RETAIL HOUSEHOLD MARKETS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1156, 24 January 1874, Page 16

RETAIL HOUSEHOLD MARKETS.

There is no change in the quotations for butchers' meat. Pork is st 11 very scaice, and hams and bacon are in limited supply The cash price of the best 4lb loaf is 5W to Od. Some bakers book and deliver it for OVrt and 7d, and it is said that one or two ask as much as Sd. Kggs are Is 4d to Is 6d per doz., and butter is 8d to 9d, cash. We have nothing new to notice in vegetables. Cauliflowers and brocoli are very scarce. New Provincial potatoes sell at Is for 7ib to Sib ; gceen peas, Is for 51b ; JS'ew Melbourne onions are 3d per Ib. The se>\son for strawberries is nearly over. The lowest price has been Is per lb. Quantities, we undeistand have this year been p eserved. Last season's Tasmanian jams now sell at 7d per lib tin. Provincial plums sell at Is, and Melbourne at 4d to Gd per ib. Gooseberries and currants are 4d to Gd per lb. Cherries, Bd. Akiroa baking »pples sell at 4d to Gd per lb. Queensland pine-apples bring Is to 2s each ; and JFiji cocoanuts, 9d to Is each. The prices of poultry remain unchanged, the supply not being quite equal to the demand. BarracouU were plentiful in the beginning of the week, but supplies of all other kinds offish have been limited since our last report.

Messrs Wright, Stephbxbok, and Co. report for the week tnding 21st January, as tollows :—

Fat Cattle.— 9o head were yarded, of fair to good quality. We sold on account ot Messrs James Allan, Wm. pouter, Thos. Rainforth, and James Miller, 03 ho.ul at fiom £5 to £9 10s, prices equal to 22s per lOOlbs fur good quality, and 18s to 20* for medium ditto. We also so.d 21 head medium weights at £6 5s per head. Fat Sheep.- -The number penned was 050, consisting of half-breds and merinos. We sold 350 half-breds at from lls 9d to 12s Ud. Nearly all the ret were turned out. We also sold prh.itely GOO merino withers and ewes at 2d per lb. We quote prime half-breds, 2 r d per lb. , do merinos, 2d. Fat Lambs.— There was rather a large supply 260 were penned, of which we =okl i) 2, at from 10s 9d to lls. We also sold pri\ utely 72 at 10* Od eneh. Store Cattle.— The demand is somewhat slacker. We ha\e sold, in Jots, 173 head, mixed sexes, at from £2 5s to C 2 15s for cows, and £3 10s to £3 10& for bullocks, whicli figures we gi\e a.s present values. Store Sheep.— We have enquiries lor young merino ewes and wethers, and for ha]f-bred ewes, wethers., and lambs. We sold 1500 merino owes, just fullmouth, at sb ; also, 700 half-breds, 2 and 4-tooth, at Bs. v\ c quote merino wethers, 5s ; ditto eweb, 4 mid 0 tooth, 7s ; ditto do, full-mouthed, 4s to ss; cross-bred wethers, 8s to 8s Od ; ditto ewes, 10s to lls. Country Sales.— On Monday, 12th inst, at Burnbank Farm, Green Island, we held a sale by auction on account of Mr J. G. Scott, of^ tho whole of his stock and fanning implements. There was an excellent muster of buy era, and the competition was teen. Dairy cows sold at Irom €7 to ,-tlO ; heifers, £3: draught horses, £30 10s to £07 ; yearling do, £16 to £20 ; fanning implements at satistactory rates. On Tuesday, at Sea View, Brighton, we held a hale by auction of cattlo on account of the trustees of the late Mr James B. Blair, 'lhe attendance was. fair. Bullocks, two to five yoar§ old, fetched £3 8s to £3 16s ; cows, £1 18s to £3 ss ; draught colts, £22 10s to £26 ; saddle do, £10 to £15.

Howob,— Tn thn aliso.nco of nny fres.li st^uk coining forward, thu mapKet (s n little dvill. Still draughts, more pjirticularly mares, are in good request ; but light and inferior saddle hoii.es aro neglected. At our yards, on Saturday, there wero only a few medium draughts in, which were well competed for. Wo quote first-clasH draughts, .-eno to &oT> : medium do, A-;is to £ tO ; good hacks and light harness horses, £22 to £27 ; medium do, £10 to £1S ; light and inferior, £i to £10. Sheepskins. — We did not hold a sale this weeek, but will hold our usual sale of sheepskins, hides, &0., on Wednesday noxt. Grain.— Wheat is in fair demand, and good samples are saleable at 4s 0d per busho! ; second quality in worth 4s to ts 3d ; fowls' food, 3s to 3s 9d. Oats are dull at S.s 9d and 4s per bushel for feed and milling respectively.

Musses DrtYUR. Stiswatu 1 , a-vk Co. report an fol lows for the week ending Januiry "J'st :—

Fat Cattle,— Tho total number yarded toiday was 131 head, which wu-* considerably in excess of the requirements of tho trndo, iw hoverul large buyers wore fully btuokod, lionoo 44 head wore turned out unsold. Those disposed of, however, realised about equal to last week's rates, sity, 20* to 22s (id per luOlbs for prime quality. We yardod 85 head, 41 of which were sold at quotations, and the remainder turned out. Fut Sheep.- There was an unusuiilly lurgo supply, 1160 having been ponned, 800 of which found buyers, at from 8s to 12s Od for cross-breds, from 7s to 8s (jd for merino wethers, and (Is to 7* Od for merino ewes ; or cqu.ij to :Hd IW lb for uross-bred mutton, and 2d ful'y for merino do. Privately and at auction wo have sold -ifJO sheep at abovo quotations. Fat Lambs wore also in excessive supply, 820 were panned, ol wb|ob ftfawt 100 very prime quality brought)

11s 6d per head, 150 fair to good 6s to 8s 6d, and th' remainder were turned out.

Btoie Cattle.— Good grown cattle are enquirf d for and saleable at full rates, ray, bullocks at £3 lCs to £6 10s; cows £2 10s to £3 10s ; mixed catt)e.*4s*. Of the first named descriptions there aie, however, few offering.

Store Sheep— Of all kinds continue in active demand, and our quotations of last week were fully maintained, say cros'-breds, 2-tooth, 8s to 9s ; do 4and 6-t^oth, 9s to 10s; do lambs, 7s 6d to Ss o<l ; merino wetheis. 2, 4, and 6-tooth, 6s to 7s ; do full-mouthed. 3sodto 4s Od.

Wool.— Our sale falling to be held to-day was postponed to next week, owing to the departure ot tho English mails. Telegraphic advices from London, per Albion, at Bluff to-day, are limited to the brief remark " wool firm."

Sheepskins. — Our usual sale of these vas hold today at 3 o flock. The catalogue coraio T-ed ■h\ fly odd lots of <iry country skin 3 Competition »;v: !i<;tive, except for hmb skins, wMch appear to be neglected by buyers. Half-breds, dry and green stius, fetched from 4s Od to 03 4d ; merino, do ao, 3s to 5o Od ; pelts, 4d to 9d each.

Tallow. — None offered, but good parcels in shipping order would command ready s«les.

Hides.— We sold about 100 light weightsand inferior at from 15s to 17s ; medium, 18a to 225.

Grain. —Wheat— The market is exceedingly quiet, the only description wanted for local use being prime samples of Northern grown. For oats there has been more frequent enquiry during the week ai d quotations of last week are maintained, say 3s lOd for good feed, up to 4s for prime milling.

Messrs Driver, Stkwabt, and Co. report th<» 'sale of ihi short-horned bull Butterfly, on account of Geo. M. Bell, Esq , of Waimea Plains, to the Hon. Henry Russell, of Napier, for the sum of £150. Butteifly is a roan bull, 2 years old. by Prince Frederick ; dam Waimea, grand-dam Jessamine 4th, &c , &c.

Messrs J. axd A. Maclean report for w eek ending 21st January as follows :—: —

Fat Cattle. — The market was fully supplied on Wednesday, 90 head medium quality being' yarded, which were all sold at prices realising from 20.s to 22s • d per 1001b. We have sold and delivered during the week 25 head, on account of the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, at full rates We quote prime beef, 22-> Od per lOOib ; medium and inferior, 17s Od to 20s. Fat Sheep. — About 050 were penned, 250 of which were turned out, those sold realising— For merino wethers, (is Gd tv 7s each ; cross-breds, 10s Od to 12s Gd each. We sold 400 half-breds privately, and quote prime quality cross-breds, 2{d per lb ; do merinos 2d.

Fat Lambs. — Over 200 were penned, about half were sold, and the balance turned out, prime quality realising from 10s to 11s each ; medium, 7.s Od to 8s each. We have sold 200 privately, at current rates.

Store Cattle.— We have no transactions to report in this class of stock, there being now very littl's demand for stores of aDy description. We quote bullocks, 4to 5 yoars old, £4 to £4 10s ; cows, £3 ; mixed heids, 45s to sis.

Store Sheep. and young merino ewes and wethers are still enquired for, i.nd several large lots have clunged hai ds during the week, us well as been placed under offer. We quote half-breds, 2 and 4 tooth, 7s 6d to 9s ea h ; half-bred Hmbs, 7s Od to 8s; merino wethers, 0 and S-tooth, 5i to 5s o>i ; merino ewes, 2 to O-tooth, 5s 0a to 7s ; full-mouthed, 3s 6d to 4s.

Horses.— There is still a good demand for draught, saddle, and harness horses. We sold to-day at tho Commercial Yards, on account of Mr A. J. B«mford, 20 head colts and fillies at satisfactory prices. We quote first-clasji draughts at from £G0 to £05 ; medium, £45 to £50 : good hacks, £25 to £35 ; medium, £10 to £20.

Wool.— Our first sale of the season will be held at the new Wool Stores of Messrs Russell, Ritchie, and Co., on Tuesday, the 20th instant, when about 1000 bales will be offered.

Grain.— We have no transactions to report, the market still remaining very quiet. Wheat 4s Od to ss; inferior, 4s to 4s Gd. "Oats, 3s lOd to 4s.

Messrs M'Landbess, Hepburn, and Co. report hxving Bold the following properties by private con. tract, viz : —

1. Part' of Mr C. It. Howden's property at Carlsbrook — being the section at the corner of the Glen Koad and Jfglinton Road -consisting of 3 roods and 20 poles, together with a small cottage, for the sum of £400. 2 10 acrt aof land at Wakari, with buildings, for the sum of £1200— net cash. 3. Kour quar-ter-acre sections, in the township of Melrosa, for £260.

Messrs Gillies a-nd Street report the sale by them privately of Dr Webster"s freehold est.ite Corricdale, Waiareka, Oamaru, containing 0000 acres, the price being £1.7,000, and the purchaser Kichaid Oliver, Esq.

Sales by auction took place at the Crown Lands Ofli c, Dunedin.on Tuesday, as follows :— Section 10, block IX, Maungitua, 5S acre?, to Mr John Fulton, at £1 13s per acre ; section 19a, block IX, 58 acres, same district, £1 per acre, Mr George Thomson ; sections 2 and 3, block I, OUki* district. 17 acres 2r 9p, Mr Alex Patterson, settler, Saddle Hill, nt£3 3s per acre. A number of sections in the townships of W'likava, Jamestown, Hull, and Greytown, were sold at from £3 to £6 per acre.