AROUND HAWKE'S BAY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 229, 30 October 1930, Page 3

AROUND HAWKE'S BAY

PAEAGRAPHS OF INTEREST TO THE FARMER. ^ Fat cattle values at Hastings yesterday could best be described as being on a par with ruling rates with perhaps a slightly better tone on cow beef. The yarding was much smaller than has been the case in the past few weeks, and judging by yes= terday's deraand, a large yard= ing would have seen the price levels falling badly. * * * 'l'hore Mere a numbpr ot pen« oi" (ir&t-class slightly iinisliod bullocks to bo fouiul amongst the cattle in the yard and some of the best bullock beef of the dav was sold on behalf of Mr J. S. IMeLeod, who liad a draft from Fernhill 011 ofl'er. A bullock from this offering, sold late in the auction, topped the price range for the day at £15 2s 6d. * * * Aliother good selection were the bullocks yarded on behalf of Mr David Fernie, off his Pakowhai flats. Mr Fernie has liad better linisbed bullocks tlian these in the yards, but nevertheless tliey sold well on the day's values and made as high as £14 15s. Buyers realise that bullocks of this class of land kill out remarkably well. * * * Something exceptional in the way of heifer beef was brought into the ring riglit at the end of the sale of l'at cattle, when two prime Shorthorns, splendid bodies of young beef, made £12 and £12 7s 6d respeetively. With this exception, the geueral condition of the cow and heifer beef yarding was very light indeed. * tt » Yesterday saw the largest yarding of store cattle at Stort= ford Lodge for a good many months, but a very large propor= tion of the mobs yarded have re= turned whence they came — un= sold. The demand in this sec= tion was poor indeed, and this in spite of the fact that there were one or two outside buyers from the Wairarapa and Mana* watu to be seen on the benches. They did not, however, appear to be taking any great part in bidding. * * * While the demand was poor generally, I think one or two of the vendors would have been better advised to take what was offering and drop tlieir nota> tions somewhat. Some quite fair prices were offered unsuccessfully yesterday. The line of 30 P.A. for ward bullocks wliiclr passed at £7 5s was the best line of station bullocks that I iliave seen in the yards for a good while, and they were certainly worth more than was offering. * * * Weauers and two-year-olds were yarded in large numbers, but wei'e not responsible for any stimulation in the market. * * * The fat sheep yarding was not as large as usual, but the gen* eral quality was excellent,- and some exceptional pens were on offer. Generally speaking, prices were well up to ruling rates, with a fluctuating tendency on some of the lighter lines. There were one or two .passings, but I understand that in these cases the sheep were practically all quitted privately. ' Mr G. F. TTai-dy, of Pukehou, had a partipularly line line of prime lieavy wethers includcd in the yarding, and these made a very good sale at 29s. * * * The first Hawke's _Bay Spring lamb of the season made its appearance at Hastings yesterday, a pen of wellgrown. well-eovered youngsters realising 21s ^5 * * Wairoa oceupied 37th place on a list of New Zealand butter factories which secured an average grade of 93 points or over for tlieir exports. Actually five Dominion factories graded over 95 points. * * * An abnormally large number of dairy eows in the Opotiki district have died reccntly from tlie effects of hloating. * # * With any reasonable luck and the continuation of the present sunny weather conditions, we shouid get a fair amount of grass growth in Hawke's Bay within the next week or two, and if Ihe grass begins to come away just as fast as those who know the province's country realise that it cau, we may see a de= cided improvement in the store stock market. Large numbers of Hawke's Bay farmers are understocked for normal condi* tions at present, but the con= ditions thusfar have been far from normal.