On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 30 October 1913, Page 59

On the Land

GENERAL. A Lake County runholder expects that the lambing on his property this season will exceed 130 per cent. This figure, if realised, will establish a record for the district. During the past 12 months 1200 people visited the Moumahaki Experiment Farm. Plant-breeding experiments with cocksfoot and prairie grass are now being carried out at the farm, and good results are anticipated. Silver beet for fodder purposes is coming in favor in the Ashburton County, and Mr. Frank Pawson, of Anama, is this year sowing 20 acres. Mr. Pawson states that he previously experimented with this fodder, and, though the conditions were not at all favorable, he obtained very good results. One morning recently a poultry-keeper at Kirwee was astonished to fine 12 dead fowls lying scattered about his poultry yard. A weasel was suspected as the culprit. About midday a disturbance in the fowl yard caused the owner to investigate, when a large ferret was observed chasing the fowls. Of 316,857 cwt of butter exported from the Dominion last year, 42,461cwfc went to Canada, 6557 cwt to Natal, 4334 cwt to Cape of Good Hope, 3015 cwt to the United States, 1714 cwt to New South Wales, and 1152 cwt to the Society Islands. Of 577,070 cwt of cheese exported, Natal took 1650 cwt, Cape of Good Hope 995 cwt, New South Wales 758 cwt, and Victoria 595 cwt. Rabbitskins to the value of £118,234 were exported from the Dominion last year, as compared with £138,952 in the year 1893. In • the latter year 17,041,106 skins were exported, "as compared with 8,937,035 last year. There was a steady falling off in the number of skins exported between the years 1896 and 1907; the former year showed an export of 10,828,612 skins, and the latter year only 5,513,900 skins. Since/then the figures have steadily risen, owing to the. vigorous enforcement of the law for the de-struction.-of ' bunny,' and partly to the higher prices ruling. In replying to Mr. Okey in the House of Representatives last week the Prime Minister stated: ' Reports regarding the practice which seems to have obtained in Canada of adding water to New Zealand butter having reached the Government, its agent in Vancouver was authorised in March to obtain legal advice and to take proceedings if the circumstances warranted. In the meantime, however, the Canadian Government brought two prosecutions, and fines were inflicted on the offenders. The New Zealand agent was then instructed to keep the matter in view and to prosecute if a case could be obtained. The Canadian Government is now being asked not to allow its officers to relax their vigilance.' At Addington last week there was an average yarding of stock and a fair attendance. Fat cattle showed no change in price. Store sheep were firmlyheld and several lots were passed. Fat lambs were easier in consequence of a larger yarding. Fat sheep opened well, but the sale was irregular. Fat pigs showed a decline in prices. Best lambs made 18s to 21s 6d; others, 16s to 17s 6d. Extra prime woolly wethers made to 355; prime, 25s 6d to 29s 9d; others, 22s to 255; prime shorn wethers, 19s 6d to 22s 9d ; C others, 16s 3d to 19s; woolly ewes, 21s lOd to 29s 6d; shorn ewes, 16s 3d to 22s 6d; woolly hoggets, 23swoolly merino wethers, 21s 4d to 23s 7d. Fat cattle' Steers made £9 to £l2; extra, to £l9 ss; heifers, £6 ssto £9 ss; cows, £5 10s to £9; extra, to £l2 10s Fat pigs: Choppers made £3 to £4 15s; heavy baconers, £3 5s to £3 13s; extra, to £4; others, £2 12s to £3— these prices being equivalent to sid to sfd per lb, against 6d to 6|d a week earlier. Heavy porkers made £2 5s to £2 9s; lighter, £1 18s to £2 2s. Large stores made 38s to 455; medium, 28s to 375; and small sorts,

18s to 275. Weaners made from 10s 6d for small sorts, to 18s 6d for very good pigs. T

-.-... At Burnside last week there were only medium entries in all departments. The fat cattle forward totalled 164. Price were easier at the beoinnino of the sale, but hardened considerably "towards the finish. There were some heavy-weight bullocks forward, and the majority were well finished cattle. Quotations: Best bullocks, £l2 to £l3 10s; extra heavy, to £l9 7s 6d; good, £lO 10s to £ll 15s; light, £8 10s to £9 10s; best cows and heifers, £9 10s to £11; extra, to £l2 2s 6d; good, £8 to £9; light, £6 10s to £7 15s. Fat sheep: 1942 were penned, the yarding consisting of medium to good quality, with a few pens of heavy sheep. Owing to the small number forward, bidding, was brisk, and prices all round were firm at late rates. Best wethers brought from 26s 6d to 28s 6d; extra, to 335; good, 23s 6d to 255; light, 21s to 22s 9d; best ewes, 24s 6d to 265; extra good, to 27s 6d; medium,. 22s 6d to 23s 6d; light, 20s to 21s. There were 81 fat lambs forward. Prices showed a drop of Is 6d to 2s per head. Quotations: Best.lambs," 17s 6d to 18s' 9d, extra to 23s 3d, others 14s 6d to 16s. About 160 pigs were penned, including some fine lines of baconers. . Prices ruled about last week's rates. Competition was brisk for suckers and slips. Suckers, 20s to 24s 6d; slips, to 295; stores, 30s to 37s 6d; porkers, 42s to 495; light baconers, 54s to 635; heavy baconers, to 745; choppers, to 97s 6d. THE QUESTION OF MANURING: x A question raised by a correspondent (says the Leader) suggests that it is by no means an uncommon impression that cultivated land is more subject to exhaustion from cropping than pasture land from grazing. The ordinary belief is that two, or at most three, white crops in succession exhaust the field, and to lorget that a cow yielding 600 gallons of milk over the seven best milking months removes 121 b of phosphoric acid from an acre of land, besides what she stores up in the body of her unborn calf. Such a cow removes at least 151 b of phosphoric acid from the land on which she grazes every year. It is fairly evident that in four years a cow will remove quite as much phosphoric acid from an acre of land as if removed by grain growing. What would be thought of a farmer who never manured his cultivated land? And yet it is quite as reasonable to deplete grass land by selling milk, if the phosphoric acid is not restored by applications of phosphate of lime. The consequences of this policy are easily seen in the presence of sour, coarse grasses, which not even hunger will induce stock to eat; in the absence of clovers, and in the prevalence of all kinds of weeds. Experience by practical farmers of the effects of phosphates on coarse grass have been gained by leaving one land unmanured in a field that was top-dressed with phosphates, which land was conspicuous during the whole of the next season from its being absolutely neglected by cattle. The stock grazed all the remainder of the field closely, but this part was left rank with coarse herbage, which nothing would touch. The remarkable appearance of clover which follows closely upon 'phosphatic manuring of pastures is only to be accounted for by the stimulus which phosphatic manures gives to this class of plants. White clover throws out suckers and is of a creeping nature. That the plant existed in a weak and sparse condition previously cannot be doubted, but a dressing of phosphate of lime causes unwonted development and vigorous growth of both white clover and other legumnious plants. •