ASHBURTON BAM AND IS EWE FAIR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIX, Issue 9994, 24 March 1893, Page 6

ASHBURTON BAM AND IS EWE FAIR.

The annual ram and ewe fair was held at Ashburton yesterday, when the number of sheep entered and the prices obtained were the beet on record. Over twenty thousand ewes and fully a thousand rams were yarded. The general opinion at the beginning of the Dale was that there were move sheep entered than there were buyers for, but the result proved this to be incorrect. The bidding was spirited throughout, and the prices obtained very satisfactory. The sale opened with a line of aged merino ewes from Mr Wright—a good lot certainly, but the price at which they sold, 9a 3d, shows how keen was the competition. Merino ewes sold at from 7s for very inferior - mouthed lots, up to 9a 2d for good sorts. A lino of 500 two-tooth cross-bred ewes from Mr Herring, Alford station, wore knocked down to Mr Wright at 16s Id. These wore a beautiful line of sheep, and although the highest priced, were as good value as anything sold throughout the day. ’For cross-bred ewes the prices varied from 8a 6d for old, failing-mouthed lots up to 16a Id for first-class young sheep. Owing to the large number of ewes to soil, the sale of rams did not begin until lata in the afternoon, and was not finished when our dispatch left. At that time the best price obtained was 10 guineas for a Shropshire Down ram bred by Mr Grigg. Mr J. Holmes’ Border Leiesstera . averaged about 3 guineas, and his stud Lincoln rams sold as high as 5} guineas. Mr Friedlouder had a particularly nice lot of rams in the sale, hia Hampshire Downs going as high as 9 guineas, and his Lincolns from guineas up to 9 guineas. Hia half-bred rams from the Leslie Hills ewes by his own Lincoln rams, sold freely at from 3i to 4 guineas, being a very useful, wellgrown class of sheep. Mr Bonifant’s English Leicesters sold at from 5 to 6 guineas for aged rams,, and 4| to 5J for ram iambs. Old and inferior rams sold at guinea to H guineas, very few being passed. Southdowns, of which there were not many entered, sold at about 1 guinea each. Ou the whole, the sale was a most satisfactory one, and the large number of sheep that have been sold during the week (over forty thousand) proves that the Ashburton district is one of the best sheep markets in New Zealand.