COMMERCIAL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 592, 9 August 1913, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

FIO riO STOCK SALE.

The usual monthly stock sale waa held in the Pio Pio sale yards on Friday. There was a lioou attendance of farmers and a few outside buyers. There was a fairly large yarding of cattle, but a poor entry of sheep, owing doubtless to the difficulty of driving them along the bad roads. Of the cattle steers of all ages predominated, but were for the most part in a backward condition, showing that the owners wished to dispose of them owing to shortness of feed. The entry of cows and heifers was disappointing. There were several small entries of each, but none could be called prime. One larger entry belonged to a higher grade, but even these did not command t'6. The calves on the whole were poor and backward; one good line of yearlings brought £2 17s. Three and four year steers, on the poor side, brought from £5 12a Gd to £7 7s Gd, dairy cows £5 10s to £6 12s Gd, heifers £5 Is 6d to £5 15s, empty cows £4 ss, yearling heifers £3 14s and empty heifers £3 10s; 15 steers and 11 heifer?, all calves, with a strong leaning to the Jersey, only reached 325. Of the sheep 200 fat weighty woolly wethers brought 19s Gd, ewes in lamb to Romney ram brought 17s 9d to 17s, hoggets 10s.

WESTFIELD FAT STOCK MARKET.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency reports: — At Westfield yards on Wednesday, fat cattle were yarded in large numbers, and of excellent quality. Bidding was scarcely as brisk as the previous week, and prices receded Is per 1001b. Be3t oxen 32a to par 1001b, others 27s to 31s, cows and heifers 2s to 275, steers from £l2 10s to £ls for heavyweights, others £9 15s to £l2 ss, cows and heifers £5 5s to £lO. Vealer calves were penned in good numbers, and again sold at high rates Heavy sold at £4 15s, medium weight £3 5s to £4 2s, lighter sorts to £2 19s, smaller and fresh dropped 3s to 355. Sheep were yarded in average numbers and sold at last week's rates, Best wethers 28s to 325, others to 27s 9d, heavy ewes 25s to 293, others to 24s Gd. A draft of 160 fat wethers from Mr F. ,Maning, of Moumakai, averaged 303 9d. Hoggets came forward in usual supply. Best 17s 3d to 235, others 13s 6d to IGs 9d. Pigs were yarded in large numbers, and sold at late rate. Large baconers made £4 10s to £5 lis, baconers £3 10s to £4 ss, large porkers £2 15s to £3 7?, porkers £2 to £2 14s, slips 25s to 30s, weaners 15s to 21s. BIG PRICES FOR SHEEP. Christchurcb. Wednesday.

At the Addington saleyards yesterday a new Australasian record for fat sheeD was put up in the sale of Mr F. Bull's Shropshire, Romney. and Shropshire cross wethers. Mr Bull has twice before held the record with £3 17s Gd two years ago, and last year his sheep reached t'f. At the sale yesterday this record was further improved upon, and now stands at £l4 ins. A pen of three two-shear Rom-ney-Shropshire cros3 wethers, which have won two first prizes at tne Dunedin Winter Show, were firat knocked down to Dixon Bros, at £9 10s, three other sheep of the same age and breeding brought V.6. the buy r being Mr F. H. Steel. The sensation of the sale came when three two-shear Shropshire wethers. which beat the crossbreds at the Malvern show, were sold under keen competition to Dixon Bros, at £ls 1 03 per head, and established a new Australasian record. Three more of the same age and breed Went to Mr H. Bull at £7 os. and three to Mr F. Fairey, of Nelson, at £-1 15s. All the sheep were magnificent specimens, and the sale caused considerable excitement.