ADDINGTON STOCK MARKET.

Ashburton Guardian, Issue 4361, 2 December 1897, Page 1

ADDINGTON STOCK MARKET.

! Chbistcbuboh, December 1. 1 The entries in nearly all classes of stock at Addington market to-day were smaller i than last week. The attendance wu good, and a* a consequence of the splendid rain of the previous day, farmers and grwiers spoke in Ims gloomy tones ot the prospects than was the o»se the previous week, All round the stock looked much better than was expected. Business generally assumed a better tone than at the previous w«ek> sale. The entries for the day comprised 6574 sheep and iambs, 357 head of cattle, and 498 pigs. Fat Cattle.—For this department, the entry of beef was made up of 213 head, of which between fifty and sixty were in dealers', hands. Those whion came t* auction included some very prime steers and heifers, mostly small, but many were really prime. There was good competition for the heavier classes of beef. Butchers were anxious to secure Christmas supplies, but the lighter sort* were not much in request. As showing how short beef is. in South Canterbury, it may be stated that a line of.. twenty dealers' steers was bought privately ! for trucking to Temuka. Pricts per head were—ordinary steera, £5 to £715s ; heifers, £3 10s to £6 7u 6d ; cows, £3 to £6 2» 6rl. Per 1001b, prices were about the same as last week, viz:—l6a to 18t jfor prime beef ■, 14a to 15s for good; and 12s to 13j 6d cow and inferior. Store Cattle—This department was poorly represented both v to numbers aud quality. Very little buainess was done at auction. Not many dairy cows were in, and no better demand wu manifested. £4 was the best price realised. Fair cows were obtainable at £2 to £3. Fat Sheer—Between 3,000 and 4,000 fat iheep were entered. The quality was a decided improvement on the late sales. The entries included quite 1,000 really good fret zing wethers, and a fair proportion of good ewes; bat still there was a lot of unfinished and aged ewts. The market opened rather better than last, week in all classes, but as the sale progressed any ewe mutton of not undeniable quality soon «»bm down to last week's level, and before the sals cloned became a perfect drug; but the majority of the vendors seemed prepared to accept the position rather than risk future Hales, and quitted consignments in several iustancee. However, the market was erratic and in a, few cases, even to warns the end of the sale, penw of inferior ewes brought more ihau tome better ones had done. Butchers went into competition with export buyers for better lots of freezing wethers, but the expos lere were not anxious to s'oure much, and would only touch ihe very primest, which sold fairly well, considering the un*. jiv isfuetory news ftum the home markets. A fairiy large line ot quarterback weihers, whic'i showed rath, r much merino, could not find buyers. Best crossbred wethers, iCs to 12s ; medium, 8b to 9i 64 ; best crossbred «we«j, 8s to 9' 6(1; medium 8* to 9s 6d ; beat crossbrod ewea, 8s to 9s 6d ; medium, 8s to 9-s 6<3; aged and inferior, 2* 6Ho 5s 6d. Fat Lambs—Butchers' lambs ro-e from !«■. to Is 6d ; best; sorts ran from 10a to lls 7d ; good 8s 6d to 9s 9d ; and inferior 7s to 83 ; only a very few, which should not have been in the fat pens, going beSow that price.

Stores Hhkbp—Very few sheep were on offer, and little disposition was shown to do Uisinees, the only- sales of importance being .. 295 shorn wethers at 7s 9d, and 460 shorn crossbred ewes, with backward lambs, all counted, at 2«t lid.

Pigs—There were rather more pigs offered. Fats were well repiesented, selling at fully laßt week's prices, viz-, 3jsd to 4d for porkers, and 3£d to 3|d for baconere. Good stores were in full request, selling up to 30s, whilst weaners brought from 8a to 12s 6d per head. Baconere ran from 29s to 495, and porkers from 20s to 27s 6d.