ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, 24 November 1921, Page 43

ON THE LAND

J2®.V'-",' "•"' MARKET REPORTS. ..,,...;-;; '. . : At : Burnside last . week 287 ; head : of fat cattle : were yarded. The entry included a proportion of well-finished trucked cattle, but as the number was in excess of re--quirements, the market opened at. 20s per head under the previous week's prices, and there was [ little variation throughout the sale. Quotations: —Extra prime bullocks to £l7, prime £l3 to £ls, medium £lO 10s to £l2 10s, light and unfinished from £6 10s, extra prime cows and heifers to £lO, prime to £8 10s, medium £6 to £B, light and aged from £5. Fat Sheep.—2677 were penned. , A fair yarding of good quality sheep, with a fair proportion of light and unfinished ewes and wethers. The number would have been easily absorbed, but butchers held supplies from the week before, consequently the sale was drag eing. Prices were no better than the preceding week's; in If act, there was a decided drop in parts of the sale. Quotations: —Woolly sheep, prime 22s to 24s 9d, medium 18s to 21s 6d, light and unfinished from 16s, extra prime ewes to 22s'9d, prime 16s to 18s 6d, medium 14s to 15s 6d, light and aged from 10s. Shorn sheep, prime 20s to 21s 3d. (wethers); medium 17s 6d to 19s, light from 15s, prime ~ ewes 15s to 16s 6d, medium 14s 6d to 15s 6d, light from •12s 6d. Fat Lambs.— were penned. The quality in most cases was good and the sale, from start to finish was much brisker than the previous week's. All over prices were from Is 6d to 2s better than the previous sale. Prices ranged from 16s to 29s 3d. .Pigs.—A large yarding, all classes being well represented. The increase in values obtained on the preceding week was not maintained,; prices receding to the level of those which ruled two weeks ago. ■

Best : baconers realised from 7Jd to 8d per lb, and best porkers from 8d to 8-id. per lb.

, At'Addington market last week there was a particularly big yarding of all classes of stock, and in consequence there -was - a general easing in values, beef, mutton, ■:,. lamb,: and dairy cattle being affected, ; Lambs. The market was jyeasier and values were down about 3s or 4s per head. Extra prime lambs:,23s to 28s, prime 19s 9d to 22s 9d, medium

17s 3d to 19s Od, small 13s 6d to 17,5. Fat Sheep.—A big yarding, much in excess of butchers’ requirements. , Values were down about 3s to 3s 6d per. head. Extra prime woolly wethers 25s to 29s 7d, extra, prime shorn wethers 21s 6d to 24s 9d, prime ; woolly wethers 21s to 24s 6d, prime shorn wethers- 18s to , 21s, medium woolly wethers 18s to 21s, medium shorn wethers 15s to 17s 9d, inferior wethers 11s t0,14s 9d, prime woolly ewes 19s to 22s 7d, prime shorn ewes 17s, to 205,/ medium woolly ewes l6s to 18s 9d, medium shorn ewes 13s 9d to 15s 9d, inferior woolly ewes 12s to :13s 9d, inferior shorn ewes lOs 6d to 13s 3d. Fat Cattle.— A further drop ..of 25s to 30s. per head. Primest beef sold at up to 35s per 1001 b, but the bulk sold about 30s to 32s 6d, secondary to 255. A fair ‘proportion of the yarding was/.passed.. ./ Extra prime bullocks to £l7 7s 6d, prime £l3 2s 6d to £l6 10s, medium £lO to £l2 15s, light and unfinished' £6 10s to £9 10s, prime heifers £8 15s to £ll 12s 6d, ordinary £6 10s. to £8 10s, extra prime cows to

£l2 ss, prime £6 10s to, £lO 10s, ordinary £3 10s. to £6 7s j6d. Vealers. —Values were easier. Prime, up to - £5, good vealers £3 to £3 10s, medium £2 to £2.17s 6d, good calves up toy27s 6d„ small, 6s ; to' 20s. Fat Pigs A good entry . and /a fair demand. Choppers £2 10s to £5? light -haebners £3 15s to £4 ss, heavy £4 10s to £4 15s, extra heavy; £5 to £5 -8s (average price per lb, 7d), light porkers £2.dos to £2 17s 6d, heavy £3 r to £3 10s (average price per lb, 9d). .. . ; * ■/

Messrs. Donald Reid and Co., report as follows on the, fortnightly sale of rabbitskins, .- etc., held on last Monday, when medium-sized catalogues were submitted: —There was a full attendance of buyers, an except for super does and bucks, which advanced Id to 2d per lb, prices ruling were -on) a par. with those obtained at s the % previous sale. Quotations :—Runners, and suckers 2d to to"18d, light 10d' to 12d, prime racks 14<1 to * 19£d, j early : autumns^l7d to- 82|d^win1^tbueks-^nrst% 67d £ to 72fd, sup-ei- 72id" to 79d, winter) does—first 72d to 88d, super 88d to 96d, springs 20" d to 25|d, milky 14 \d,\ blacks—first'

winter 70d to 88d, second * winter * 36£d to 48d, hareskins to-27fd,' horsehair 17-d to 18fd. - { ■■ * ; '" ' ' IRISH BLIGHT IN POTATOES; *•' ;., ,[%\ •,''r : Irish. blight is a hardy perennial of the f fungoid order, which appears to depend upon certain seasonal conditions for its spread, but one which yields to effective spraying. Its' presence in Australia (says the writer of farming notes in the Melbourne : Advocate) was graced to imported seed, and as one can ■• never be positive '.of its absence * on; seed tubers, the simple precaution of dipping the uncut 1 tubers for some hours in a formalin solution (lib in 30 gallons of water) is so effective that I hope my readers will 1 adopt this practice, notwithstanding complete , immunity in the past from this or other diseases. Here arises the advisability of using seed grown outside your own district. Common sense must decide the issue. Provided i the. yields on your farm are satisfactory, no need arises for the purchase or exchange of seed from another district, unless, of course, it is free;, from blight or other diseases. I believe in sticking to a good thing when you get it. The potato you know is better than the potato you don't know. Again, I favor changing the seed at times,' as potatoes do become soil sick. The only other alternative to this is rotation in cropping, and not returning seed sets to the same paddock from which they are dug annually. Whilst you may avoid sowing infected seed, you may not escape a visitation from the fungus when the foliage is above ground, so we will consider suitable sprays. When potato leaves show brown spots, surrounded by a delicate mould on the under surface, tending later to blacken and decay, blight may reasonably be suspected; In some localities, the leaves simply discolor and shrivel, suggesting a black frost. Two things to remember are: —(1) The fungus responsible is produced from spores, and if these spores are killed before they have time to germinate, and spraying is repeated two weeks later, the disease will be nipped in the bud. (2) If the spores have germinated, and have reached the interior of the plant, or have fallen on the surrounding soil, it is too late to rectify. Sprays: —(1) 61bs bluestone, 41bs fresh quicklime, 50 gallons water. Dissolve crystals in a wooden tub in (five gallons of warm water, and then add 20 gallons water. Slake the lime in another vessel by covering with a little hot water; when swollen, add 25 gallons water. Pour both solutions into the spraying machine, agitate, and apply with force with, a fine spray, reaching the plant at all angles. (2) Bluestone crystals 3ilbs, limewater 43 gallons, water 7 gallons, making a total of 50 gallons of solution. . Place 31bs quicklime in a hessian bag and suspend in a vat containing 43 gallons of water for 12 hours. Dissolve the crystals in a small quantity of water, pour on the 43 gallons limewater, add 7 more gallons fresh water, agitate and use. (3) Bluestone 61bs, washing soda Tibs, 1 water "'■ 50 gallons. Dissolve two lots of crystals in separate vessels, : mix, and add water. If Jib of Paris green is added to the liquid 'in the spray tank prior to tise, many grubs will also be

destroyed. The blight will be worst in moist seasons, when there is a degree of humidity, and the first spray should be applied -when the stalks are from 4 to 6 inches high, again two or three AAeeks later, and finally when in bloom. If the first application is early enough, three sprayings should suffice. Spray, only on dry days, and if rain falls within 48 hours, repeat. When plants are thick and vigorous, 100 gallons will be required per acre ; if thin and open, 75 gallons. Cover the plant without drenching the soil; I mentioned steeping the uncut tubers, but would warn planters not to sow whole sets, unless they know their origin and history. When cut through the tubers should be bright,: sound, and glistening. Examine carefully about the-rind for depressions! !'■/;/v:/•