CANTERBURY COMMERCIAL.

New Zealander, Volume XX, Issue 2080, 2 April 1864, Page 4

CANTERBURY COMMERCIAL.

y<>! Marc! i 19. Business during the 'past week has been more"lively than usual; several large auction sales have been well attended, and high prices given for superior stock. Farmers are busy securing; the latter ha-vest,-and : thrashing and delivering grain ; ■ and every machine on the plains appears to. be in constant work. .A powerful combined thrashing and winnowing machine, ,of American invention, with 7 horse steam power, has. just,arrived, and is already engaged to thrash many thousand bushels. This unusual activity so soon, after harvest, must soon be beneficially felt from the large amount; of; ready money it will bring into circulation, but we would- caution our farmers against failing into wha.t was considered (be greatest error a farmer could make in the old country, viz., have his-thrashing more forward than his plougliih'g.Ji The'want of money, as well as the price of wheal, has no doubt tempted;; larger, sales at ;this , time of year -than .usual, but the -time has now come when all that can, should hold out. - • , • , ■ ■ . The market.reports of the last, month, from, the various, ■places likely to laffeot us, show not only a rise in the price of wheat and flour, but supplies do'not appear to come to hand in that regular way usual in this season, evidently, showing either a scarcity, or a speculation on a scarcity, and consequent rise in prices. The supplies to both Melbourne and Auckland, appear to have been irregular, and''now Otago is suffering in the same way. From the last place We have already purchasers for flour: one lot purchased in Otago , some fJ months back by a Christchurch merchant [was .resold at a large profit, and all the available flour in; both Lyttelton,, and --Christchurch . has changed hands for, the ;Otago • market at £25 per ton, being nearly 7 per cent., higher than the farmer got for his wheat. This sudden demand r for flour from a place we have so lately been purchasing from, ’had considerable effect on our market to-day. Although the attendance was good, there was but little disposition to sell, and onbljjle other hand -various causes prevented any 1 active enquiry from purchasers, the millers being "full, the general tightness of money, together with the high price and scarcity of sacks, and the cost of i storage, seem to deter speculators. ’ Hardly any wheat changed hands ; we heard of one or two lots fetching 6s. 6d. per bushel, at which price we may quote the market to have closed. _ j. Barley comes to hand slowly, -good; samples in large quantities, are scarce.’ Malt sters .report no alteration in price; - ss. to ss. Gd. appears the usual rate, with perhaps a little more for a ..choice lot. . Grinding hapley is offered in small lots at 4s. to 4s. 6d. per bushel. : Oats still remain dull of sale’; the late large arrival in Auckland has put a stop to speculation for -that market, and, as the few orders we have for export are purchased, there remains but little to' be done in this article ; former - quotations are barely maintained. Potatoes—After twelve months’ scarcity and high price of this article,'the new crop is welcomed with pleasure by all; the season appears to have been particularly, suited to

them, as the quality is excellent and the crops are reported good. .£5 10s. to £6 per ton is asked by the growers. Hay—With the exception of the retail, the hay trade is. quite at a stand still; a good speculation is open to any' enterprising 7 individual ! who would obtain a portable press■ for, the purpose of - pressing a portion of: our immense stock of, hay for export. - Large lots could now be purchased cheapj the retail dealers report £3 to £4 per ton as extreme prices. : , , ; Straw—Being more abundant than last year, is delivered readily at £1 to £ 1 ss. per ton: —Canterbury Press.