WAIKATO STOCK MARKET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21910, 20 September 1934, Page 7

WAIKATO STOCK MARKET

BEEF SECTION STRONG ADVANCE IN PIG PRICES Beautiful weather prevails ami only a little moisture is needed to encourage growth. The stock markets in all branches are extremely active and there seems every probability that the unusually high and advancing tendency of beef may create for the subsidiary classes entirely false standards. With fat bullocks touching £lO, a price undreamed of a month ago, it is hardly to be expected that stores will remain uninfluenced. Forward cattle certainly are bound to reflect the movement and it can but be hoped that it may be possible to maintain a high beef level long enough to - make the fattening profitable. Bullocks for this purpose are new being sought in all directions, the fancy for these haying quite overshadowed all other grazing classes. With mutton a contrary tendency is to be observed. Sheepmen are now combing their flocks for dry ewes and the markot on Tuesday provided evidence in abundance of this operation. Forward buying of sheep continues. One good line of five-year-old ewes in the Gisborne area was dealt with at 20s, and two-tooths from 23s to 2os. Keenness to purchase in this fashion is not general and unless lower rates prevail the majority, it is expected, will prefer to await the fairs. Conditions as they affect the separate sections are: — BEEF At the central yard* on Tuesday an average entry was penned, much of it of good quality. Keenness in competition wa» early evident,' resulting in a further sharp advance. Heavy ox was ija equally as good demand as lighter cattle, a line estimated at about JOOOIb. reaching £l6. One single animal touched £l6 ss, the highest value recorded for many years. Cow and heifer beef also advanced correspondingly, wellfinished Shorthorn heifers making as high as £lO 15s. Extra well done runners made to £7 ss, with lighter weight* at £3 5s to £4. Prime ox sold to 325; ordinary, 26s to 295; prime heifer, 28s to 30s; prime young cow, 24s to 265; ordinary cow, 19s to 21s; rough, 15s to 17s. MUTTON A full entry was penned at Prankton this week, with ewes greatly predominating. The decline in this claßs wa« from 3a to 4s a head, but in wethera, which were less plentiful, it was not so marked, probably from la to 2s. All of tbcee were traded, but many lines of ewes were held over. Hoggets also were slightly easier. Spring lambs were short of last week's figures. Best woolly wethers made to 29s 9d; medium, 25s to 275; shorn wethers, 23e to 255; shorn ewes, 18s to 20s; heavy woolly ewes, 21s to 235; medium, 19s to 20s 6d; unfinished, from 16s 6d; hoggets, 18s to 23e, except for occasional better animale to 255;; spring lambs, 23s to 30s. STOKE CATTLE

The past week has been responsible for a general improvement in this section and ■with fairly large offerings to be submitted shortly, buyers are almost certain to be caught in a generous humour. Unfortunately grown bullocks do not figure too prominently in the sale announcements, for it is toward this class that preference leans. Yearling tfteers which were popular earlier have dedined in favour, most graziers preferring cattle that can be brought to maturity earlier. Tn-calf cattle have also settled back somewhat, but possibly only temporarily. Values to-day are not above the rates ruling last year. In local classes a strong hardening tendency is apparent. Young Jersey cows are being more freely sought by grariers than usual and certainty at the price now obtainable should show profitable results. Jeraty yearling heifers have been realising high figures, but no doubt on account of the small number at present offering. The inquiry is by no means extensive and some difficulty may be found in unloading when the main supplies come forward. These at the moment are hardly in saleable condition.

STORE SHEEP This class still remains poorly represented. The inquiry is usually strong at this period and this season forms no exception. It is a pity that some means of meeting it could not be found. Supplies from Gisborne suffer too much delay in trnnßit. Shearing in Waikato hill districts might be undertaken much earlier; it would assuredly be at--1 tended with profitable results.

DAIRY CATTX.fi At some recent sales a stronger tone hae been observed. The great difficulty is to obtain cattle qualified in all respects to do the work • required of them. Good animals are extremely rare and only to be assembled with great difficulty. At a recent sale a herd of low-conditioned Jersey cowa made up to £9 10s, the average reaching £6 sa. Good heifers at the same event made from £6 to £B. Average rates are for good sorts. £5 to £6 10s; medium, £4 to £4 15s; small, from £2 15s. PIG S Good entries and good competition doscribe the position in this section. At IT runston on Tuesday all classes showed improvement. Baconers and porkers advanced from 3s to 4s a head, and store pig» 2s. The top prioe secured for baconers was £* la. a record eo far. KOPU AND COROMANDEL [BY TKMCGBA.PH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] THAMES, Wednesday A heavy yarding of dairy cattle was again offered at the stoCk sale conducted by JJalgety and Company, Limited, at Kopu this week. Well-grown, good-conditioned Cattle, close to profit, were in demand, while small low-conditioned and backward sorta were dull of sale. An extra large offering of beef was penned, and prices for good Quality prime cattle again showed an advance on the previous sale, best heifer beef making to £9 ss. Rough beef and stores were firm at late rates. A good average yarding of pigs was offered, and competition for young and store pigs was particularly keen. Fats made current price. Values were:—Dairy cattle: Best springing dairy cows and heifers, from £6 10b to £7 10s; good, £6 10s to £6 ss; others, £8 IBs to £5; backward, aged and inferior sorts, £1 10s to £8 10s; best calved dairy cows and heifers. £6 to £6; others, £1 10s to £4 10s. Beef cattle: Heavy prime fat cows and heifers, £7 to £9 ss; medium prime, £5 10s to £6 16s; light prime, £4 10s to £5 ss; other fat cows, £2 15s to £4; fresh store cows, £1 10s to £2 10s; stores and boners, to £1 Ss; yearling Jersey heifers, £1 12s 6d to £9 4s. Sheep; Fat ewes made £1 3s. Pigs: Heavy porkers, £2 to £2 Cs; medium, £1 16s to £2; light, £1 12s to £1 15s; stores, £1 8s to £1 16s; slips, £1 to £1 ss; best weaners, 16s to 20s; others, 8s to 15s; sows, due to farrow, £2 14s to £b 7s 6d; weaner Tamworth boars, from £1 12s to £2 6s, ■ • Dalgety and Company, Limited, report having held a stock sale at Coromandel yesterday, when a full yarding of all classes of stock was submitted. A good clearance was effected at satisfactory prfces. Values were:—Mixed coloured and Jersey eross three-year steers, £3 5s to £4 6s; ■ two-year. £2 13s to £2 17s; yearling mixed-coloured and Shorthorn steers, £9 to £2 7s; best, springing cows and heifers, £8 17s 6d to £4 15s; others, £1 10s to £3 10s; calved cows, to £3 2s 6d; grade bulls, up to £4 15s; yearling bulls, up to £2 10s; store cows, £1 to £1 15a.

COMPETITION AT HASTINGS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] HASTINGS, Wednesday A verv satisfactory sale was recorded' at Stortford Lodge to-day for beef cattle outsido buyers again providing keen competition. In an entry of 53C head,, from £ll to £l2 17s Gd was realised for prime heavy ox beef, while prime heavy cows and heifera sold to £9 There was an entry of 1500 head of store cattle. Competition was keen, with good quality fattening bullocks topping the £6 mark. Store sheep also sold brightly, ewe hogsets making to 268" Id. while ewes and lambs realised to 16« lOd. Fat sheep experienced a decline in values under slacker demand, falling from la 6d to 2s 6d per head* ewes making to 26s and wethers to 26s 6d. HIGH PRICES FOR HORSES DEMAND AT PUKEKOHE [from our own correspondent] PUKEKOHE, Wednesday The good prices for horses realised at recent sales were maintained at the sale conducted at Pjukekohe to-day by Alfred Buckland and Sons, Limited. There was a large yarding of just on 100 horses, and the demand was keen for all good workers. Young heavy draughts brought from £4O to £46 10s: aged heavy draughts, £lB to £BS; young medium draughts, £32 to £B6 10s; aged medium draughts, £23 to £29: ordinary farm horses, £l7 10a' to £25: light harness class, £9 to £l6 10s; hacks, £5 to £lO 10s; ponies. £4 10s to £9: unbroken light to medium two-yenr-olds, £l2 10s to £l9 10», WHOLESALE PRICE OF EGGS 1 The wholesale price of eggs in Auckland is unchanged as follows: —Hen, A grade, llid a dozen; B grade, lOJd; | duck, A grade, 10Jd; B grade, 9id. j