On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 50, 16 December 1925, Page 53

On the Land

MARKET REPORTS.

There were 228 head of fat cattle penned at Burnside last week, the bulk of the yarding consisting of medium and lightweight cattle. There was keen demand at late rates for prime heavy bullocks, but medium and lighter sorts, as well as cows and heifers, showed no improvement. Heavyweight bullocks made from £lB 10s to £22 ss, medium £ls 12s 6d to £lB, light £l2 10s to £ls 12s 6d.. Fat Sheep. Last week 2396 were penned, including a large number of medium and light-weight sheep. At the commencement of the sale prices for prime heavyweight wethers showed a slight advance, but medium and light-weight sheep were on a par with the previous week. As the sale progressed the demand slackened, with the result at the end of the sale sheep of all descriptions were practically unsaleable except at a much-reduced price. The drop was noticeable in woolly sheep and in medium and lightweight wethers, which showed a decline in prices of 3s to 4s per head. Heavy shorn wethers made from 40s to 46s 3d, medium 33s to 38s 6d, light 28s to 335, woolly wethers made up to 50s, shorn ewes to 37s 6d, woolly ewes to 395. Fat Lambs. There was a yarding of 172. Prime heavy lambs sold on a par with the preceding week, but anything plain or light showed a decline of Is 6d to 2s per head. Heavy lambs made from 32s 6d to 40s, medium 25s 6d to 32 s 6d, light 22s to 25s 6d. Pigs.— entry of 150 fats and 83 stores. Prices were generally a shade easier. The entries at Addington last week were on the heavy side, and there was an allround easing, except in the fat lamb section. Fat sheep and fat cattle are showing a marked drop each week. Fat Lambs.—There were 560 lambs penned. In the later stages the market firmed up on the opening rates by 2s per head, and only butchers were operating. Prime lambs made from 32s 6d to 36s 6d, medium 29s to 32s 6d, light lambs 22s to 28s 6d. Fat Sheep.—There was an average yarding and another drop of Is 6d to 2s per head on the previous week was experienced. Several drafts of Chatham Island sheep were forward. Wether mutton made from s£d to 6d, ewe from 4sd to 5d per lb. There were only butchers operating. Extra prim© wethers made up to 36s lOd, prime wethers 31s to 345. medium wethers 28s 9d to 30s 6d, light wethers 26s to 28s 6d, extra prime ewes to 31s, prime ewes 25s 6d to 28s 6d, medium ewes 22s 6d to 255, light ewes 20s to 225, inferior ewes 16s 6d to 19s 6d. Fat Cattle.— There was a very heavy entry of 595 head, which included 360 cows, and. there was -a slipping market from the outset, values being down on the preceding week by 30s to 40s per head, or over the last five weeks. Prime beef brought from 41s to 445, occasional pens to 46s per 1001 b, heavy 38s to 425, medium 24s to 37s 6d, light and inferior 30s to 335, rough down to 20s. Extra prime heavy-weight steers to £2B 2s 6d, prime heavy-weight steers £l7 10s to £2O, prim© medium-weight steers £16,10s to £lB, medium steers £l4 5s to £l6 6s, light steers £ll to £l4, rough steers £9 to £lO 10s, extra prims show heifers £ls to £lB 6s 66, prims heifers £ll to £l3 ss,

ordinary heifers £7 15s_to £lO 10s, light heifers £5 15s to £7 10s, extra, prime cows to £l4 2s 6d, prime cows £9 15s to £l2 ss, medium cows £7 10s to £9 10s, inferior cows £5 to £7 ss. Vealers. — deluge of calves, which met with a substantial drop in values, runners selling at from £3 to £6 10s, best calves 32s 6d to 37s 6d, others 10s to 30s. Fat —There was an over supply of pork, which sent prices down in the fat pig section for this class, though the bacon pigs remained very firm. Competition for the latter was brisk. Choppers made from £3 to £6 10s, light baconers £4 to £4 10s, heavy baconers £5 to £5 10s, extra heavy baconers to £6 6s. The average price was 8d to B£d per lb. Light porkers brought from £2 5s to £2 12s, heavy porkers £2 17s to £3 3s, extra heavy porkers to £3 Bs. The average price per lb was 7sd to B£d. HARVESTING ROOT CROPS. In harvesting mangels, it is not always easy to regulate the period of lifting, and invariably one has to raise the crop when the plants are still making growth, and before much of the nutriment or stored-up sap is returned to the root, causing it to thicken and develop at, perhaps, a greater rate than at any other period of growth (says a writer in a Home paper). When the tips of the leaves turn yellow and lose much of their succulence, lifting may safely be practised, but the majority of farmers must be guided by weather conditions, as the roots can be raised much quicker and in a cleaner condition during dry autumn days or before the ground becomes saturated with heavy rain.

Reasonably early lifting is also necessary in order to provide a good seed-bed for wheat, and, where possible, to allow the ground sufficient time to settle, as wheat always does better on a stale furrow than on newly-ploughed land. The roots should be placed in heaps in the field and covered over with the foliage in case of frost, although a slight frost will do no injury. Under no circumstances should the roots be carelessly loaded when in a frozen condition, but should be left until they are thoroughly thawed. The leaves are best twisted off, although cutting is largely practised. In any case, care must be taken not to remove the crown of the plant, as this will often cause rotting when they are clamped. At the same time” the stems of the leaves should be removed as close to the crown as possible. The raising of potatoes should be proceeded with in good time. The hand-lifting of potatoes, except in very small plots or where early potatoes are raised for seed, is now rarely indulged in, in view of the present high cost of labor. Machine-raising in no way damages the tubers, as there is usually sufficient soil attached to protect them from the prongs of the machine. One disadvantage of machine-lifting is that the tubers have to be collected immediately they are turned out of the ground, whereas when raised by hand they can be loft; to dry for a few hours. : It ‘ is, therefore, important

. Y'. A -v that the very driest days should. be selected for the raising of the crop, when any soil adhering to the tubers, will usually fall off before they are placed in the clamp. The site of the clamp should always be on high, or, at least, dry ground, and should never be made too wide, 4 feet at the base being regarded as the limit for even the largest tubers. It is a good plan to scoop out the bed of the clamp to a depth/ of 3 to 4 inches, as this assists in preventing;' the tubers from bulging out, and keeps the clamp an even width throughout. { Drawn straw, such as is used for thatching} should be placed on either side, on which a few spadefuls of earth may be thrown to keep it in position, but on no account should the whole of the clamp be earthed up or sealed until a week or two has elapsed, or. until all surplus heat has escaped. Even then a few airholes should be provided in the apex of the clamp, composed of wisps of straw or drain-pipes, as should the potatoes become heated when placed in bulk they are not only rendered useless as seed, but their cooking qualities become impaired, while disease is also encouraged. I Swedes, Turnips, and Other Roots.— Swedes and turnips require very little in the way of storage. Turnips are usually fed on the ground or carted to the homestead for feeding to cattle. Swedes may be raised any time, but unlike mangels they are usually closely topped and tailed. All that swedes require in the way of protection is a covering of rough straw or even hedgerow trimmings, whereas mangels, on the other hand, must be covered with a good thatch of straw, together with a layer of soil 8 to 10 inches in depth, or, better still, is a covering of cavings, or even couch that has been raked up in the dry during autumn cleaning. 1 Parsnips are always best left in the ground until required for use, and the same applies' to a certain extent to carrots.

Beetroot, like mangels, is more susceptible to frost, with the result that the roots urn usually raised and clamped much in the same way as potatoes, being protected ; with a covering of straw and soil. The amount of covering required is largely determined by the severity of the weather, and, therefore, should very severe weather prevail it is often< necessary to give an additional covering Jof loose litter, especially should there be any likelihood of frost penetrating into the clomp.