ON THE LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3687, 23 November 1912, Page 3

ON THE LAND.

FARM AND STATION.

SHOW DATES. November 27 and 28—Stratford A. and P. Association, at Stratford. November 28, 29, and 30—Auckland A. and P. Association, at Auckland. ADDINGTON LIVE STOCK MARKET. [PRESS ASSOCIATION telegram] CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 20. There were moderate entries of stock, and a good attendance. Fat cattle were easier, as also were fat lambs. A few small lots of fat sheep were offered, feed being now so abundant. Fat sheep sold firmly at late rates. Fat pigs showed no change and store and dairy cattle woro in keen demand.

Store Sheep.—The entry of store sheep was quite the smallest on record, only thre pens, aggregating 03 head, being offered. There were many anxious buyers, owing to the dearth of entries, compelled to go home unsatisfied. Prices, compared with the previous week, remained unchanged. In view of the scarcity of supplies it is impossible to give the range of values. Fat Sheep.—There was an entry of 536 fat lambs, mostly of very prime quality. Only a few lots wore bought for export, and competition among butchers was not so keen, the result being a considerable decline in prices. Best lambs made 16s Gd to 20s, lighter 14s to los 6d. Fat Sheep.— The yarding of fat sheep was somewhat larger than last woiek, and wias made up chiefly of shorn lots. Wethers formed the principal portion. The yarding included a number of well-finished lines. There was good competition on the part of butchers, and several export buyers were operating. Bidders secured about 600 head, and prices were very firm. Woolly sheen sold even bettor than shorn, due no doubt to the high rates ruling for wool. At the last sale the prices paid for freezing wethers were 18s 6d and 22s for shorn, and 23s and 28s for woollv. ■ To-dav the range of prices was: prime woollv wethers 24s to 29s Gel. others 21s to 23s 6d. woolly ewes 21s 3d to 2Ss Gd. woolly hoggets 17s 4d to 23s 3d, woolly merino wethers 17s 9d to 22s 7d. prime shorn wethers 19s to 245, lisrht 17s to 18s Gd, prime shorn ewes 18s to 24s Id, others 15s to 17s Gd.

Fat Cattle. —Two hundred and fiftyfive fat cattle wore penned', as compared wjth 222 the previous week, and 253 a fortnight earlier. The yarding included some very useful well-fmislied animals, but in spite of this the demand was distinctly weaker than the previous week. Prices suffered a decline to the extent of 2s per 1001 b., the decline being most noticeable in the case of good hoof. Bec-f realised 26s to 33s per 100 Tb., steers made £8 5s to £1! 55,, extra to £l4 ss. heifers £7 17s 6d to"’.£l9, and cows £G 17s Gd to £ll.

Store Cattle. —There was a good entry of store cattle, the quality being fair and the demand very keen, all sorts selling at high prices. A consignment from Central Otago realised the following prices:—2o steers and heifers, 12 to 15-months at £3 12s, 10s cows at £ i 15s. 30 10 to 12-monlh sorts 525. Quotations were: Yearlings £2 11s. fifteen to 18-month sorts £3 10s to £3 15s. two-year steers £5 7s Gd to £3 15s, 12 to 18-months .-sorts £4, two and a half to 3-year steers £5 os. two and a-haff year steers £6, three-vear steers £7 17s Gd. threeyear heifers £5 15s, and clry cows £3 Is Gd to £6 7s 6d. Dairy cows also sold well, prices ranging from £4 5s to £lO. Pigs.—There was a medium yarding of fat pigs, and the demand showed no, change from the previous week. Choppers realised £3 10s to £6 os. heavv baconers 65s to 725. extra to £?, 10s, and lighter sorts 52s to 60s. these prices being equivalent to old to okl per pound. Heavy porkers brought 40s to 50s, and lighter descriptions 40s to 43s (equal to sfd to Gd per pound). There was an average yarding of store pigs and the demand was on a par with the previous week and below that of three or four weeks ago. Largo stoves realised 42s to 495, medium 32s to 40s, and small lots 22s to 28s. Wean or.s sold well, realising los to 20s.

SETTLEMENT IN HAWKE’S BAY. SUBDIVISION IN ESTATES. Jn an article in the “Hawke’s Bay Tribune,” Mr G. P. Donnelly gives the following list of properties which have been cut up during the last twenty years. It will, he says, give some ' idea of the closer settlement that has been going on in Hawke’s Bay, and if it goes on. as it has done, Hawke’s Bay will, in the near future, he carrying a very large population ,] D. Ormond, Wallinedord, 24,000 acres, 11,000 acres disposed of in small blocks, and is still selling. Also a property at Gisborne. Tnki Tuki, sold by E. J. Watt, and afterwards t ent up for closer settlement. . Longlands, near Hastings, cut up by E. J. Watt into small holdings. Tutamoo and • Ngatarawa, about 3000 acres rich swamp and agricultural land, cut up for closer settlement by G. P. Dofinclly, also Waimarama, mostly occupied by him, about 35,000 acres, 7000 acres sold to the Government; balance cut up into small holdings. Maraekakaho, Douglas McLean s, about 38,000 acres cut up for closer settlement, the balance 12,000 acres in occupation of Mr McLean. Frimlcy Estate, all cut/up for closer settlement. , . Plaxmere, Sir W. Bussell s and A. H. Russell’s nearly all cut up. Hill’s Estate, Fernhill, nearly all cut up. V , . . Moteo, about 7000 acres cut up into about four blocks. Matapiro, cut up into about lour blocks. • . Tunanui, Sir W. Russell’s and A. H Russell’s, out- up into about four blocks, 8000 acres of this being purchased hv the Government for closer settlement. Shield’s Ivonini, about 10,000 acres, cut up into three blocks. Kereru, cut up by the Steads’ into about five blocks. » Gwavas, about three blocks have been cut up. , ■ Bridge’s Estate. Ruataniwha, cut up for closer settlement. A‘Deane’s, 5600 acres, cut up into small blocks. Grant’s Estate, cut up for closer sett’emeut.

S. Johnston’s, a portion cut up for closer settlement. Fleming’s, cut up into small blocks. Newman’s cut tip for closer settlement. . Johnston’s Motuotaraia, cut up into small holdings. N. E. Beamish, Otamauri and Whanawliana, out up into four blocks. H. Campbell, Poukawa, Ims cut up 3000 aches into small holdings. J. M. Leigh’s (formerly, T. Tanner’s), Ensleigli, 2600 acres cut up. Purvis Russell’s, at Waipukurau, out up l'or closer settlement. Gollan’s all cut up for closer settlement. Nairn’s Ponrere, divided into several blocks. Williams’ Edenham, cut up into several blocks. McHardy’s Blackhead, cut up into four or five blocks. G. Hunter’s, cut up into several blocks. White’s Porangahan, cut up into small blocks. Handyside’s, Akitio, cut up into a number of blocks. _ __ Armstrong’s, Akitio, cut up int-o about three blocks. Rhodes’ run, Rissington (one of the largest in the Province), all been cut ui> into small blocks. Waterhouse, Maugawhare, sold part of his run. Chestcrhope and Pakowliai. have both been cut up into small blocks. Chambers Bros., Puketapu, cut up into about tliroo blocks.

J. White’s Estate, Braeburn, 4430 acre cut up. Douglas Bros., To Mahanga, have sold 4500 acres in small blocks and are still selling. McFarlane, The Orange, 400 acres cut up and sold. M. Chambers, Tauroa, has cut up 3000 acres. B. Chambers, To Mata, has cut up 1000 acres and is still selling. H. McKenzie, Redeastle, cut up 3300 acres into small blocks. Mackersey, Tangoio, 8410 acres cut up for closer settlement. H. Gainsford, Mount Herbert. 21,000 acres cut ud into small holdings. P. A. McHardy, Aramoana, 7300 acres cut up. (Some of these blocks were divided among large families which, of course, is quite'justifiable). DIPPING FOR SCAB. A more vigorous effort is being made by the British Board of Agriculture to stamp out sheep scab, and it is meeting witli a good deal of opposition in the carrying out of a sheep dipping order (says a writer in the “Press.”) Yorkshire and Westmoreland flockmastors are complaining hitter's- of a recent order which obliges tjhoin to gather their stock twice from large areas at a time when summer work is in such a backward condition. Not only so, but they contend that the double dipping is very injurious to the sheep, there being evidence, they'say, that it renders many of the breeding owes sterile. A number of fiockowners bad a conference on the matter last week with Sir Edward Clarke, superintending inspector of the Board, when it was pointed out by the objectors that it was impossible to gather all the scab sheep in one day, and in dipping twice between October and November, they would not get so many lambs. It was also pointed out that though the3 T dipped ever so often it- would not got rid of scab. Under certain climatic conditions scab would break out whether the sheep had been dipped or not. It was also complained that the Order had .hern framed and issued without consulting local opinion. Sir F. Clarke in replying to the deputation, said lie found himself rather at cross-purpos-es with the general opinion as it hail been expressed, because the Board 1 of Agriculture were going entirely on the idea that sheep-scab was contagious, and coukl not arise spontaneously. Irish sheep were one of the greatest dangers to the English flockmaster.s, and although the efforts of the Board in Scotland had for the last seven or eight years been on the wholo successful, there was no question that scab still existed in the Highlands and Western Islands. When Scottish sheep were trucked for the south they got warm, and that was the very condition to bring the scab out; hence the idea that scab was of spontaneous origin. It was the experience of the Board that to deal with sperarato stocks on unenclosed fell was a waste of time. sherc was no possible way in_,which to dear a fell other than by having two dippings within a specified time, 'll j lie Board had been through a similar thing in Scotland, Wales, and iii Yorkshire. The great thing was to get as much of the country covered as was possible at one time. Double dipping had not, lie affirmed, been found to in - hire the slmop if it was well done, and he was afraid the appliances for the most part along the Pennine Range were old. and perhaps unsuitable. “I am afraid,” added &ir Edward, v “that we shall have to ask you to take the Board’s vmw, and the two dippings will probably clear the Pennine Range

-d its bad character—certainly the Cumberland portion. The whole opinion of sriontifie men is .that scab is not of spontaneous orisrin. The colonials have given us an Object lesson in that: they have cleared themselves of scab.” Probably the idea entertained by the' sheepowners in England that scab is of spontaneous origin arises chiefly from the fact that the old sheep camps and rubbing places are badly infected with the germs of the disease, and no matter how often the sheep are dipped they will again contract the scab unless ..stops are taken to disinfect the ground. It’would ho a costly job, but no doubt the cheanest in the end.