THE STOCK MARKETS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 17 October 1925, Page 7

THE STOCK MARKETS.

SOME IMPROVEMENT. FAT CATTLE STILL VERY SCARCE Warm spring weather has been continued, and .the results are very apparent in the rapidly improving pastures. Dairy farmers report that their milk supply is going up rapidly as the result of the cows getting a. fairly ample feeding of fresh green grass, their natural fodder, which does them better than any other supplied them to tide over the scarcity of the winter. Their turning away from the dry hay, and even the rich mangold and carrot and the ensilage, is very marked. The general improvement will be rapid, but it is not 'anticipated that they will recover all the lost ground.

Men interested in fat cattle all report that they are still practically unprocurable, and that the shortage will continue for some time. Household supplies have been very much affected by -the shortage. Dairy stock has not been selling well, but the position is reported as very variable in different districts. This must be assumed to be due to the condition in different parts accord, ing to the state of the pastures. Where these are good farmers would naturally be inolined to stock up more freely than in parts where feed is backward. But generally they are chary of buying to any extent. The demand for dairy cows close to profit generally sets in about July, and from that date steadily hardens. The reports of bull sales show a fairly good demand at satisfactory prices. A noteworthy feature ‘has been the consistently brisk bidding and the demand from districts outside South Taranaki.

Store cows are in keen demand, but are hard to get even at big prices. It looks as though the difficulty will be more pronounced in the course of a few weeks.

The bad spring had a deleterious effect on ewes, which are generally reported as not in too good a. condition ; but the lambs have suffered less. Probably the drain of nervous energy on the part of the ewes in suckling their lambs in a time when the pastures were bare and the weather was wet and cold has been pretty severe. Lambs generally are reported to be looking well. Ewes with lamb at foot are in good demand and selling freely. Generally the position all round, though improved materially, has not yet recovered, and it will be some time before it reaches normal. It seems probable that the season will not reach the usual bloom of spring, and will be backward all along the line.