PRODUCE MARKETS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 69, Issue 79, 13 January 1949, Page 8

PRODUCE MARKETS

COMMERCIAL

First Line of Wheat is Received

Owing to the unsatisfactory harvest weather, lines of oats, grass seed and lupin have been arriving at stores in an unsatisfactory condition, report the Ashburton grain, seed and produce merchants. Several lots have been returned to growers. The first line of wheat from the district was trucked on Tuesday. The line was in good condition, but the grain was on the lean side, reflecting the dry conditions before the grain had properly matured. It is fully expected that a large percentage of the wheat crops will be much below the quality submitted last season. Several lines of oats are also on the thin side, and buyers are showing no keenness to purchase in the meantime as the North Island demand is practically nil owing to large importations from Australia. Several lines of barley have been headed, and here again the grain js not in the plump condition it was last season.

The lupin crop has varied considerably. In odd cases very small yields are reported, but in other cases reasonable returns have been harvested. Very few sales have been made, as merchants’ ideas of value are in the vicinity of 7s a bushel, and growers are not prepared in the meantime to accept this figure. Samples of grass seeds submitted thus far have been light in weight, but no actual germination tests are yet to hand. The cocksfoot crop has just been reaped, and indications are that the yield will be small. The recent rains have proved beneficial to potato crops, which promise to yield well up to the average.

ADDINGTON STOCK MARKET FATS FIRMER, STORES DOWN (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 12. The store sheep entry at Addington to-day was 1:1,942, comprising 9901 lambs, 932 wethers, 839 ewes, and 271 ewes and lambs. The lambs were of good quality. The demand was not as. keen as at the opening sale last week, and prices were at par to 1/- easier, but still satisfactory. Toward the end of the sale the demand slipped further. Best lambs made 29s 6d to 33s 6d, and good rape lambs 26s 8d to 28s 9d. Medium lambs sold at 23s 9d to 26s 3d, and culls down to 18s 6d. Little interest was shown in adult sheep, and wethers were 2/- to 3/- lower than recently. Best made 34ei to 39s 6d, with culls down to 23s 3d. A line of Merinos made 14s 3d to 19s 6d. The ewes -were a mixed lot. A truck lot of two-tooth Corriedales made 40s, and a line of 209 useful aged Romney halfbreds sold at 28s Id. The remainder made down to 10/-. A line of 98 useful ewes with 94 Down-cross lambs* made 25s 3d all counted.

The fat lamb entry was 2010. Competition, especially for the few heavyweights, was keen, and prices for light lambs were well up to schedule. Butchers’ lambs were a shade dearer than last week: Values: Extra prime fat lambe, to 45s 7d; prime, 37s to 41s; good, 36s to 375; medium, 31s to 345; light, 27s to 295. The fat sheep entry was about 4500 the quality being good. The sale was the best for some weeks, and all classes were dearer —wethers by 3s to 4s, find ewes by about 2s 6d. Values: Extra prime heavy wethers, to 59s 7d: prime heavy, 50s to 545; prime med-ium-weight, 44s to 495; ordinary, 40s to 435; plain and unfinished, 35s to 39<s; prime heavy ewes, to 3Ss Id; prime, 28s to 31s; medium, 24s to 275; plain and unfinished, 21s to 235; extra heavy, 24s to 27Gi. District sales included: On account of J. Irwin (Rakaia), 87 wethers at 54s 7d to 59s 7d; L. A. Watson (Methven), 67 wethers at 53s Id V 58s ld > J - c - Irwin (Rakaia), 60 wethers at 54s to 57s 7d; W. A. Palmer (Rakaia), 41 wethers at 42s Id to 55s Id; estate L. Derrett (Seafield), 4 wethers at 526', 14 ewes at 25s 7d to 37s Id; H. C. Aschen (Ashburton Forks), 17 wethers at 41s Id to 49s Id; J. Reeder (Mayfield), 20 maiden ewes at 40s 7d to 42s 7d; F. L. Sutton (Ashburton), 12 wethers at 41s Id; T. C. McLaughlin (Rakaia), 24 ewes at 248 i7d to 31s 7cl; H. J. Egan (Pendarves), 70 ewes at. 1,9 s Id to 29s 7d; C. A. McLaughlin (Rakaia), 38 ewes at 25s Id to 28s Id, estate A. McKay (Methven), 65 ewes at 25s 7d to 27s 7d; W. T. Abbott (Rakaia), 2G ewes at 24s Id to 26s 7d; J. Shelley (Seafield), 40 ewes at 22s 7d to 23s at. The fat cattle entry was 477. I here were some good steers forward, but in the main the yarding was mixed. The demand was keen throughout, with prime steers and heifers about 30s dearer and cows about, 10s dearer. Best beef made to Gss per 1001 b, good 50s to 555, medium 42s (id to 47s Od, best cow to 42s Od, and secondary to 355. Values: Extra prime heavy steers to £3l 7s (id, prime heavy £24 to £27, prime medium-weights £2O to £23, ordinary and light £ls to £l9; extra prime heifers to £25 12s Od, prime £ls to £l7 10s, ordinary and light £lO lOs to £l2; extra prime cows to £l9 7s Od, prime £lO 10s to £l2 10s,ordinary and light £0 to £9 10s District sales included: On account of D. S. Studholme (Coldstream), 30 steers at £2l 2s Od to £3l 7s 0d; T. C. Dolan (Rakaia), 2 heifers at £lO 2s Od and £lO 7s od. There was a large yarding of porkers, and prices for heavy-weights dropped 5s to Ss. Light and mediumweights remained on a par with last week. Choppers were in small numbers, and prices were 20s higher. There was an overflow entry of baconers, but the sale was buoyant with the assistance of an outside buyer and values were about on a par with values last week. Values/: Light porkers £3 19s (id to £-1 I,ls (id, medium £4 ,14s Od to £5 0s (id. heavy £5 8s Od to £5 15s (id; choppers £5 to £8 10s, light baeoners £5 15s Od to £0 2s Od, medium £0 4s Od to £0 15s Od, heavy £0 17s Od to £7 Ss Od.