ALDINGTON MARKET

Grey River Argus, 21 July 1923, Page 2

ALDINGTON MARKET

FAT STOCK FIRM. GOOD STORE SHEEP SALE. CHRISTCHURCH, July 20. The conditions were not conducive to the attendance of any who were not directly interested in the sale. The day was drizzling and cold, and naturally the yards were sloppy. There were smaller yardings in store sheep and fat cattle, but fat sheep were forward in large numbers. The keen demand tliatJ has marked recent sales of breeding, ewes was quite maintained, and f; t cattle recovered something of the drop of the previous week. Both fat ewes and wethers met with a keen market, there again being a good proportion of wethers penned. STORE SHEEP. With only about 25 pens of stoic sheep forward, the smallest entry of the season, there was a keen demand. Prices realised were again high, values being a shade better than last week. A pen of 160 fine crossbred four, six, and eight-tooth ewes, showing well in lamb, was sold by Mr J. Connolly (Rakaia) for the good figure- of 40/-. Other good prices realised were 39/- for a line of fotir, six, and eight-tooth ewes and 38/6 for two different lines of four, six, and cight-tooths. A line of forward wethers made 31/4, and mixed sex hoggets 24/7. There were ro straight-out lines of ewe hoggets forward. Values were as under: — Good four, six, and eight-tooth ewer 39/6 to 40/-. Medium s. and fan. 26/- to 28/-. Aged and inferior ewes 19/- to 22/-. Good wether hoggets to 23/-. Small wether hoggets to 20/1. Medium mixed sex hoggets to 24/7. Forward wehers 29/- to 31/4. Medium wethers, to 27/11. The following wt?re the principal sales:— Ewes.—l 29 three-quarterbred at 25/-, 70 fan. at .1.9/-, 57 s. and fail, at 25/-, 52 three-quarterbred s, and fan. at 23/6, 212 s. and fan. 24/-, 239 s. and f.m. at 28/-, 134 four, six, and eighttooth at 39/-, 32 four, six, and eight tooth at 38/6, 169 six and eight-tooth crossbred at 40/-. Weihers.—6s two and four-toolh at 31/4, 53 four and six-tooth half bred at 27/11, 200 four and six-tooth half I red at 31/3. Hoggets.—7B wether at 22/11, 96 wether at 20/1, 85 m.s. at 24/7, 70 halfbred wether at 23/, 40 m.s. at 21/2, 53 wether at 21/9, 40 m.s. at 23/5, 96 small wether hoggets 20/1.

FAT CATTLE. r . he- yarding (,cmpr.’scd 30' head, as against 522 last week and 445 the prenouing sale. The entry was ihc smallest for a considerable time. The bulk comprised medium to good station lines from within the province. Two North Island drafts were forward, of 41 and 42 respectively. One lot comprised for the most part a good serviceable class of beef, but the other was ve-y hard, poor conditioned stuff, md averaged from £7 15/- to £ll 5/-. The line did. not sell badly, according to the market, but they were not the quality that will appeal to butchers or return a pro fit on the heavy transport cost. The market opened about the same as last week, but improved as it continued, more so for better classes of beef. Notwithstanding the heavy entries of the past few weeks there were still butchers who were short of supplies, and their competition kept the market firm in the final stages. There was practically a complete clearance. Best price was £l6 17/6 for a steer sold by W. IT. Mulligan (Maronan). Extra good beef made to 32/- per 1001 b, good 27/6 to 29/6, medium 24/6 to 26/6, and inferior from 22/6 down to 15/-. Values were:— Extra prime steers, £l4 15/- to £l6 17/6. Prime steers, £ll to £l4. Medium steers, £8 5/- to £lO 15/-. Inferior steers, £6 to £B. Extra prime heifers, to £ll 5/-. Prime heifers, £7 5/- to £9 p/-. Ordinary heifers, £5 12/6 to £7. Extra prime cows, to £9 5/-< Prime cows, £6 to £B. / Ordinary' cows,. £3-4.5/- to £5 15/,-.. FAT SHEEP. The entry comprised 94 races, compared with eight last week. Wethers were generally of very good quality, and there was a smaller proportion of inferior ewes than usual. There were some good lines of South Canterbury sheep. The market opened a shade better, particularly for wethers, than last week, and later the demand for ewes moved in sympathy. On the average values were from par to 1/- per head better for all good quality mutton. The market concluded firmly. A factor in the competition was the demand from the West Coast and provincial butchers, and several graziers bought the lighter halfbred wethers to carry over for shearing. Two of the companies operated to a slight extent, though generally the market was somewhat in advance of the improved figures they apparently were prepared to pay. Primo wether mutton made up to 7Jd per lb, good 6fd to 7;}d, medium 6|d to 6-1 d, prime ewe 6Jd to 6|d, medium 5Jd to 6d, light to sd. Top price for a pen was 46/- for nine wethers from J. J. Earle (Orari), but the most outstanding line was sold by L. IT. Adams (Aylesbury) 40 making from 40/1 to 44/3. the latter price for 15. Best ewe price for a pen was secured by E. Goss (Tinwald), nine at 39/-, but the outstanding draft was from Jas. Campbell (Eal-

ing), 54 selling at from 37/- to 38/3. Values were:— Extra prime wethers 41/6 to 43/-, a few special to 46/-. Prime wethers 38/- to 41/-. Medium wethers 34/6 to 37/6. Light wethers 29/6 to 34/-. Extra prime ewes 35/6 to 37/6, a few special to 39/9. Prime ewes 32/6 to 35/6. Medium owes 28/6 to 32/-. Light ewes 24/6 to 28/6. Old ewes 21/- to 24/-. VEALERS. The entry of vealcrs was again a small one. The quality was only medium. Owing to the supply not being equal to the demand a rise in prices took place. Values were: — Runners to £5 15/-. Good vealers £3 5/- to £5 7/6. Fair vealers £2 to £3. Small calves £1 to £1 15/-. STORE CATTLE. The entry was a small one, there being practically no steers forward. Both the cows and heifers were of a nondescript character, and the market was lifeless. Values were:— Two-year-old heifers 45/- to 50/-. Medium cows 25/- to 27/6. Inferior cows to 20/-. DAIRY CATTLE. The yarding of dairy cattle was about the same size as last week, when 27 head were penned. With the exception of several extra good lots sales were hard to make, the competition from local milkmen being poor. Medium to good sorts dropped by about £2 a head. The sale was irregular. Most of the heifers offered were in low condition, and were difficult to quit. Values were: — Extra good second, third, and fourth culvers to £l4. Medium to good second, third, and fourth culvers £3 10/- to £6 10/-. Extra good springing heifers to £l4. Springing heifers £3 to £6 10/-. Inferior and aged sorts to £1 10/-. FAT PIGS. There was a small entry of fat pigs. The demand and prices were about the same as last week. Values were:— Choppers £3 10/- to £7 10/-. Light baconers £3 15/- to £4 15/-. Heavy baconcrs £4 12/- to £5. Average prices per lb, 7d to 74d. Light porkers 40/- to 50/-. Heavy porkers 55/- to 65/-. Average price per lb 8d to 9d. STORE PIGS. Weaners 15/- to 18/-. Slips 19/- to 25/-. Medium stores 28/- to 36/-. Sows in pig £2 17/6 to £6 2/6.