ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 39, 5 October 1922, Page 43

ON THE LAND

MARKET REPORTS. There was a large yarding of fat cattle at Burnside last week, 266 head being forwarded, consisting principally of good quality. Competition was fair, but prices for prime quality were easier by about £1 per head, while medium and light were easier by 30s, and in some cases slightly more. Best bullocks brought from £l2 10s to £l4, medium £lO 10s to £ll ss, inferior £7 to £B, best cows and heifers £8 to £9 ss, medium £6 5s to £7, inferior £5 to £5 15s. Fat Sheep.— was a small yarding of medium quality, 1864 head being forward. Prices for prime heavy wethers were firmer by about 2s 6d per head. Medium sold under fair competition at a shade firmer than the previous week’s rates. Best wethers 28s to 325, extra prime to 38s, medium 23s to 255, inferior 19s to 21s. A few pens of extra prime ewes were offered, which sold at up to 275. Inferior ewes sold at from 15s to 17s. Fat Pigs.—There was a small yarding of both fat and store pigs. 'Owing to the small number forward, competition was keen, and prices for fat pigs showed an advance of 5s to 10s per head on late ruling rates. At Addington market last week there were smaller yardings in the metropolitan market, and an improvement in the prices for fat stock. Fat Sheep. The yarding was slightly .below the average. There was a brisk market, there being an advance of 2s to 3s per head. Over the three past weeks the rise has been equal to 7s per head. Extra prime wethers 35s to 38s 9d, prime 30s to 34s 6d, medium 26s 6d to 29s 6d, light 23 s to 26s 3d, extra prime ewes to 31s 9d, prime 25s to 28s 3d, medium 22s 6d to 24s 6d, light 20s 6d to 22s 3d, prime hoggets 24s 6d to 26s lOd, ordinary 20s to 245. Fat Cattle—The smallest yarding for some time past, comprising 245 head, of which 61 were from the North Island. There was an advance of 25s per head, bulk beef selling from 32s to 35s per 1001 b. Extra prime bullocks £l6 to £lB 10s, prime £l3 7s 6d to £ls ss, medium £ll 5s to £l3 ss, light £7 10s to £lO 15s, extra prime heifers to £l3 7s 6d, prime £9 to £ll 10s, ordinary £6 10s to £8 10s, extra prime cows to £l3 ss, prime £8 5s to £ll. Vealers.— general quality was again poor. Anything fit for killing sold well at late rates. Runners brought up to £4 12s, vealers £3 10s to £4 3s, small calves from 8s upwards. Fat Pigs.—A medium yarding. Porkers and baconers met with a good sale, and showed an advance on late rates. Choppers £4 to £lO, light baconers £3 15s to £4 ss, heavy £4 10s to £4 19s 6d (average price per lb 6£d to 7£d) j light porkers 45s to 50s, heavy 52s to 60s (average price per lb 7£d to B£d). ' Following 1 is the report on the fortnightly sale of rabbitskins, etc., held last week:Medium-sized catalogues were submitted to a full attendance of buyers, and good winter skins were keenly competed for. Prime, first, and second bucks were sold at an advance of 2d to 3d per lb, prime, first, and second does at par and slightly better than at the previous sale, while inferior sorts sold well up to late rates. The following are some of the best prices:—Prime bucks 77*d to 81|d, first bucks 76d to 80d, second bucks 72d to 75Jd, prime does 87|d to 923 d, first does 733 d to 83d, second does 67|d to 71£d, early winters 63d to 66d, incoming 61d to 62d, spotted 50d to 52d, autumn 383 d to 463 d, late autumn 44Jd to 503 d, outgoing 42d to 49d, spring 24d to 27, runners and suckers 6£d to 83d, light racks 17d to 19fd, prime racks 24£d to 26H, broken 24d to 263 d, first winter broken 26£d to 343 d, milky 213 d to 233 d, winter black 48d to 56d, first winter black 673 d to 753 d, first fawn 61 d to 693 d. Hareskins to 40d; horsehair to 32d; catskins to 2s 8d each. WWW . WHY LEEKS SHOULD BE GROWN. ; Although this is one of our hardiest vegetables, it is not grown nearly so frequently nor so well as it should be (says, a writer in a Home journal). It is a vegetable which will well withstand the severities of , winter, and may be had in use during autumn, winter, and spring. It may

be grown in trenches or in deep holes, may be forwarded under glass and transplanted like onions, and if in - the spring it occupies ground which is required for another crop it is quite safe to move the leeks and lay them in closely in a shaded part of the garden, where they will keep for several weeks. Such an accommodating vegetable should certainly find a place in every garden. TO CULTIVATE CELERY. The following useful instructions on the cultivation of celery, by Mr. W. H. Taylor (horticulturist), is extracted from the N.Z. Journal of Agriculture : Celery requires rich soil and a liberal supply of moisture. Stable manure gives best results, partly because the humus holds moisture. There are two types—one with white stems, termed self-blanching, which can bo used without being moulded up for blanching, and the greenstemmed type, which must be moulded up. The former is a delicate plant and fit for growing only in summer except in the warmest districts, where it can be grown in winter also. White Plume self-balancing is the variety commonly grown for summer and autumn use. In market gardens this variety is usually grown on beds sft to 6ft wide, the plants being set Sin or 9in apart. Rich soil and frequent watering result in heads which, though small, find a ready market. The amount of labor involved in their production is not great, no moulding up being done. Close planting and quick growth preserve the natural whiteness of the stems. The result is a comparatively poor product, but useful, and it pays. The same variety can be grown to larger size by trench culture and moulding up greatly improves the texture of the stems, imparting the crispness so necessary to good celery when used as a. salad. The varieties that are not self-blanching possess the best quality, and are capable of making the largest heads. There are a number of varieties, some with a shade of , red in the stems; these latter are the best-flavored. They are not much grown in this country, there being an impression that they remain red after being moulded up, which is not the case. These varieties must be grown in trenches. Any number of rows may be grown in a trench, the trench being of a width necessary to accommodate the number decided on. In this country two rows is usual. A trench is taken out a good spit deep, and some half decayed manure is placed in the bottom and deeply dug in. Seed is sown in boxes under glass in July for early crops and at intervals till October. In places not too hot seed for the later crops may be sown in the open ground. Pricking-off is necessary as soon as the seedlings can be handled. This may be done in boxes, or in 3in or 4in of a suitable compost spread on a hard surface in the open, in which case shading with scrim is necessary till the plants get a good hold, and thorough watering is required in the evenings of fine days. > In regard to celery-diseases, rust can be identified by a rust-colored powder discharged from pustules on the leaves. The disease can be carried on the seeds, in which case the young plants become infected. Wash seeds through a solution of 2oz of Milestone in half a gallon of water, and dry before sowing. Spray plants with bordeaux at 4—5—40, or at summer strength of a ready-made mixture. Spraying must be frequent so as to cover new foliage. A weaker solution may be used if the disease is not in a virulent form. Leaf-spot: Little spots scattered over the surface of the leaf, at first sickly green, but changing through brown to almost white, are signs of this disease. The remedy consists in spraying as for rust. Occasionally celery is attacked by small lice, which, if not checked, can speedily make an end of the plants. Spray with Katakilla > XL-All fluid, or Vistolene. . T 5