OTAGO FARMERS' HORSE BAZAAR

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 24

OTAGO FARMERS' HORSE BAZAAR

The Otago Farmers' Co-operative Association of New Zealand (Ltd ) report : We held our usual weekly sale of horses at our bazaar, adjoining wool and grain stores. Crawford and Vogel streets, on Saturday. There was ii good attendance of the public, including a number of farmers and a good muster of town carriers. We had an entry of 60 horses all told, heavy tip-cart geldings, lorry horses, plough mares and gelding?, vanners, springcarters, and hackney" sorts. Consignments came from Inveroargill, Hillend, Milton, Allanton, Mosgiel, Oamaru, Waitati, Purstkanui, and Peninsula. The demand for all classes from start to finisn of the auction was not good — in fact, bidding was so lifeless that sales were hard to effect at almost any price, and the result was disappointing to ail concerned. We fail to be able to account for the dullness in bidding, unless it arises from the unworkable state of the land owing to so much rain, and farming operations in consequence" being practically at a standstill in the south;- and also work in the city not being over-plentiful. No doubt in the course of another few weeks, when spring set*, in, a demand will again spring up for useful working horses. Notwithstanding the flatness of trade, a large portion of our entiy changed hands at prices very satisfactory to vendors and purchasers. The class most m demand was medium-weight diaughts, handy, active mares and geldings, siutable for farm and light dray work, and these moved oft readily at good values. We had nothing young in the spring-cart class, a few of which were wanted, and could have been easily placed, a« also could several buggy geldings about 151 hands. We quote: Draught mares and geldings, £50 to £55; van horses, £40 to £50; lorry geldings and mares, £42 to £18; plough mares and geldings suitable for teams, £38 to £45; spring-carters, £25 to £30; ordercarters, £20 to £2"; buggy geldings, quiet and sound, £18 to £30; buggy pairs, £50 to £60, carriage pairs, £85 to £100.