MARKET REPORTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 14222, 19 November 1906, Page 2

MARKET REPORTS.

NORTH OTAGO. [From Oun Correspondent.] * OAMARU, October 17. Business in the grain market has been interrupted by the agricultural sliov,', but a little lias been done in all classes of produce. Transactions have however, been confined to. small lots. ’ Wheat has been sold at the following rates Tuscan '3s sid f.0.b., Velvet from 3s to Ss 3d on trucks at country stations, according to quality and railage, and 3s 3d f.0.b., Redchaif i Id to 3s 2d at country stations, and 3s 4d f.o.b. For a fair-sized parcel of «diole fowl wheat 3s 3d f.o.b. was obtained. Gats arc now getting scarce, and the only variety available is Gartons, of which sales have been made at 2s and 2s Old at country stations, and 2s 2d f.o.b. A good business, lias been done in potatoes, which are in request and hard to obtain. Prices have hardened a little, sales -having been made at £lO 15s net to grower, on trucks at country stations, and £ll 10s and £ll 15s f.o.b. OXFORD. At the Oxford fortnightly sale on Thursday there w r as a small entry of sheep, when prices showed an improvement owing to splendid rains which have in the district. Fat ewes brought to 21s (id, fat v/others to 235, ewes and lambs (all counted) to 13g 6d, wether hoggets to, 16s 6d. Cattle met witn a poor demand, the bulb of the entry being passed in.

DARFIELD. On Friday, at the_ Darfield market there was only ia limited entry, about 700 sheep being yarded, principally stores. Merino ewes with lambs formed , the bulk, a few hoggets and on© pen of wethers making up the entry of stores. Fata numbered about 60, dll cross-bred owes. Thera was a -poor attendance, and only a small business was don© at auction. 1 The sales were:—Fat cross--bred ewes (shorn) 17s 8d to 17s 10d, forward cross-bred wethers (shorn), 17s 3d, hoggets (shorn) 12s 4<l, merino owes , (in the wool) with lambs 6s to 8s 2d (all counted). Shorn merino ewes were withdrawn at 5s Sd. LEESTON. At Leeston on Friday there were fairly large entries of stock, and a good attendance. Fat cattle sold fully up to late rates. Store and dairy cattle found a dull sale. Owing to improved feed prospects sellers.increased their reserves beyond buyers’ limits. The bulk of fat cattle were of prime quality. There was a fairly brisk competition, and prices were fully equal to' 1 these ruling at the sale pyior to th© holidays. Store cattle found a fair entry, mostly young sorts. Fat sheep advanced about Is torts Gd per head. These wore mostly shorn, and the quality was above the average. There was a record entry of pigs, and as a result prices were' easier. Prices wore:—Sheep—Eighteen cressbred ewes at 17s 9d, 6 cross-bred ewes at 17s 6d, 22 cross-bred ewes at 16s Id, 16 fat crces-bred ewes at 'l6s 2d; 80s fat cross-bred ewes at 18s. Cattle: —Fats—Steers £7 to £l3, heifers £4 IQs to £8 10s, cows £5 to £7, equal to 24s to 26s 6d for prime, and 21s to 23s for medium per 1001 b. Store and dairy—Fifteen to eighteen-months old made S2s to 40s, two-year-old steers £2 l:cs, two-year-old heifers £2 4s 6d, three-year heifers £4 17s 6d, dry cows 30s to £4. Dairy cows met with a. dragging sale at £8 to £7 10s per head. Pigs—Baoonens 40s to 54e, equal from 4d to 4id per lb, porkers 28s to 365, equal from 4)d to 5d per lb; stores 21s to 30s for largo, and weanens 12s to 20s. ASHBURTON PRODUCE SALEThere was a good attendance at the Ashburton produce sale on Saturday. The entry of poultry showed an increase on previous sales, and prices were slightly better. In the pig pens the entry was very large,' but prices were somewhat lower than late rates. Prices were:—Poultry—Hens, 2s 9d to 3s sd, roosters 3s to 4s Bd, pure-bred bens 4s to ‘ 6s, roosters 7s, ducks 4s to 5s 2d, geese £s 3d to 6s 3d, pigeons 9d, all at per pair, turkeys 8s each. Pigs—Weaners as to 10s, stores 12s 6d to 20s, porkers 21s 6d to 275, small . baooners 31s to 37s 6d. Produce.— Potatoes (good) 18s to 22s 6d, (inferior) 10s to 16s, seed 10s; wheat 9s 6d to lls, barley 12s, oats 8s 6d, all at per sack, peas 3s 6d per bushel. Th© auctioneers of the Farmers’ Association, Timaru, had a busy hour and a half on Saturday afternoon, in trying to dispose of a number of properties ■by public sale, but only one was dis-. posed of under the'hammer, this, however, being the principal of them; There was a large crowd of men present when the paddocks of Marchwill, formerly the property of the Luxmore family, about two miles from Timaru Post Office, were offered. The whole, 148 acres, was put up first in one lot, a subdivision plan being- provided in case a satisfactory price was not obtained for the whole. Easy terms were offered. The first bid. was £4o'an acre. This was increased to £56 10s at which gioa the property was sold to Mr W. . Macdonald, of Orari. There was some applause when the buyer’s name was announced. Two valuable propertied of Mr J. C. Scott were next offered. A large house overlooking Caroline Bay, at th© corner of tho Old Beverley property was started at £ISOO, and passed in at £1930. _ A block of five shops and_ dwellings in Stafford Street, bringing in a rental of £3B3 v was passed at the first and only bid of £6OOO. ~J. H. Martin’s form of 256 acres, on the Levels Plain, with growing crops, elicited only one bid of £7 an acre, and was passed. The site of Bruce’s oatmeal mill in Timaru,'a halfacre, on which is a chimney stack that cost many hundreds , (the_ wooden mill was burned down some time ago) was also passed on the only bid of £600., A three-quarter-acre section, with sixroomed house, just off- North Street, on Woodlands Street, started at £7OO, w.as passed at £IO6O. An eighth-acre, with five-reined cottage, on Latter Street, and only one hundred yards from the Post Office, ■ started at £SOO, was passed at £630. -A number of sections in the suburbs were put up and elicited no hid.