STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Bi Dbotks.

Weekly Sttrk Sales : Burnside, Wednesdays A*hburt«B, Tuesdays A dainctoß, Wednesdays Fertn ighlli/ : Bakliitba, Fridays (jore. Tuehditjs Oaniniu, Tuesdays

rortn'qhUi/ ■ InvercargiU, Tuesil iys Monthly : Clinton, FalnnpretrtrWintop, and Waikcuaiti. Pn iodically: Heriot, Kel&c and Kyebura.

There is an artne demand for prirro lirrius for export, but mutton rather dull. Tjunib^ fit for expoit are scarce in Cantorbury, vitore lambs in forward condition aie \ery saleable, also breeding ewes. All backward stock is dull of sale. The continued dry weather is making farmers afraid to increase their stock at present. A few good showers of rain coming at once would, I think, put a different complexion on matters, as feed in most parts south of Balchitha is not too far gone yet vo recover.

' The London maiket continues dull. The follow ing from Weddel and Co., under date Januaiy 3. shows that heavy supplies from Australia and Aigennne of lamb and i mutton is the mam cause for the state of the maiket : I ifUTTON. | Xew Zealand — Arrivals amount to 7324 car 1 cases As usual at this season of the year : ! the general demand for mutton has been very ! dragging but in consequence of only light • j importations fiom New Zealand, and <>s ! stocks in store are moderate, sales have not I been pressed, and values remain without , change. Realisations of the bulk of piesent offerings are prejudiced by the more or less stale condition of the carcases through long i storage, and freshly arrived parcels enjoy a decided prefeience. Prime Canterbury sheep, 481b to 561b, are quoted at 4d per lb , 56 ; b to 611b at 3Jd per lb, and heavier weights at 3\d and 3Jd per lb Southland and best brands of North Island sheep realise 3jd and 3Jd for small and 1 medium weights, heavy carcases and secondary quality being offered iat 3Jd and 3Jd per lb Ewes are relatively I scarce, and are quoted at 3d and 3Jd. | Australian — Receipts total 55 4-23 carca=es I No improvement can be reported m this i blanch ot the trade AUhough the supplies j accepted for River Plate sheep prevents any ) progiess being made- with sales of Australians, even at 2^d per lb for small andl medium we ef ts and 2Jd per lb fcr large carcases. Ei\er Plate — Importations aggregate 178,369 carcases. There is only a very limited inquiry, and as supplies are a full average the maiket is not strong at last quotations Choice small sheep are offeied at 3d and 3Jd per lb, medium weights at 3d per lb, and heavy carcases at 2ld per lb. LAIIBS. Arrivals amount to 341.725 carca=«s from Australia. 727 carcases from New Zealand, and 3950 carcases from the River Plate. The ' Christmas demand for prime beef, poultry, ' etc., checked the output of lambs, but sub-e- ' quently there has been some revival in the inquiry for both New Zealand and Austiahan lambs. There is a limited demand for Canterbury lambs from those buyers who always use a few of that description, and prices ai c firm in view of the diminishing stocks in store, -while supplies will not be replenished , until the beginning of February. The higher prices demanded for fresh-killed muttor have 1 created a slightly better inquiry fo 'the I heavier grades of lamb, but not sufficient to aftVt prices Prime Canterbury lambs are j quoted at 5Jd for under 361b. 5\A for 361b to I 4-2ib. and 5d for 421b to 501b Southland lambs are offered at Id per lb below Canter- j bury prices. Australian lambs are now arriving in excessively heavy quantities, and importers ar* anxious to sell as promptly as possible, particulaily in the cp.se of plain and secondary lambs The small proportion of good quality lambs are readily saleabV at a substantial premium. Prime lambs of all weights are steady at 4Jd and scl, secondary quality is quiet at 4id and 4*d. and inferior lambs are weak at 3JJ and 4£d per lb. BEEF Frozen — Arrivals cons'st of 103 quarters j from New Zealand, 4652 quarters from Aus- ' tiaha. and 84 649 quarters from the River Plate Tiiers was little or no inquiry for frozen beef prior to Christmas but s"ub»eI qtiently there has been some revival in the j demand for forequ.irters, assisted by the I present spell of ce'd weather The sale of lnndquartero has been difficult throughout, and tLe tendency of prices is easier. Chilled — 35.872 quarters have been received from the River Plate The supply of this description is in excess oX current requirements, but in spite of the somewhat indifferent qua'ity and condition of a proportion of marketings values have improved slightly ia sympathy with North American chilled beef. The conference arranged by the National Dairy A a socic>tion, hold on January 31. was in interes.nifr one, and the attendance was good. Mr M'CoII, of Seaward Downs, and others made a powerful appoal for moie adequate support to the National Dairy Association. It X gratifying to find that his remarks were well received Mr M'Cull and others imparted a good deal of i'lformation as to the good work done by thi-5 association for the benefit of the members and the whole dairy industry. At the annual meeting I hope these gentlemen w ill brinfr thrse matters forward again, for I am cnrt.iin that, much as the association has done in the past, its usefulness could be much extended to the benefit of all ;f factory directors would co-operate and arcord it further support. As Mr Scott (the secretary) said, the association ha,s not been at any time a heavy tax on the factories. The aggregate subscriptions from Canterbury. Otago, and Southland amount to only £200. and this amount it greater than in past year". Mr Singleton gave a most interesting address, in which he detai'ed some of the things he had | learnt on his visit to Canada and Great t Britain. Mr Singleton said he was impressed with the fact that Scotch cheese lcalisod more than Canadian, and he determined to find out why. He examined Scotch cheese and Scotch methods, and was quite sure that the cheese was worth more than any imported cheese. He found that its clean flavour after long keeping was mainly, if not wholly, due to the manner and conditions under which, the cows were milked. We sometimes hear people grumble at the large amount of money spent by our Agricultural Department, on the dairy industry in the way of instruction and grading. From what Mr *" vi dntai «aid, it would appear we &r«

aa vet doing little compni nl to vvluit f'anad* and other countries aio ilnin° m the way of education and inspeciinn, with the object of improving the quality of agricultural products and increasing oui exports. It is satisfactory to know that the present Minister of Agriculture is thoroughly irapiessprl with the fact t'lat the Government must do a great deal n-ore than has been done in the past, and if he has his way the Agricultural Department m Xew Zealand will ere long have in operation a >v*teni of agricultural ethic vtion in all it? bi\mehe« equa 1 to the n">o--t up-to-date country in the world. We need this if we are to hold our own in thp world's markets and compete with countries well equipped in every respect for the struggle. There are. after all. only two really natural industries in Xew Zealand, and theso are the great aoricu'tiiral and pastoral industries. On these, with mining, Xew Zealand must live, and pay her debts uKo. Mr Singleton on his visit to his homo m Canada, after five years' absence. ;ioticv<l that great improvements in the dairy 11 - dustry had been effected even during tlm time. Their factories wore better, and thov pay more attention than we do to the cjxialit^ of i'io milk ivippKecl and to in-st^-uc-tion. He described what the C«\nadi<iu Government are doina; in this respect, in the way of agricultural colleges, and in otho. May. In Ontario alone (here aie 1400 factories, and these are divided into groups of eight to ten, and to each of these gioiips an iubtructoi is allotted. Ho spends four or five days in the week traveling amonif the factories in his group. This brings t'io instructor into intimate touch with lua factories. There was much mor^ Government instruction given in Canada than in Xew Zealand. Mr Singleton says that Xew Zealand makers could manufacture cheese as good as that made in Scotland if Ihe in ilk supply was of the same qual't.y. Buyers in England admitted that the make and tenure of New Zealand cheese was even finer. What impressed him at tho farms where the Scotch cheese wa9 marie was the scrupulous cleanliness in tho milking- and the surroundings, a liberal and prettj constant use of the whitewash hrusb in the byros being" one of their methods. Afte" all he had spoil his opinion was that the Xew Zealand dairymen vrera deficient in care rather than in knowledge. If makers in Xew Zealand wore given the best milk they could make the best cheese, and it rested with farmers to help the factory managers in tins respect, and influence suppliers to attend to this as a main point.

Both Mr Singleton and Mr Sawera

Tamed factories that some of them were lipping cheese far too green. They said hey had seen chee6e being shipped only 'our days old, it having been cased one ay out of the hoops. Mr Singleton, from is experience of New Zealand cheese at Come, endorsed Mr Sawers's view that nis was a very bad practice, for the cheese iad no time to get a rind on it, and it ecame soft and rotted on the outside, and ' »nded mouldy and soft — so much so that feme merohants thought the stea-neis had Jamaged the cheese in transit. This was sot «o. Mr Singleton could see the cheese had been shipped too green. Mr Sawers in his remarks regretted that > lot of winter-made cheese had been Jhipped Home, going as third grade be.iause of its bad turnipy flavour. Mr J. R. Scott said this turnipy cheese }iad damaged the local market, and the Jonsumption of cheese had very much lessened locally in consequence of the poor quality on the market. Some of the members were indignant that such cheese ihould be exported to spoil their London Trade and their brands. Mr Scott contended Vhat factories should not make such stuff. .He tod the meeting that Canadians would Jiot allow turnipy milk or turnip-fed milk Inside a factory door, and had not done for years. They had found that turnipy cheese did not pay in the long run, and Southland factories we.-c ateo going to find ft did not pay also in the near future. Se strongly advocated a substitute for irnips where milk was supplied to factories, and said that Southland could grow >ueh substitutes if they tried, a thing they really never had done vet. They lrul better set about doing so soon. He pointed out that in past years we had shipped to London only up to end of March outputs, while Tast year we had shipped April and May Dutputs, and even then sonis 2000 or 3000 tas*js of this winter cheese had to be )hipped Home to clear the market, a* it ,<ould not be consumed locally. Now. in Southland the cows are on turnips in April, and in the future all April and May makes of cheese would have to go to London, as the total make in the colony had increased so much— nearly double what it was two fears ago. The grading of the cheese at the Bluff was veiv interesting to the manageis who attended, and both Mr Singleton and Mr Sawers were much pleased the large tttendance of managers and the interest they always showed in the grader's a nd in=tructoi's work. The Kaikoura sailed on February 13 from Wellington with 27,078 boves buffer and 14,105 cases cheese. Six thou^ajid cases ;heese and about 4500 bo.xes butter were uom the South Island; the cheese, about WOO from the Bluff and 1500 fiom Dunedin.