For Breeder and Dealer

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 98, 16 July 1927, Page 27

For Breeder and Dealer

Sydney Stud Sheep Sales. —The stud sheep sales at Sydney concluded I#,st week. There were 2,814 sheep sold, which realised £53,324.

Low Poverty Bay Cattle Prices.— Cattle don't make big prices in the Poverty Bay district. A recent report reads: “One extra prime heifer made £2 10s.” A similar beast at Westfield would bring about £B.

Poverty Bay Graziers Want Stores. — A keen demand has set in for store sheep in the Poverty Bay and East

Coast districts, due no doubt to a min&t flush of feed. Prices have hardened considerably; s.m. ewes made up to 22s 6d, m.s. hoggets up to 17s 6d.

Increased Sheep Figures.—A return in the Gazette shows that the number of sheep in New Zealand on April 30 was 25,'372,374, an increase of 467,381 on the return for 1926. Of the total this year 13,882,850 sheep are in the North Island and 11,489,524 in the South Island.

Demand for Vealers in the South.— Vealers make big prices at Addington. The offering this week was mixed, and there were not sufficient good calves forward to meet the requirements of butchers. For all killable calves the demand was keen, and they sold at an advance on late rates. Values were: Twelve to 18 months calves, to £7 10s. Good vealers, £5 5s to £6 ss: medium vealers, £3 10s to £ 4 15s; others, 10s to 30s.

Dairy Cows Wanted in the Waikato. —Good dairy cattle close to profit are still in good demand in the Waikato and nearer Auckland. At Pukekohe on Thursday Buckland and Sons, Ltd., offered a restricted yarding of all classes of stock on a firm market. Pigs and beef cattle sold well up to late Westfield rates. Best dairy cows, close to profit, made to £l6. Similar heifers made from £ll 10s to £l4 10s. Backward springers were not wanted.

Queensland Sheep Figures.—Figures issued recently by the registrar-gen-eral show that in Queensland on January 1 last were nearly 4,000,000 fewer than in the beginning of the previous year. There has been no abatement in the drought since, and it is probable that the losses now amount to 6,000,000 or 7,000,000 sheep. The quantity of wool for market next season is estimated at 320,000 bales.

Signs of Lime Deficiency.—Lime deficiency in a soil is generally accompanied by the growth of certain plants such as spurrey, corn marigold, bent grass and bracken, while inability to grow good crops of clover, lucerne and barley is generally due to similar deficiency. Certain conditions of crops and stock also indicate lime deficiency. A notable example is, of course, the prevalence of “finger-and-toe” disease in swedes and turnips.

Matamata Stock Values.—-A good demand exists for dairy cattle in the Matamata district, though prices are not on a par with nearer Auckland values. Medium sorts of dairy cows in open sale bring from £6 5s to £7 10s; choice Jersey heifers, £lO 5s to £l2; later calvers, £7 to £9 ss; backward sorts, £5 5s to £6; good quality weaner Jersey heifers make to £5. Few good quality cows or heifers came fordward to the ordinary stock sales.

Big Hawke's Bay Killings.—Despite the fact that Hawke’s Bay killing season for 1926-27 started with a strike, three works operating there handled 1,012,000 sheep and lambs. Of these three, despite labour troubles, Whakatu easily headed the list with an output of 432,000 sheen, while Tomoana was next with an output of 380,000 and 200,000 passed through the Paki Paki works. The carcases, at 60 to the ton, would weigh 21,666 tons, and the sheep, six abreast, heads to tails, would reach from Napier to Woodville.

Addington Market Reviewed.—There was fat stock in plenty at the Addington market this week, and the sales were quite good ones from the point of view of the vendor. Fat cattle were very little better, but values held up well. The store sheep sale was a very fair one with a good demand for the better classes. All lines of wethers brought good values and the ewes which had youth on their side made good money. Although hoggets did not sell quite so well as was the case a week ago, when the sale commenced the competition livened up and there was a spirited demand later.

Swine Fever in Tasmania!—Swine fever has broken out in Southern Tasmania, its presence having been detected in two places. “It is a mild outbreak,” said the chief veterinary officer, Mr. T. Pliilp. “and if immediate steps are taken to prevent the removal of swine in certain areas there is every hope of preventing its further extension. It will be necessary to obtain a permit before swine can be removed from certain areHs, and the slaughter of swine within certain areas will be prohibited except under the supervision of a veterinary officer or an inspector of stock.”

Hawke’s Bay Values.—A small yarding of sheep and cattle came forward to a keen attendance of buyers, especially for store cattle, at'the Waipukurau sale this week. The following is a range of prices realised: Fat bullocks, £7 6s. £7 7s, £9 ssfat cows, £3 18s 6d, £4 9s 6d, £5 18s to £6 Is; two P.A. steers, £5 ISs 6d: two Hereford steers, £5 15s to £ 5 17s; Jersey cross heifers, r.w. Jersey bull’, £5 15s to £7 ss; two-year P.A. heifers, £3 14s; fat ewes, very heavy, £1 8s; others, 15s lOd to £1; fat wethers, 26s 6d; fat hoggets, ve: - heavy, 14s; others, 19s; five-year ewes, r.w. S.D. rams, 20s 8d to 22s 6d; four and fiveyear heavy skin ewes, r.w. English Leicester rams, 20s 6d; ewe hoggets, medium, 17s Id; two-tooth ewes, medium, r.w. Romney rams, 255; twotooth wethers, 23s sd. Devastating Drought Effects in South Africa.—Details of a devastating drought in portions of Karroo, the principal slieepbr.eeding country of South Africa, which has compelled many farmers to abandon their holdings and to search for fresh pastures, were given by* Mr. Charles Eustace, a South African woolgrower, who is travelling on the Ballarat, states the “Australasian.” Air. Eustace referred also to the opening of an immense tract of new sheep country which was previously regarded as useless desert. He said that some beautiful homes had been left empty in the Karroo, and a person could travel for days without seeing any sheep, where there were thousands before the drought. Some of the leading sheepbreeders liad bought land in what was formerly German South-West Africa, where they hoped to engage in breeding and woolgrowing on a large scale, and to adopt methods similar to those used in Australia. In the south the country was very arid, but the natural vegetation was drought-proof, and had great food value for sheep.