ADDINGTON MARKET

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21436, 30 March 1935, Page 20

ADDINGTON MARKET

GOOD ALL ROUND DEMAND Possibly the rain which fell steadily throughout Wednesday afternoon and the dampening effects (of which farmers did not appear to take much notice) were responsible for the brighter tone at the weekly market. It can be appreciated that for all grazing stock a hardening was natural, as the rain ensured some feed for them where previously it threatened to be absent. All through it was an excellent sale and quite the best of the season as far as ewe values were concerned. It cannot be said that they were quite up to Ihe high rates at the fairs, but considering quality they were not far behind them. Good sorts of four-year-old ewes were making up to 22s 9d. and some of these were fairly strong in the wool. Ordinary made from 18s to 20s. and older sheep from 13s to 15s. Some of the latter were very backward in condition and appeared rather dear buying, and the same could be said of a number of pens of full and failing-mouthed ewes at 8s to lis. Their value, of course, to the buyer is largely regulated by the feed available for them, and it is to be assumed that buyers are equipped m this respect. The inclusion of a number of outside lines of better than average quality helped to improve the general standard of the penning, which was slightly better than it has been for some sales. There have not been many ewe lambs in the market of late, but there were a few pens on Wednesday. and they made from 15s to 1/s 3d. On the few sales of lambs at the fairs Wednesday's price was quite moderate. The proportion of twotooth sheep forward was small, and it is apparent that there is not the number about this year. More have been required for replacement on the hign country, and another cause of the shortage is that there was an exceptionally heavy killing of ewe lambs last season. Periodically the unwisdom of this policy is stressed, and it would seem that with the talk of icstrictions the present is an opportune time to retain more ewe lambs in the flock, that is, if the feed position will allow it. It is certainly questionable farming practice to send ewe lambs to the works at about 20s a head when it is costing quite that to secure a ewe to raise another lamb The following is a range of values compared with those ruling at the corresponding sale last year:— ifarrh 28, iTnrch27, J'.>.■) 1 1935. Kves— *• '• s " S " . lCx. good 2-th ? Horn. - < n ' - Good "th Rom. 2S to :>'! Inf. 2-th il-<I • 17 1 ,0 ' Cioorl 2-111 Atul to ft - - »'> Mt-d. 2-th slid Ord. s.m, 'ibd 17' Ito 10J J.'j tu ' tiood 4 yr TV>ni. orin ernss tf ' *":} Good 4-yr. *hd »« -- J n Ord. 4-vr. ibd 10 to 21 3 to Ul Fat Lambs Quite different from last year the value of export lamb is steadily declining as the season advances. Last season there was a steady appreciation in the schedule as the season advanced. and at this period last season prices were a halfpenny per lb better than those ruling at present A big proportion of the lambs forward showed the severe conditions they had passed through, and it was not suiprising that the "tail" of them were taken by graziers. It will take some time for the feed produced by the recent rains up for satisfactory fattening, and it is fairly plain

that in the aggregate the Jambs from this province this season will be the lightest for a number of years. There are no more heavy lambs coming forward than will supply the needs of the local trade. Ex. prime heavy to to oO l'rimo heavy . . 23J to 20 22 to 25 Med. weighn prime 20J to 23 10 to^X-i j Light ■■ 10 to 10 :i> to 18i | Fat Sheep j The small entry on Wednesday was [responsible r a very firm sale and the restricted competition of exporters for the better finished sheep had little effect on values—the butchers wetted most of those forward. They hau to pay more than export rates for them, the heavy wethers in particular being i very firm at Is to Is 6d a head dearer. | The lighter sheep showed little change, altl. Th the demand was not so free as a week before. The absence of the "rationed" export firm from the competition was probably a factor in this respect. Wethers — Ex. prime heavy --- to to 34J Prime heavy .. 2 3 to 2j£ 27 to 2!) Prime mod. ■weight 21 to 22£ 24 to 26^ Ordinarv . . 10 to 20-j to 23^ Light " ..151 to 18i loi to 10 Ewes— Kx. prime heavy to 2.T to 253 Prime heavy .. 20 to 22 20a to 23J Prime mod. weight 37J to 10J 1 fij to .19} Ordinarv .. 14i to 17 Light . . 10 to 14 9 to 12 Fat Cattle Possibly because the quality at the preceding sale was the cause of so much criticism vendors of real beef rather over-supplied the market on Wednesday. The entry was comprised largely of steers, and most of them were good quality. Fortunately the cow element this week was not allowed to flood the market as it was the previous week, and this prevented values from slipping to a very marked

extent. The sale, nevertheless, was very erratic, there being a difference of quite 15s a head various stages of the market for the same quality of cattle. The steers sold draggingly over the earlier stages and were down in value by quite 15s a head, but in the last race of the sale this loss was largely recovered. Good to medium cows and heifers did not show much change, this class being no more than was required by the trade. Most of the better beef sold from 21s to 23s per 1001b.

Steers — Kx. prima lieavy - to H i to H 5 Prime heavy . . 7J to 9% S.I to 9*j Trirue mod. weight to 8 7£ to Si Ordinary . . SJ to 6 4 to 6J Tj.'ijht . . to 3 ■ — to oil Heifers— Kx. prime heaiy - to 8& Prime heavy .. 4$ to 6J 43 to 65 Medium . . F! to 4i PJ to 4£ Light. .. ■ — to 2 J ■ — to 3 Cows — Kx. prime . , to 7J to 7J. Prime . . 33 to 6 4 to 6 Ordinary ■ . "J to Si to S3 Light and aged —to -to 2J