AROUND HAWKE'S BAY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 261, 6 December 1930, Page 3

AROUND HAWKE'S BAY

PARAGRAPHS OP INTEltESI TU THE FARMER. The Hawke's Bay farmer who has stock of any description to sell just now finds hiraself in a cleft stick, so to speak, for the market is at the present time as unsteady as it has been in the course of years. A pronounced falling tendency on all classes of stock was a feature of last week's auctions, and all inter= ested are at a loss to know whether to expest a further drop next week. The law of sup= ply and demand still continues to plav a big part in determin= ing the price levels of our Hawke's Bay auctions, but there are other larger factors governing the position just now. * * • In comparison with Central Hawke s Bay and this end of the provmce, Southern Hawke's Bay pastures are looking remarkably green, althougli iarmers 111 the area state that growtli has stood still oyer the past two months. There is, however, not the same amount of seed-head to be nbserved down south as tbere is up this end. Top-dressed areas stand out very niarkedly in the country around Dannevirke. • * » In most of the dairying areas around Dannevirke, the dairy stock appear to he doing well, judging by their condition. At the same time farmers report slightly decreased yields tvlien compared wdth last season, although this condition is not as bad as it is elsewhere in the province. I was particularly impressed with tlie condition of some of the yearlings to be seen on the farms. * * « Shearing time has revealcd in a marked degree the poverty-stricken condition of some of the slieep in Central Hawke's Bay. Coming through this part of the district the other day, I could not lielp noticing the very apparent hard condition of numbers of the flocks to be seen in the paddocks. * * • Cartage costs are a factor which must mitigate to a very considerable degree against the adoption of top=dressing in our back=country areas. I notice, however, that one Patoka fajuner has set an example to his neighbours in this respect, top= dressing one of his paddocks. The result is amazing for the stock have apparently concen= trated on the area and have eaten the feed down as short as a bowling green amidst rough feed in the neighbouring pad= docks. * * • The country around Puketapu is looking very well just now, especially when compared with tlie llats. Pastures are looking green and fairly fresh as this district lias had mor'e rainlall than elsewhere. J noticed a number of good oat crops in the Itissington district which easily beat any others that T hav'e seen around the district, being an improvement 011 those at Maraekakaho. * * * A party of five men on a pig-luiut-ing trip in the baok country in 'the Opotiki district came across soine cattle which tliey thought were wild, as settlers on the way said there were wild cattle there. Eventually a cow was killecl and finding that it was earmarked they cut off part of the ear. The men wero charged with the tlieit of the cow and defaeing the cannark, but 110 settler was found to own the earmark and the owncrship of the cow was not estahlished. The eliarges of thett were dismissed and two of 'he men were fiued £1 eaeli for cutting oif the earmark, ivith costs £10 os 6d. * * * t A new record has been estahlished in New Zealand this year for the killing of veal ealvos in the Auckland distrkC A buyer of fat stock givos tlie lumres at Horotiu 112.723. Westfield 91,171, Houthdow'n 8075, and Moerewa 1701." I11 the opinion of n represeutative of the export trade, who has just vevirned from abroad, Ihe veal industry has come to stay, although the market prospects for ealfskins are not as good as they were four months ago. He says ihe market for ealfskins and hides is weakemng right throughout tlie world. * * ,* It is pleasing to see that so many farmers around Hawke?s Bay this year are taking the op' portunity of converting all that they can into ensilage. Farm= ers in the Mangatahi district are making particular strides in this direction, and it is hoped that. others will follow suit, as time is getting on and it will very soon be too late to get any away before next Winter. * * * Many apple growers regularly utilise all fallen apples as feed for live stock ; others allow the waste fruit to decay wliere it falls. As the latter practice pot onlv eneourages di-sease and pests, to which the apple tree is liable, but also means the destruction. of an animal ' foodstuff of proved value, it should be avoided wherever possible. So states Mr W. J. Spafford, DeputyDirector of Agriculture in South Australia, in a contribution to the Journal of Agriculture! Like all other bulky green foodstuffs fresh apples contain mucli water, but this is not a disadArantage for live stock, except possihly for horse-s on heavv work. Those watery artieles, however, should always be fed to animals with drier ; and more concentrated foodstuffs.