GRAIN AND PRODUCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11180, 30 January 1897, Page 4

GRAIN AND PRODUCE.

Theinquiryfor both old and new-wheat-for the North Island still continues in thelocal market, and during the past few days • several fair-sized parcels have been taken for shipment on the basis of 4s-s£d and 4s-, 6d f.o.b. for old grain and 4s Ojd for neyAmongst the local transactions in the latter are lines of 1100 bushels and 600 bushels of Hunter’s and 600 bnshels of Pearl; and of the old stocks 1500 sacks of Pearland 500 sacks each of Tuscan and Hunter’s. The first large sale or new season’s wheat is reported from.. the Ashburton district, where a hue-; of 12,000 bushels is said to have- changed., hands at 3s lid, in trucks.' Local millers .are fairly well stocked.and seem independent of the new crop, although the mu s are running night and day to cope witn the local orders and shipping contracts! ok x flour. This points to the conclusion that last year’s yield was considerably more than was expected, and it could have een little, if any, short, of the estimates formed by the* Agricultural Department. Complaints are again ma this year of tho practice of fanner threshing straight out of tho-stook. &0 . of the samples of wheat which, have com to market show unmistakeable Si.? 03 having been threshed before ari n-upoi-tunity was given tho grain to The consequence is that the ■grain shave*. 0 very soon, and is entirely- unsuitable for'milling or storing. Any samples of prune 1 malting barley are readily snapped up at quotations, and the opinion is gaining ground that this class will be very short this year. A sample which has comedown from the Blenheim district, which generally grows excellent barley, is °* very poor quality, and it is reported that this crop in the Marlborough district is more or less a failure. The demand for oats, either old or new, [does not seem to improve, and very few sales are reported, although some very fair samples have beei? shown. Amongst the parcels of new season’s which have changed hands are a line of 800 sacks of fair average Duns at Is 9d, ex store, Christchurch. Ryegrass is now coming forward freely, and there are still numerous inquiries from the North Island, .and sales continue to be made at from 2s 3d up to 2s 9d for extra heavy, clean, old pasture seed. Very few samples of cocksfoot have been offering from the Bays, and this is generally attributed to the fact that several local and Dunodin buyers are now on the Peninsula. A large quantity of both ryegrass and cocksfoot will be wanted in' Canterbury this year to sow down the pastures which have been ruined by the recent fires, the area of which is stated to be quite 10Q,000 acres. Although Early Rose potatoes and onions are both offering, it is difficult to-give any idea of prices, as sellers’ and buyers’ ideas, of values are at present-very far apart. The following are current prices for-old grain and the prices at which tho-new - season’s has opened; — Wheat. —Pearl (prime milling), old 4s 6d, new-4s; Tuscan, old 4s sd,..new 3s lid; Hunter’s, old 4s sd, new 3s 10d; good seconds, old 3s 4d to 3s 6d, new 3s. Oats.— Old milling, 2s Id; stout feed, old 2s, new Is lid ; Duns and Danish, old Is lid, new Is lOd, Barley. —Malting,, prime, old 3s-6d, new 4s; medium, old 2s 9d to 3s, new-3s 3d to 3s 6d. Flour.— Millers quote roller .£ll 10s, stone .£lO 10s,. sharps .£3 ss, bran £2 15s. Oatmeal. —.£ll ids. ** Oatshrap Chaff. —Nominally 40s to 42s 6d at handy country stations for prime samples. Grass Seed.— Ryegrass,, farmers’ lots, 2s 4d to 2s 10d; machine-dressed 3s 9d, heavy-weight 4s to 4s 3d. Cocksfoot, farmers’ lines 3d to 3fd, town machinedressed 4Jd to 6d. Dairy Produce. Cheese 3d to 4d, loaf 3£d to 4Jd, Butter—Fresh factory 9d, prime dairy 6d to 7d, salt (in boxes) 5d to 7d. Bacon and hams 6£d to 7sd. The above prices, except where otherwise stated, are those paid to farmers f.o.b. Lyttelton.