ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, 22 September 1921, Page 43

ON THE LAND

MARKET REPORTS. At Burnside last week a medium yarding of fat cattle came forward for sale, 214 being penned. The sale opened below the previous week’s rates, and showed no improvement at the end of the day. Prices compared with the preceding week were back fully 15s per head. Extra prime heavy-weight bullocks from £lB 2s 6d to £l9, prime buh locks £l6 5s to £l7 17s 6d, medium £l4 to £ls 15s, others 10s upwards, best cows and heifers £ll 7s 6d to £l2 17s 6d, medium £9 2s 6d to £lO 10s, lighter kinds £8 upwards. Eat Sheep. Another full yarding of sheep came forward, 3260 being penned, which included several pens of hoggets. Competition was lifeless throughout the sale, and prices showed another decline. Prime heavy-weight wethers were back 2s at least, others from Is to Is 6d. .The few ewes that were yarded also suffered a decline, and these may be quoted back Is compared with last sale. Extra prime heavy-weight wethers made from 26s to 27s 3d, prime wethers 22s 6d to 25s 9d, medium 17s 9d to 21s 6d, lighter kinds 16s upwards, prime ewes 18s 3d to 21s, medium 16s 3d to 18s, others 11s upwards, prime hoggets to 18s 3d, medium 12s to 13s 6d, others 9s upwards. Pigs medium yarding, composed of various sorts. All were sold under keen competition. Prices on the whole were a shade dearer, being about Id per lb above previous week’s rates. Best baconers realised from B£d to 9£d per lb, and best-porkers from 9d to 9!|d per lb. -

' The yardings at Addington market were again large, and there was a slight lowering of both beef and mutton values. There was no freezing competition for mutton. Fat Sheep.—An over-supply. Values were Is to Is 6d easier, and a good proportion of wether mutton was sold at equal to 3d per lb. Extra prime wethers 22s 6d to 25s 6d, prime 17s 9d to 21s 6d, medium 15s 6d to 17s 6d, light and unfinished 13s to 15s 3d, prime ewes to 225, medium 12s 9d to 14s 9d, inferior 9s 6d to 12s 3d, prime hoggets 14s 6d to 245, ordinary 9s 6d to 14s 3d. Spring. Lambs.—. — Sixty were forward, and sold at from 20s to 335. Fat Cattle. The quality was not so good. The market opened at the previous week's rates, but fell away towards the close, values being down 15s to 20s a head for secondary beef. Extra prime bullocks £lB 15s to £2l, prime £l4 10s to £lB 10s, medium £lO 5s to £l4 ss, light and unfinished £6 to £9 10s, extra prime heifers to £l3 ss, prime £9 10s to £ll 15s, ordinary £5 to £8 10s, ordinary cows £5 to £B. Vealers.— small entry of indifferent quality. "Runners up to £5 lis, good vealers £3 7s 6d to £4 15s, medium £2 8s to £3, small calves 5s to £2 2s 6d. Fat Pigs.—The activity of the last few sales was scarcely maintained. Choppers brought from £5 to £7, light baconers £4 15s to £5 ss, heavy £5 15s to £6 10s (an average price per lb of 9d), light porkers £3 to £3 10s, heavy £3 15s to £4 9s (an average price per lb of IOJd to 10|d).

Messrs. Donald Reid and Co. report as follows on the recent sale of rabbitskins, etc., when large catalogues were submitted by the various selling brokers: —There was a full attendance of buyers, and bidding was very spirited throughout. Prices showed a sharp advance on previous sale, full winters and incomings.being most sought after, and these classes were from 8d to 9d per lb higher. All other descriptions of skins appreciated in value and showed a corresponding advance on the preceding sale's prices. Quotations: —Super winter does 85d to 88d, first winter does 74d to 80d, second winter does 65d to 70d, super winter bucks 70d to 78£d, first winter bucks 69d to 73|d, second winter bucks 64d to 68d, incoming winters 57d to 60d, autumns 48d to 553;d, early autumns 35d tq 44d, outgoing winters to 48|d, prime racks 14d to 16Jd, light racks lOdto ll£d, summers B|d to lOd, runners 3d to 3£d, prime winter black IOOd to 112 d, winter black 80d to 98d, autumn black 30d to 46d, winter fawn 45d to 52£d, broken 20d to 28£d, hares 15d to 19d, horsehair 15d to 20£d. >

~ GRASS LAND IMPROVEMENT. Harrowing is but one incident in the proper management of grazing lands (says the Farmers’ Union Advocate,

quoting an authority). Stocking is very important. Horses 1 are the most uneven grazers, wth the. result that in time a pasture much used by them becomes very' unequal in character. The coarser parts should be well harrowed, the harrows going over several times if necessary, Most pastures will stand it and knit together into superior condition afterwards, though severe frost may cause , damage if it follows the treatment swiftly. Some farmers have a rotation of their fields for their horses, 'and though this may not be as convenient as turning them into pastures nearest the steading, it is an advantage in the long run. The ideal order of stocking is held generally to be cattle first, then horses and finally sheep. Grazing varies enormously, some districts have cattle and sheep running together— this has been shown to give approximately twice as much live weight per acre as by grazing sheep alone— in other parts only sheep are seen. The roughest grazing may only support mountain sheep and ponies. Harrowing will pay on all but the roughest, complementing, as it does, the trampling of the grazing season. Manuring is' of equal importance. Emphasis has already .been laid on the power of the harrows to bring the manures directly to the soil and the roots of the plants. Where much dead matter exists manurial dress- ' ings, of the character which have generally proved best for pasture, are apt, on sfoping ground, to be removed by surface drainage before ever they reach the soil; This is a point worth keeping in mind as a probable explanation of alleged failures of these manures. With regard to drainage, it is not claimed that, where it is necessary, arty other treatment will prove as effective, but at the same time, if the water can be got away to an appreciable extent by opening up the surface “mat,” improvement will be noticeable and the growing season extended. The harrows will reduce the number of weeds and frequently the proportion of poorer grasses, thus making room for clover and grasses of higher feeding value. Thistles are an exception to this. The pulling effect on certain weeds weakens them, and exposure to sun and wind will often finish them off. Jt might be said that if the harrowing is bad for them it will be equally bad for clover. Experience, however,' does not bear this out. * The clover commonly found is the white variety and is of a creeping nature. In other words, roots keep appearing at points on its stems, and by this means the plant is for ever anchoring itself down somewhere, and each point at which this happens becomes the potential centre of another colony of clover plants. The characteristic is common to other members of the same family. As stated above, perennial ryegrass is found in association with clover, the two appear to thrive under heavy trampling, but equally, observation shows, they benefit by harrowing. "