WRIGHT, STEPHENSON. & CO.'S WEEKLY REPORT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2286, 23 December 1897, Page 31

WRIGHT, STEPHENSON. & CO.'S WEEKLY REPORT.

Wednesday, December. 22.

Fat Cattle.- Only 100 head yarded, half of Which could hardly be called prirae beef. Beat cattle sold well at fully last week's rate?. We sold some very prime Hereford bullocks at up lo £7 15a. Prime bullocks brought from £8 to £9 ss ; ordiuary do, £6 to £7 10s ; light do, £4 to £5 30s. We sold 31 head as follows :— For Mr Jap. Osborne (Ca'rnniuir), 16 bullocks and heifers at from £6 10* ro £7 15j ; Messrs George Nichol (Taurima), John Duncan, T. L^e (Highcliff), G. <3hailton, G. Fi>her, and others, 15 htad at quotations.

Fat Sheep. — The number penned — viz., 1208,' proved fully enough for all requivenlents, there being no demand for sheep at this eeasoii. The sale was a very poor on*», and values declined fully la per head, several psns beyig purchased by graziers. For one pen very prime shorn •wethers from Messrs Bryce Bros, we got 9k 6.1 per head. Prime wethers (shorn), 7s to 9* b'd ; do ewes, 5s to 8a 61. We sold 582 as follows:— 3Tor Messrs Bryce Bros. (Lovell'a Flat), CO prime crossbred -wether* («hom) at Fs to 9s 6d ; Mr Charles Doie (Middleruarcb), 64 do at 7s 3d to 8s ; Mr John Tennant (Heddon Bush), 388 do and ewes at up to- 8s 6d ; a client, 70 do at Gs to 7s;.. Mr Richard Mitchell, -26 do ewes at quotations.

Fat Lambs. — There was a l*rge entry, 1278 being penned. Tb« demand was brisk on account of the Christmas &e«son, and all sold readily at from 8a to. 11s 9d for prime and from 5s to 8s 6d small.

Pigs. — 101 penned. The demand vhis active, as usual, and prices- satisfactory. We- sold' 33 as follows: — Heavy pigs, EO-s ■ to 'ss.s ; prime bacoa pig*, 36s to. 48s ; prime porkers, 233 to 27s ; stores, 22s*,to 295.; suckers, 0s to 13?.

Wool. — We hrld our first Fale at the Agricultural Hall- on thei 2lst ins-t., full particulars of ■which appear in s, separate column. We would Teniiud vendors that our nwet sale take 3 place on Monday, tie 10th Jauuary-, catalogues for which close on Thursday, (Sth January, and all conpignments intended for that sale should be in by the latter date.

Sheepskins.— O*ing to Tuesday being wool sale day-, uo sale was held tlds- week. The sale next .week will he held on Tinned ay, the 30th, when we Will offer a ll t irgfc catalogue.

• Rabbitskins.— There is no change since our last report;. • Our next sale wilL be held on the 6ih January.

Hides. — Market is very firm, especially for well flayed-heavy ox, the firmest of which realise up to SJd per lb. We quote : Prime heavy ox, 3id to 3^.1 ; medium, 2f'l to 3d;, light and inferior, IJd to Sid. Tallow. -The ruavket is fctiU in a. very depiessed state. We quote : Best nendered mutton, 10 3 to 12s ; extra good do, up to 13s-; medium do, 9s to 30s ; discoloured and inferior, 7s 6d to 9s ; rough fat, 7b 6d to 10s pxjr cwt.

Grain. — Wheat: There is good inquiry for prime line 3of milling, and owing to the very bad I reports received' about the crops in North Otago , and Canterbury velvet wheats aiv, if anj thing, j a little firmer. Chick wheat, too, has better I inqniiy, and good whole wheat is saleable at up to 3s 7Jtl. We quote : Prime Tuscan and red sorts, 4s4d to4s4|d ; medium to good, 4s 2d to 43 3d ; fair to medium, 4s Id to 4s ljd ; good to prime velvet-, 4s-(SJ to- 4^ 8<1 ; extra prime, Jd more ; chick, wheat, 3s to 3s 7Jd per bushel (sacks in.) Oats : The prices for these show a. decided impiovement on those quoted lart week. There is a good demand ftir shipment, aDd good lines of milling' are -also- inquired for. The quantities 'offering, however,- are- small', vendors having made up their minds to hold. We quote : •€>ood to best fee^J, Is P£ I to Is 10d ; fair to medium, ,1s Bid to Is 9il ; discoloured and i ferior. Is 7d to 'Is Bd-rbe=ifrmilli«g, ls-lOd to 2<s per bushel (sacks ■extra r . net).. .JJarlwy : Np change to report. \Ve !ha.va an opening for prime quality samples, and •quote:* Prime malting," 4s 21 tq 4s 4d ; extra prime, up ta 4s 7d ;, gooi do,, 3s 9d to 4* Id'j; medium, ''3s- 4d to v 3s. 8d ; feed and milling, 2s -9d to 3s 6 1 per bushel.

Chaff. —The deliveries of .prime chaff have fallen off considerably during the week, and this- 'has cause i a sharp advance in values of 5s per ton. Inferior and medium descriptions are not in such good demand, and prices for these remain on a par with those quoted last wrek. We quote : Prime oaten sheaf, £3 12b 6d to£3 )5j ; good do, £.i 5s to d£3 7s 6d ; di-coloured and inferior. £2 to £i 12s €d per ton (sacks extra, net).

We woukl tak« this opportunity of wishing our country friends th« complimeuts of the seanon and a prosperous IS9B

GRAIN AND PRODUCE REPORT.

Messrs William E. Reynolds and Co., Bond ■street, report for the week, ending 22nd iust. as follows :—: —

Wheat.— This remains so steady that we content ourselves with repeating quotations : Erirne velvet up to 4s 7d ; Tuscan, 4s 4d to 4s 6J ; red sorb", 4s 4d ; fowl feed, 3s to 3s 7d. ■ Oats, despite the fact that Australian markets have not responded, have gone : iip in price even on our quotations of last week. We must say the fhinness is contrary to what we expected, and' it is not unlikely that during January prices will ease again. However, it is very difficult to say. Meantime we quote : Prime milling, Is lid ; Sutherlands up to 2s Id ; good sound feed, Is 101 to 1b lOJd ; ordinary, Is 9d' to Is 9Jd- During the past week more shipping has been done.

Chaff..— The marketis eomewhatbare at present, and there is good 'competition for aU lines, especially prime, which we quote fiom £Z 12s 6d to £3 "35s ; ordinary to good £3 to £3 ss. Wool. — The first sale of the series was held in the Agricultural Hall yesterday, and we consider that prices on the whole -were fairly satisfactory', &nd quite up t) expectations, for it was well known that much wai not to be expected. Compared with last year prices for fine halfbred ruled perhaps id less, and three-quarterbred long wool «p to Id per lb less, especially in the dirty and heavy classes ; while merino was quite Jd par "lb- better. The next sale takes place on 10th January,, and lots should be in three or four days before this date to admit of cataloguing.

THE. GRAIN AND SEED REPORT.

Messrs Samuel Orb. and Co., Stafford street, report for the week ending December' 21 as follows :— . -Siaca last reporting there has been beautiful'

weather in tire south, but northwards more rain is wanted.

Wheat. — A firmer tone now peivades the markets all over 'the colony- and it cannot bo wondered at when in the course of travel you see it withering, and' where in a few months in many caseß a good crop was looked forward to there is the prospect of in Eonie instances from 10 to 15 bushels an acre. There are several close-on-40-bushel crops to be met with where they usually have 50 to 60 bushels, but these are the exceptioa. Locally we have no vrheat, but in the north large sales have taken place at equal to 4s 4d (f.0.b., sacks extra, net cash). This, therefore, give 3 our friends the true state of the mark )t.

Oats are woiae off in the north than wheat, as it is well known to all that thy don't stand the drought like wheit, and it is a fact that in many cases stock have been turned in on the oat paddocks. It is " shot," and only Gin high, and many crops turning colour. Ta two choice spots a few paddocks have already been cut. As regards the demand, this is good ; while prices have improved, but they vri'l improve more by the time we mentioned in our report of a fortnight ago. We now quote : Prime milling, up to 2s Id ; bright heavy feed, Is 9<l lo Is lOd ; ordinary, Is B.L

Chaff. — Selling up to £Z 10s, and prior to the advent of now cutting will be dearer.

Potatoes. —Old practically unsaleable, but new selling at £10 to XI I. and will keep about this for some weeks, we think.