STOCK MARKETS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 31 October 1925, Page 12

STOCK MARKETS.

CONDITIONS STILL IMPROVING

UPWARD TREND MAINTAINED

The outstanding feature of the past week or two has been the wonderful growth of grass all over the district and the consequent relief to farmers and recovery of stock thereby. It will be interesting, as it concerns market figures and conditions, to recall that some time before the cold, wet spell broke and spring came in with a bound, an experienced farmer said he believed that so soon as the warm weather came the pastures would come with a rush. And so it happened. A leading dairy farmer says that in his district in 10 days from the break of the weather there was any amount of feed. This was a wonderful means of recovery' for the dairy stock. In that section of the stock market there is practically nothing doing. Most farmers have stocked up with heifers just on calving or already calved, and the demand is practically nil.

Fat stock, really prime, are very scarce, hut there has b£en fair business in fat cattle in good condition. It is expected that in the course of a week or 10 days the range of prices will be known, and that will tend to stabilise the market. There is little doing in store cattle, and will not be until the works begin operations. . Lambs are doing well, and are rapidly approaching prime condition. They will naturally he a bit backward as compared with last year. There is practically nothing doing in sheep, because farmers are just about to begin shearing. It may be not without interest to recall that last year at this time the prices for wethers off the shear ruled from about 38s up to 47s for good quality, nud in store sheep 24s to 345. It is difficult to forecast the position until after the .first wool sale, but shrewd judges hazard the opinion that it will he about 5s less. Taken all round the position from the farmer’s point of view generally _ is pretty good, especially where he maintained his farm in»good heart and had liberal supplementary fodders, and where consequently his stock were well nourished and in good condition.