On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 35, 16 September 1925, Page 53

On the Land

lUp MARKET REPORTS. * At Burnside last week there was an entry of 195 head of fat cattle, as against 273 on • the previous week. Not so many prime cattle were yarded as at recent offerings, but there was. a sprinkling of well-finished bullocks and a few exceptionally good heifers and cows throughout the offering. The market opened firmly at £1 per head above the preceding week's rates, and had a hardening tendency throughout till the last races, when the demand slackened and values eased to the previous week's rates. Extra prime heavy bullocks made from £24 to £27, prime bullocks £2O to £23 10s, lighter £l6 10s to £l9 10s, unfinished £l3 to £l6, extra choice heavy heifers £2O, heavy prime £ls to £lB 10s, lighter £ll to £l4 10s, extra prime cows £l7 to £2O 7s 6d, prime cows £l3 to £l6 10s, light cows £6 10s to £ll 10s. Fat Sheep.— There was a yarding of 1969 as against 2041 for the preceding week. The quality generally was good, but not so many heavy wethers were in evidence as at recent offerings. >£ The market opened on a par with the previous week and quickly hardened from Is to 2s per head. Over the last races, however, the demand slackened and values eased considerably, closing rates being at least Is below the preceding week's rates. Extra prime wethers 51s to 58s 6d, prime wethers 45s to 50s, medium wethers 38s to 445, light wethers 34s to 37 6d, extra prime ewes 40s to 46s 9d, prime ewes 35s to 395, lighter ewes 28s to 325. Pigs.— were 97 fats and 44 slips. Prices were very high. Porkers X. were up 10s and stores and baconers ss. At last week's Addington market there was a keen sale for fat cattle and a better one than for some weeks for store sheep. Fat sheep failed to hold recent values. Fat Sheep. —A good-sized entry met with a general easing on the previous week of Is a head. Extra prime wethers made to 465, prime wethers 46s to 50s, medium wethers 42s to 455, light wethers 37s to 41s, extra prime ewes 47s lOd, prime ewes 37s to 40s 6d, medium ewes 33s to 365, light ewes 27s to 325, prime hoggets to 445, ordinary hoggets 30s to 38s. -Fat Cattle. —There was an entry of 450 head, of which 116 were from the North Island, and several trucks from South Otago. Twelve bullocks from P. Anderson (Stirling) averaged £2B ss, whilst one line of 28 steers from the North Island averaged £23 Bs. Some northern heifers made to £l7 17s 6d, and cows to £l7 7s 6d. A few pens of local medium weight prime beef made to 56s per 1001 b. f Prime medium-weight 50s to 535, prime heavy-weight 47s to 525, medium quality 44s to 47s to 525, medium quality 44s to 475, light 40s to 435, and inferior down to 33s per 1001 b. Extra prime heavyweight . steers made £24 10s to £2B 17s 6d/' prime heavy-weight steers £2l to £24, medium- : weight prime steers £l7 10s to £2O 10s, light steers £l4 10s to £l7, rough steers £ll ids l % jsf> £l£> «xtra prime heifers to £l7 17s 6d, j* prime heifers £l3 10s to £ls 10s, ordinary i heifers £9 10s to £l2 10s, extra . prime cows I ; to £lB 2s 6d, prime cows £l2 15s to £ls,

medium cows £lO to £l2 10s, light cows £8 to £9 10s, rough cows £5 12s 6d to £7 10s. Vealers. —There was a particularly short entry. . Anything for killing sold readily at high prices. Runners made to £B, good vealers £6 to £7, medium £4 10s to £5 15s, good calves £3 to £4 ss, small 25s to £2 ss. Pat Pigs.—Baconers improved in price, but porkers and choppers were weaker. Choppers made £3 to £6 10s, light baconers £5 to £5 10s, heavy £6 to £7, extra heavy to £7 18s. The average price per lb was 9£d to lOd. Light porkers made 48s to 555, heavy 60s to 725. The average price per lb was B§d to 9*d. NITRATE OF SODA AND PASTURE TOP-DRESSING. The Fields ■tvision of the Department of Agriculture gives the following on the above subject to a correspondent, through the N.Z .Journal of Agriculture: Nitrate of soda as a top-dressing will give an increased bulk of pasture, but at the expense of the available phosphates and potash in the soil. The nitrogen-supply is best maintained on a pasture and soil such as you mention by the use of phosphates and lime, which promote the growth of : clovers and -also create the most suitable condition for soil bacteria, both of which are able to make available for plants nitrogen in the form of nitrates. Again the frequent use of the chain harrows, by spreading animal-man-ure containing large supplies of nitrogen, reduces the necessity for using high-priced artificial nitrogenous manures. Chain-har-rowing also allows the air' necessary to bacterial life to enter the soil. These bacteria also require lime and phosphate. Some are able to take nitrogen from the air and make it available to plants, and others make the nitrogen on dead vegetation and animaldroppings available while others living on the roots of clovers get nitrogen from the air and pass it on to the pasture plants. An application of 4cwt to scwt of lime every three to four years,, and am annual top-dress-ing of 2£ to 3 cwt per acre of superphosphate or basic super will give best results. Kainit, at the rate of 1 to 2cwt per acre, or £cwt of sulphate of potash, may. be used profitably on such soils every, few years.

UTILISING GAS LIME. "When tlys waste, product can be obtained at a low price and applied without very "heavy cost of transport, it can be put to profitable use, especially on stiff clay soils. When fresh, it contains a considerable proportion of sulphide of lime which is of a character poisonous to plants, but when exposed to the action of the air, this poisonous element passes away as it absorbs atmospheric oxygen, and thus loses its dangerous nature. It should be put on the land in autumn or winter and then becomes innocuous before a crop is sown in spring a dressing of Ito 2 tons can be applied with good effect. ; In addition to its value as lime, it is an insecticide. Mixed with earth and waste vegetable refuse, it forms good compost.