GRAIN, SEED AND PRODUCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 68, Issue 145, 1 April 1948, Page 7

GRAIN, SEED AND PRODUCE

PRICE OF MILLING WHEAT ADVANCES Ashburton gi’ain, seed and produce merchants report that milling wheat will advance in price by a penny a bushel as from to-day, in accordance with the fixation of prices by the W'Petit Committee. As the season was exceptionally early, very few growers held wheat for the increment. Oats of all varieties are still in short supply, and the market remains firm. Practically' all lines of barley haVe now been cleared up and a good demand still exists for free lines. The market for ryegrass and clover seeds remains quiet, and until the quantity that will be allowed for export is known, practically no sales will take place. A demand exists for oatslieaf chaff, but Qwin'g to shortage of sacks and lack of shipping space, merchants are not prepared to make sales. Other markets remain unchanged. Range of Prices The range of prices is as follows, all on trucks at country stations, sacks extra unless otherwise stated: — Wheat—Tuscan 8s Id a bushel, Hunters 8s 3d, Velvet 8s sd, Marquis 8s 7d, all f.o.b. (less id bush, insurance). Oats —“A” Gartons 4s 8d per bushel (ceiling price), Algerians 6s 3d to 6s 6d, Duns 6s 6d to 7s Gd, according to 3d, Duns 6s 6d to 7s, according to quality. Red Clover —2s per lb. Barley—Chevalier and Cape 6s 3d (malting), 6s (feed) per bushel. Linseed—F.a.q. £3O a ton, contract. Peas —Partridge 10s a bushel (No. I’s), contract; Prussian blues 12s 6d per bushel (No. l’s), contract. Lupins—7s to 7s 6d a bushel. Price for Eggs The buying price for eggs this week is 2s 6id, plus 4d subsidy per dozen, and the retail price is 2s lOd. Pullets 2s 3!d, plus 4d, and retail 2s 7d.

LITTLE DEMAND FOR LAMBS STORE SHEEP MARKET AT ADDINGTON (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Mar. 31. The store sheep entry at Addington to-day was 14,210, comprising 4250 lambs, 1224 two-tooth ewes, 6977 old ewes and 1959 wethers. The lambs met the dullest sale of the season. Except oil extra good lambs, prices were lower by Is to 2s. Top price »was 32s for the first cut of a line of halfbreds, and the others made from 30s. Another good pen made 28s. Medium lambs made 20s to 255, and small and backward 15s to 19s. The two-toothg were a useful lot, and best met a steady inquiry at values 2s up on last week. Top price was 51s for a pen of good Romneys. Fine-woolled made to 39s 6d, good 31s 6d to 36s and others 21s to 28s. Aged ewes met a better demand than for some time. Over the first half of the sale values were 3s up, but later interest lagged. Over all prices were 2s higher. Good fouryear Romney and halfbreds made 26s to 29s and others 18 s 3d to 245. Good four-year halfbreds and Corriedales made 25s 6d to 29s 3d and others 17s 9d to 24s 9tl. Best sound-mouthed and five-year sold at 20s to 26s 3d, medium 17s to 19s 6d and culls down to 6s. The best of the wethers sold at 28s to 33s 6d and others 10s to 27s 6d. The fat lamb entry was 2207. The quality was not as high as recently after the dry spell. Butchers’ lambs retained last week’s rates, but higher sorts were hard to quit, and many passings were made. Freezing buyers operated sparingly. Values: —Extra prime fat lambs, to 54s 7d; prime, 35s to 40s; good, 30s to 345; medium, 26s to 295; light, 23s to 255. The fat sheep entry was 5000. The quality of the wethers was good. Several Chathams fattenerg represented a demand for good wethers, and butchers’ ewes were steady at unchanged values, hut lighter sorts were hard to sell because of a lack of competition from freezers. Values: —Extra prime heavy wethers, to 57s 7d; prime heavy, 45s to 50s; prime medium-weight, 40s to 445; ordinary and light, 34s to 395; prime heavy ewes, to 33s 7d; prime, 25s to 295; medium, 20s to 245; ordinary and light, 14s to 19s. Ashburton sales were : Est. A. Doig (Chertsey), 60 wethers at 49s Id to 55s Id; E. E. Oakley (Mt. Hutt), 30 wethers at 47s 7d to 52s Id, 29 ewes at 27s Id to 32s Id; L. G. Grice (Tinwakl), 32 wethers at 42s 7d to 40s Id; L. C. Anderson (Lynd'hurst), 67 ewes at 24s Id to 29s 7d; Lands and Survey Department (Rakaia), 70 ewes at 20s 10d to 29s Id; Lands and Survey Department (Winchmore), 59 ewes at 26s Id to 28s 7d.

The fat cattle entry was 563, and the quality was mixed. There was a fair selection of choice beef, but a long “tail” of old and plain cows. Butchers bought within strictly - defined limits, and values were, if anything, a shade easier. Plain beef was hard to sell. Best beef made to 57s 6d per 1001 b, good 425; 6d to 50s, medium to 40s; best cow to 40s, and secondary to 36s 6d. Values: Extra prime heavy steers to £27 2s 6d, prime heavy £2O to £22, prime medium-weight £l7 to £l9, ordinary and light £l4 10s to £l6; extra prime heifers to £2O 2s 6d, prime £ll to £ls, ordinary and light £8 to £10; extra prime cows to £l7 7s 6d, prime £9 10s to £l2, ordinary and light £7 to £9. The porker entry was larger than last week, but values were unchanged. Choppers were yarded in large numbers and valugs were £1 easier.' The baeoner entry was the largest for several weeks. Values were on a par with last week for the first half of the sale, but later there was an easing of 3s to 4s. Values ; Light porkers £3 4s 6d to £3 14s 6d, medium £3 19s 6d to £4 9s 6d, heavy £4 12s 6d to £5 6s 6d, choppers £4 8s 6d to £lO Is-; light baconers £5 4s 6d to £5 12s 6d, medium £5 17s 6d to £6 2s 6d, £6 4s 6d to £6 9s 6d, extra heavy £6 12s 6d to £6 19s 6d. The average price per lb was 9pi to '