SOUTHLAND MARKETS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15857, 1 September 1913, Page 4

SOUTHLAND MARKETS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

, IN ERCARGILL, August 30. iJie oate market continues about the 6amo as last week,'local merchants quoting'on the basis of 2s 6|d for A grade Cartons, fo.b. 8.1., Blair, though one or two farmers are inclined to tako a shade le6s. The price to farmers is on the busis of Is 10Jd, on trucks, for A grodo Gartons, but merchants aro not securing any supplies at this equivalent. The chaff market is plentifully suoplied] and for prime quality the price is" being maintained. To farmers the best price offering is £3 ss, on trucks, at country sidings. ■ The potato market is exceedingly quiet and the prices that aro obtainable in tho North Island and Sydney are not interesting to farmers at this end, ■ aw they aro finding other ways of dealing with their surplus tubers. It is unlikely that growers will sell freely at the present prices for a' month or six woeks yet, and l by thfit time the position may have improved in Sydney and elsewhere. There is nothing doing in undressed ryegrass seed, but lair business is passing between merchants ajid farmers for machinedressed for spring sowing: Tho market for hemp is quiet, tho London price having cased during this and last week. This is evidently mainly due to tho fact that owing to tho heat wave in Amcrica tho crora there arc not going to come up to anticipation, and in London prices to-day merchants cannot offer to give moro than trucks, for ordinary fair; £21 for high fair, and £24 foil good fair. There is nothing doing in tow at> preeent, but, in sympathy, with hemp, 1

the forward market is inclined to be easier. _ Business in ali classes of stock has continued good during the week, with a likelihood that- prices, although already high, will be likely to go still higher yet, especially when the spriug grass comcs away. Business in storo sheep is very good; in. fact; tho demand is far keener than it has been for a long time past, but the difficulty is to get' hqld of store sheep in sufficient numbers to supply the demand. Tho business doing in ewes is slightly quiet, as. is only to be cxpected at lambing time, arid n< many will change hands for the next month or so. There is a strong demand for 'hoggets, and these aro being sold at up to 18s and lEs 6d. Store cattle' continue in good demand, and. anything'decently bred and well forward is readily pioked up, aud, in fact, in this section, thoprices, for so early in the season seem to' be far too high, and it seems as if the same position might arise as lost year, when farmers and graziers (as soon ,as tho grass came-away) rushed to, buy store cattle,, and in autumn, when tho grass went off, had to sell at a considerable loss. No doubt the scarcity of store sheep will also have a hardening eftect on the storo cattle market, and, when graziers cannot have sheep, they are inclined to take tho risk of buying store cattle rather than have the feed go to waste. In the fat cattle section prices remain firm at last week's quotations. Local butchers are buying large numbers of them in the yards and privately, and tho high priect, ruling are likely to continue for some time.. Some really good fat sheep have come forward at Wallacetown for the last few sales, and tho prices in these yards for both fat sheep and fat cattle continue satisfactory. An increasing demand is being experienced for dairy cows, and'it is certain that .before' many weeks arc oyer pretty good prices will bo going for good young dairy cows. Prices may be quoted Fat cattle—Ox beef, 30s to 31a; heifer beef, 28s to 295; cow beef, down to 255. Fat sheep: Heavy butchers' wethers, 24s to 255; medium, 23s to 23s 6d; prima heavy fat ewes, 17s to 18s; Ughter, 15b 6d to 16s 6d; unfinished, 15s to 15s 6d Store cattle: Three-year-olds^' well bred, £7 10s to £8 106; two and a-half-year-olds, £5 10s to £5 35s ; two-year-olds, £4 12s 6d to £4 17s 6d; eighteen months old, £3 15s to £4; yearfcngs, £2 10s to £2 15s; calves, 35a to 40s. Storo sheev: Two-tooth ewes, 23s 6d to 245; four-tooths, 24s to 255; six-tooths, 23s 6d to 24s 6d; eight-tooths, 21s to 225; fresh and failing-mouthed ewes, 19s to 20s; old ewes, down to 18s; ewe hoggets, 19s to 20s; wether hoggets. 16s 6d to 17s; mixed sexe.B hoggets, 17s 6d to 18s; two-tooth wethers, 19s to 20s; four and six-tooth ewes, 20s to 1 21s.

' OAMARU MARKETS. (Fbom Oub Own Correspondent.)

OAMARU, August 30. Thero has been more inquiry this w.eek for wheat, but very little has been offering from the country, where no , great quantity remains to be offered. A line of 900 sacks of velvet was taken ex storo at 4s less commission. Two lines of Tuscan, one reaching 600 sacks, were also sold ex store at 3s 8d loss commission. Tho sales nt country stations have generally been on a small scale, the most important being a line of 360 sacks of red chaff, for which 3s 9d net was paid. Other sales net at country stations have been: Velvet at 4s, red chaff at 3s BJd, and solid straw Tuscan at 3s 6id. The transaction now reported represents present values. A few offerings oi oats have been made dulring tho week, but have not met with any eagerness to buy, orders for shipment northwards' being 1 irregular and uncertain. A modest line of A grade-Gartons was soldi ex store at 2a 3d less commission. Sales at country stations include A grade Gartons at 2s id and 2s lid net and fe 2d less commission, and B grade Gartons 2s net. The potato market is *in a condition of paralysis. There are now sellers but prac-. tically no buyers. A' couple of sales were made of good table tubers for transport to Dunedin at £2 5s and £2 lte. 011 trucks at Oamaru less commission. Business at country stations is at a standstill, merchants refusing to do business until the potatoes are picked oyer and guaranteed sound. Tho present nominal quotation net on .trucks at country stations is 345. In despite of the warning that there is no outlet there, further shipments to Sydney and Ncwcastlo have been made on consignment on account of growers, but no one has any • confidence in the ventures turning out satisfactorily; The keen demand for sheep, and particularly ewes in lamb, has led to a general advance in prices, with an increase in business. A good number of sales are reported in lines of from 100 to 400. A line of 400 two-tooth ewes changed hands by private treaty at 255, and 22s was given for a smaller lot. A line of two-tooth ewes found a ready buyer at 225, a mixed line of two, four, six, and eight-tcoth ewes totalling 400 was taken at 255, and othor sales of ewes were made at the following prices: Six-tooth, 295; sound-mouthed, 23s 6d and 24s 6d, the higher figure being obtained for gocd crossbrcds; full and failing-rrrouthkl, 16s. 9d, 17s, and 19s 6d, the top prioo being given for a good lot Ewe hoggets have been sold at 19s 6d, 20s 3d, and 18s. A lino of 800. hoggets, mixed 6exes, found a buyer at 17s. and smaller lots have been sold at from 16s 6d to 17s 6d. Wethers in good condition have been placed privately at from 20s 6d to 2?s 6d.

There has not been much doing in cattle, for the reason that very few of any description have been under offer. Some young store steers and heifers changed owners at from £5 5s to £5 10s; fo( two to 2;-yoar-olds, from £2 to £2 ss. A good line of fat bullocks was placed at £17 per head. The demand for dairy cattlo remains as strong as ever and vahies are fully smtainod at last quotations, but thero are few sellers and many buyers if the quality is right.

OTAGO FARMERS' HORSE BAZAAR. The Otago Fanners' Co-oporativo Association of New Zealand (Ltd.) report: Wo held our weekly horse Sale in our bazaar on Saturday last, when we had an entry of 30 draught and light horses from Central Otago, the Peninsula, and in and around Dunedin. There, was a fair attendance of farmers and others, and . all good, sound draughts suitable for farm or towii work brought good prices. We beg to draw attention to the fact that we have further postponed our annual spring sale for one day. It will now be held on Friday first, the sth inst., instead of Thursday. We qliotc: Good young draught mores, at from £32 to £38; extra good Clydesdale ronrc3, suitablo for 6tud purposes, £45 to £65; superior young draught geldings, fit for shaft and'lorry work, £30 to £39; .ordinary draught mares and geldings, at from £23 to £30; aged draughts, at from £8 to £J5: igood strong upstanding vanners, at from £25 to £30; heavy spring-carters, at from £20 to £25; ordinary, at from £15 to £20; upstanding buggy marce and geldings, from £15 to £20; hackneys and ponies, from £8 to £12.