MARKET REPORTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11226, 25 March 1897, Page 3

MARKET REPORTS.

ADDINGTON. There was a considerable falling off in the entries of sheep at Addington yesterday as compared with the record yarding of last week, but still all classes were well represented. Cattle of all kinds were in excess of requirements. An average yardin<i- of piers met a ready sale. There was a very good attendance of farmers, graziers and others. Entries for the day comprised 17,304 sheep and lambs, 531 head of cattle and 394 pigs. Fat Cattle.— Of the 220 which formed the week’s supply of beef over 60 wore dealers’ lines, and were dealt with privately. Those which were auctioned wore very mixed in quality, containing a rather largo proportion of light-weight heifers and more cow beef than usual. The demand was not equivalent to the supply, and a dragging salo resulted in a decline of quite Is per 1001 b in all classes, whilst many lots were passed in. Dairy Cattle. — About 120 cows and springers wore on offer, but there was little or no demand for any of them and business was only clone with great difficulty, and at a considerable reduction in values when owners would submit to them, but most preferred holding to accepting the prices offered. The best price was £6 15s for good young springers, and very fair sorts could bo purchased at from £3 to £5, whilst aged and inferior could scarcely ho quitted at £1 10s to £2 10s. Store Cattle. —A rather smaller yarding of store cattle than that of last week came to hand, and the quality was scarcely so good, although two or three pens of very good three-year-old steers and heifers were on offer. On account of the length of tho dairy sale, nearly all the buyers bad left before this department was reached, and no business worth mentioning was done at auction. Fat Sheer. This class was rather better represented than it was last week, and included some very prime cross-bred wethers, but the bulk of the entry consisted of cross-bred ewes, many of them being of excellent quality. Competition for wethers was fully up to last week’s standard, and honours for the top of the market were divided between Messrs Price Bros., of Birdling’s Flat, and Mr A. Johnson, of Hagley Park, the former having the best line of wethers seen in tho market this season, and tho latter a few very nice Lincoln cross wethers. Both lines realised 13s 4d, and were, if anything, a trifle on the heavy side for the trade during the present warm weather. A beautifully-finished lino of merino wethers from Mr J. Dysart, of Canterbury, brought 9s a piece. The sale opened fairly well for ewes, but after tho first alley had been disposed of the market weakened considerably, and the better classes showed a decline of 6d per head on last week’s values, whilst aged sorts suffered to the extent of quite Is (5d per head. Towards the close qf the sale great difficulty was experienced in quitting anything which showed the slightest suspicion of age, and in some cases vendors declined to accept prices offered. Prices realised were ; —For prime crossbred wethers 11s Gd to 13s 4d, lighter sorts 9s 9d to 10s 9d: four and six-tooth maiden ewes Ss 6d to 10s, and up to 11s for an extra prime lot,- six and eight-tooth butchers’ ewes 7s to 8s 6d, fullmouthed do 5s to 7s, and aged sorts 3s lid to 4s lOd; merino wethers 4s to 9s. Amongst the principal sales were the following : For Mr T. D. Boag, Dunsanclel, cross-bred wethers 12s 3d, merino ewes 5s lOd ; Mr J. Henderson, Dunsandel, cross-bred owes 8s lOd; Mr P. D. Boag, Riccarton, cross-bred ewes 8s 3d, merino do 4s lOd; Messrs Bruce Bros., St Andrews, cross-bred -wethers 11s sd, and ewes 9s 2d; Messrs Cordy Bros., Whitecliffs, cross-Jared wethers 10s lid, maiden ewes 9s sd; Mr W. A. Pierce, Lauriston, cross-bred ewes Ss Id to 9s 7d; Miss Cordy, Coalgato, cross-bred ewes 8s 7d to 8s 9d ; Mr A. Johnson, Hagley Park, crossbred wethers 13s 4cl; Mr J. F. Rudd, Greendale, merino wethers and ewes 6s Id to 7s ; Mr W. Early, Springston, crossbred maiden ewes 9s Id to 9s 3d, cross-bred wethers 10s 9d to 11s 8d; Mr J., Collie, Orari, cross-bred wethers 12s 7d to 12s lid; Messrs Westenra Bros., Dunsandel, half - bred ewes 8s 4d to 9s Id, cross-bred do 9s Id to 9s 3d; Mr J. E. Campbell, Southbridge, cross-bred maiden ewes 10s 4d, cross-bred wethers 11s 4d; a Timaru line of cross-bred ewes and maiden ewes 9s; Mr J. M’Aulay, Oamaru, cross-bred wethers and maiden ewes 11s lid; Kaikoura cross-bred wethers 10s 6d; Messrs Price Bros., Birdling’s Plat, cross-bred wethers 12s 4d to 13s 4d; Hon J. T. Peacock, cross-bred wethers 11s 9d and ewes at 7s 8d to 8s 9d; Mr W. C. Webb, Riccarton, cross-bred ewes 9s 6d; Harris’s executors, Styx, cross-bred wethers and maiden ewes 11s 6d; Mr J. Brake, Prebbleton, cross-bred wethers 11s 2cl; Mr J. Stackhouse, Killinchy, cross-bred wethers 10s 5d to 10s lOd; Mr G. W. Holland, Brookside, cross-bred wethers 12s 6d; Mr J. Dysart, Courtenay, merino wethers, 9s.

Fat Lambs. —Tho fat lamb pens were again taxed to their utmost. About half the yarding consisted of good sorts, with a few pens of extra prime, but again a number of backward lots should have been relegated to the store pens. Any lines fit for export met good competition, and late values were fully maintained, and in some instances exceeded, the advent of another buyer for export having the effect of making matters brisk for this class. The poorer sorts, however, did not meet such a good salo, as most buyers for finishing had satisfied their wants in the store pens. Freezing lambs brought 9s 9d to 11s Bd, butchers’ medium lines 8s to 9s 6d, and unfinished lots 6s 3d to 7s 9d. Amongst the principal sales were: —For Mr J. Overton, Prebbleton, at 11s; Newhig-gin Estate, 10s; Mr W. Widdowson, Lauriston, 11s 2d to 11s fid ; Harris’s executors, Styx, 11s; Mr G. Trott, Springston, 10s sd; Mr R. H. Wood, Cheviot, 10s 2d; Moorhead’s estate, Leeston, 10s lid; Mr W. Ivory, East Oxford, 10s to 11s; Mr E. Spencer, Styx, 10s 3d; Mr T. Stone, Ashburton, 10s 5d ; Mr J. D. Campbell, Brookside, 11s Id; Mr J. Gcmraell, jun., Sheffield, 10s; MrJ. Walker, Dunsandel, 10s sd; Mr J. Stackhouse, Prebbleton, 10s 6d; Mr E. M. Morten, Ahuriri, 10s 2d to 10s 9cl; Mr J. Henderson, Dunsandel, 11s sd; Mr P. Bull, Waddington, 10s 2d; Mr J. S. Boag, Dunsandel, 10s lei; Mr T. D. Boag, Avonhead, 10s 4d to 10s 8d; MrJ. Lulcey, Waikari, 10s 9d; Mr J. Boag, Brookside, 11s 7d; Oamaru lines, 8s lOd to 10s; Sir John Hall, Hororata, 10s 9d; Anama Estate, 9s 2d to 10s 3d; Mr P. W. Bradshaw, Timaru, 11s 2d; Mr J. W. Johnson, Glenavey, 10s to 10s 8d; Mr R. Wall, AOs 6d; Mr J. Scales, Prebbleton, 10s 9d to 11s.

Store Sheep.— Tho yarding of store sheep, although only about half that of the previous week, was quite sufficient for requirements. The entry included a large line of cross-bred wethers, two or three fair-sized lots of good young ewes, a largo lino of lambs, some very nice mixed two-tooths and a number of small lots of ewes of mixed ages. Considering that the' season for breeding ewes is now well advanced, and that many large country sales have been held during tho past week or two, competition for any sound lines was good, but aged and fail-ing-mouthed showed an inclination to

drag. Good healthy lambs were in fair demand, but the -weaker sorts were somewhat sluggish of sale. Good forward wethers for finishing sold well, considering that it is rather early yet for putting them on turnips, of which there are now some splendid crops in tho country. This department, however, was considerably interfered with, as when it was about halfway through the fat lamb sale started, and the large attendance round the store pens was greatly reduced, and from this out business was less brisk. Amongst the larger lines sold were 1200 four-tooth crossbred wethers from Flaxbourne, Marlborough, at 9s 6d. Of a line of 1400 small cross-bred lambs from Cheviot about half were sold at from 5s 5d to 5s 8d; a line of 800 mixed two-tooths from the south were withdrawn at 7s, and 200 nice, healthy two-tooth, cross-bred ewes changed hands at 8s 3d to 8a sd. Quotations are -. —Good forward turnip wethers 9s to 10s, backward sorts Ss to 9s ; good two-tooth mixed sexes 7s 9d to 9s, inferior do Gsto7s6d; twotooth owes Gs Gd to 8s sd, four and sixtooth do 7s Gd to 9s, sound-mouthed do 6s 4d to 7s, and aged sorts 3s to 6s ; good lambs (factory rejects) 7s 6d to 8s 9d, maiden sorts 6s to 7s, and small do 3s to 5s ; sound merino ewes 2s Gd to 3s Bd, and boilers Is to Is 4d.

Pias.—An average yarding of pigs contained a rather larger proportion than usual of prime grain-fed baconers and porkers. These sold at quite up to 31d per lb. There was good competition for threeparts fat sorts and stores, a buyer from tho Clutha district assisting materially to keep up prices. The range of values per head was:—Baconers 30s to 46s Gd, porkers 20s to 2Gs, throe-parts fat kinds 20s to 295, and stores 9s Gd to 21s.