 head. Values slipped back to the previous week’s rates. A few pens of beef made to 36s per 1001 b. Prime 31s to 345, medium 27s 6d to 30s 6d, light 24s to 275, rough 15s. Extra prime steers £l7, prime £l2 10s to £ls, medium £9 15s to £l2 ss, light £6 15s to £8 17s 6d, extra prime heifers £lO, prime £7 5s to £9 ss, ordinary £4 15s to £7, light £3 10s to £4 10s, extra prime cows £lO 12s 6d, prime £6 15s to £8 os, medium £4 5s to £6 10s. Vealers. —There was an average market. Runners to £5 17s 6d, vealers £3 5s 6d to £4 ss, good calves 30s to £3, small 8s to 20s. Fat Pigs. There was a medium entry and a good demand at the start, but values fell away. Choppers £2 to £4 17s 6d, light baconers £3 10s,to £3 15s, heavy £4 to" £4 10s, extra heavy £5; average price per lb 6d to 6£d. Light porker, £2 7s to £2 12s, heavy £2 15s to £3 4s; average price per lb 8d to B^d.

The Utility Fence (Contributed.) VARIOUS TYPES OF STRAINING MACHINES. As to straining gear, there are quite a number of patents, each having its own advocates. Some are superior to others in special cases; and again a man working with one make of strainer often becomes expert with, that particular kind of machine. The old type of roller with the ratchet and pawl is a good kind .1 for - pulling down trees or similar work. y : - It injures the wire never so little, takes up a great deal of slack, but not an unlimited amount. It will do first-class

service,- too, on the bored straining-post where a. “plug” or false-wife and “key” are used, but it cannot be used for splicing.;:. With the. new gripping and clutching machines the boring is going, in many cases gone, and with anchors as substitutes straining posts are becoming less and less in. evidence. Many object to the gripping trainers on account of the damage they do to the wire. Where No. Bor lighter wire is used the teeth of some of the grippers may make-ravages, but where No. 7 is used any damage worth taking into account is seldom experienced, so that the remedy in this case is to have at hand a piece of No. 7 wire and attach it to the wire of lesser gauge when it is -desired to strain them with this class of machine, for the strainer to work upon. The gripping strainers are certainly very useful, handy, and may be quickly operated for a variety of other, purposes as well as wire-straining. They certainly claim consideration when making a selection. The auger will not be much required in the fencing of the future: bored strainers are becoming increasingly rarer, yet it is still necessary for boring the distributing post next to the anchor, to space out the wires. As this post is small, a gin or gin bit may take the place of the auger by those who prefer to use the brace and bit. In bush districts where timber is plentiful a 2in auger is sometimes used to bore the holes for the mortise for the stay-to-strainer. The axe being used to take out the mortise instead of the chisel. f THE “SPINNING-JINNY.” The spinning-jinny is a name given by fencers to a contrivance employed to run out new wire from the coils as they come from the manufacturers. Wire which has been removed from a fence is generally rolled out the second time, for the simple reason that it is seldom re-rolled uniformly enough to be run out from a “jinny” again. Wire distributors are advertised by some firms, but as the above contrivance can readily be made by any handy man at almost a nominal cost, and will fulfil very well what is required of it it will commend itself to many. When the coil is properly set on the “jinny” the fencer taking care to get hold of the light end of the wire at the beginning, simply goes along the fence line, and the jinny spins round in responseto very little pulling on the wire, and “pays out” the wire as long as the coil lasts. A well-made jinny turns easily, requires little pulling effort, and furthermore, the wire which is run out from, it comes out with fewer kinks in it than when rolled out by hand, to say nothing of the saving in labor. HOW TO MAKE THE “JINNY.” It is made as follows: Take 2 pieces of 4iu x 2in,. 3ft 6in long, halve in at centres and nail together, drivingthe naile so as to leave room in the exact centre for a fin hole. Take 2 pieces of 4in x lin and nail together in the same way. These last need not be halved in together. Next: with a pair of compasses (or a trarael may bemade) from the centre of the two cases thus formed, describe 3 .circles at the distances 6iin, Biiri and lOJin, at each of which distances bore three fin holes, spaced somewhat in triangular form, to prevent the timber from splitThe object of these different spacings is to suit the pegging on of the coils when the jinny is set up ready for action. Note well here .that holes in the cross which is made of the 4in x 2in scantling are not in he hared right throng],; about l*in deep will be far enough, but the lighter cross should be bored right through, and in such a. way that the holes in it coincide precisely with those of the other one, arm to arm. It is also advisable to mark an arm of each cross while in the correct position, so that it .may be afterwards seen at a glance that the holes in the upper and lower arms are directly opposite each other when setting the wire on the jinny to commence operations This may readily be done and a lasting mark made by chipping off the corners of an arm of each cross. Bore T a hole fin in size through the centre of each cross Next, cut a circular piece about llin in diameter out of an inch board, and also another piece of tin board about 1. foot long by 9in wide, and bore each piece with 4 . at cente also > to. receive a fin round: iron bar about 3 t long, which should be well pointed with a tapering point at one end, and a knob end similar to a bolt head at the other, for striking upon when driving it into the ground. •: (To bo.continued.) *