ASHBURTON STOCK MARKET.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 7932, 14 December 1909, Page 3

ASHBURTON STOCK MARKET.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 14 ASHBURTON YARDS.

There was an exceptionally small yarding of stock at the weekly stock sale held at the Ashburton yards, and the attendance was very much below the average. The yarding in the various departments were made up as follows : 84 fat ewes, 126 fat wethers, 7 fat lambs, 1446 store sheep and 19 head of cattle. SHEEP.

Fat Pens. —Althought the yarding of fat sheep was poor, the quality, taken as a whole, was very good, and every line was keenly competed for. Wethers formed the bulk of the yarding, and prices were-"quite up to last week's quotations. Butchers took the bulk of the market for local consumption. Sales were: Shorn ewes, 7 at lls, 24 at 9s 7d, 8 at 10s 3d, 2 at 10s 9d, 7 at 9s 4d, 14 at 10s, 4 two-tooths at lls lid; woolly ewes, 6 at 12s 3d, 1 at 12s; shorn wethers, 26 at 12s lOd, 14 four-tooths 12s 2d, 12 four and sixtooths 13s 6d, 12 at 13s 7d, 31 at 13s sd, 15 at 13s Bd, 1 two-tooth lls, 2 at 9s 6d, 1 at lls 9d.

Fat Lambs.—4 at 13s Id, 3 ai 10s Id. Store Pens. —There was a small yarding in this department, and competition was particularly flat, and sale?, were very few, owing, no doubt, to owners putting on a higher value than of late. The yarding showed a better class of sheep, but even this did not entice buyers to operate. Of the .1446 yarded, 1292 were passed by auction. Sales were: 120 four, six and eighttooth half-bred woolly ewes and 116 lambs (all counted) 12s Gd, 25 aged crossbred dry woolly ewes at 8s Id, 7 two-tooth halfbred shorn ewes (culls) 9s 3d, and 1 aged halfbred ewes and lamb (do) 5s 6d.

The yarding of fat cattle consisted of 17_ head ,und though the quality was fairly good, butchers were not prepared to give the prices asked; consequently, a large number were passed by auction. Sales were: 1 cow £5 12s 6d, 3 heifers £5, 1 steer £4 10s, 1 cow £6 15s, 1 do £7 7s 6d, 1 heifer £5 12s 6d, 1 do £5 ss. In the store pens only two head were yarded—a cow in calf, which was passed at £3 ss, and cow in full profit, passed at £2 17s "66.