STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 7

STOCK AND GRAZING NOTES.

B? DfiOTHB.

Weekly Stick Sales : Fortnightly : BurjssWe, Wednesdays Invercargill, Tuesdays 1 Aahfeurton, Tuesdays Monthly • A«Uh>et©n,Wedne«s»y B CliDtoUi p a i me r*ton FertnisMly: Wiuton, and W»ii Palclutka, Fridays k ° u * i . ti :. „ ! Gore, Tuesdays Periodically i I Oaiaaru, Tuesdays Heriot, Kelsc and Kye | burm. The fat stock markets have been EomeI what dull, and prices both at Addington ' and Burnside were lower last week, more especially for lambs. As wool seems to have risen in price lately this may have son>e effect in preventing any further falL But the meat in demand for London — viz., small-prime carcases — is but in small supp'y. Our New Zealand mutton is running into heavy carcases, mainly fat, and these are not much in demand. The London market is dull for mutton,and Australian lambs are in heavy supplyFrom the extract from Weddel and Co. 3 zeport given below it " will bet seen that 1 many of these are inferior, but it ' will also b3 noted that Australia* can. supply lamb equal to prime Canterbury, and-'prO". bably experience will teach them it -ir more profitable to ship prime lamb than inferior Messrs "Weddel and Co.'s report dated November 29 is as follows: — ( MUTTON". New Zealand.— Arrivals during the fortnight amount to 48,349 carcases. There has been a fair demand for sheep of really good quality, and the firmer tone in the market reported in our previous issue has been fully maintained. Efforts are being made to further raise prices, but in spite of the strong statistical position this is difficult", owing to the relatively low prices current for Kiver Elate sheep. Prime Canterbury sheep, 48501b, realise 4d peT lb; 56-641b, 3Jd; and heavier weights, 3gd to 3|d per lb. .Best Southland sheep of medium weights arequoted -at 3gd. and 3Jd) to 3si for heavy carcases. North Island sheep are in few hands, and the small weights of good quality are firmly held at 3|d to 31a. per lb; heavy weights and second quality are offered at 31d to 3fd per lb. Ewes have been more generally inquired for, and, being in short supply, 2|dr to 3d per lb is readily obtainable. Australian. — Only 22,667 carcases liave come to hand. Although there has been some slight improvement in the mutton market generally, Australian sheep have participated to a less extent than any other class. Af- . .rivals are very moderate, but the quality is indifferent, and' retailers) prefer River " Plate sheep even at, the premium, demanded. ' Quotations for Australian mutton ,are 2Jd for small carcases, and 2£d to 23d for heavy sheep. River Plate. — Importations during the past t»fl -sr^ftks, waaivdj to. 128*965. The demand.

r shows improvement in consequence of th« 5 higher price- of prime- -New Zealand sheep > and the scarcity of New Zealand ewes. r Small sheep realise- 3Jd 'to 3£d, median* , weights 3§d, and' heavy carcases 22d to 33 per lb. ; * LAMBS. Receipts amount" to" 34,485 carcases fron? Australia, 14,389 carcases from New Zealand^ and 4704 carcases from tKe^ - Siver Platet ' There has been a'very fair demand for lambs > air Snrithfield for this tim 4of the year, but j the inquiry from the , provinces" is only j limited. Now that supplies coming to hand j axe so slight, stocks in store are being drawn { upon, ancl are going 'readily into- consump- . tion, but sales are receiving a slight checle ' from the higher prices" now current. Canterbury lambs of 28^8611} are quoted at 6j3; L 86-421b at -6gd; and the' 42-501b grade"- aft 1 5Jd to 5Jd per lb. Although the sale o£ ■ Australian lambs has received some assist1 ance from the higher price of New" Zealand, lambs, the quality of Australian parcels', thus ' far is unsatisfactory ; •' and is causing dis« l satisfaction at Smithfield. Light weighi • carcases of fair quality- meet with a- ready [ sale at- relatively _full rates;' but medium* ; sized and heavy lambs, are 'difficult to dispose , of. Owing to tKe irregular, quality of market' ings, there is & wade /range' in quotations, Australian- lambs of good quality realising . 4Jd to 5d perlb, medium quality 4J to 4fd, and inferior sorts 4Jd to 41d. The first shipment of the season of the well-known- " Champion " brand is just to hand. Th« quality is fully up. .to the usual high-class standard of this brand, and the- price* realised of 5Jd for the 28-421b lambs andf 5Jd for the 42-501b grade are practically oa a pax with quotations, for Canterbury lambs. Some time ago I wrote that the low ~pric9 of wool was largely due to the American money market crisis, to- the consequent rise in , the bank rate in London, and to tha feneral stringency of> the money - markets inee then,.' go far as London is concerned^ the bank rate has eased down, the. stringency been removed, and simultaneously there is an improvement manifest in . tha wool 'market. The result was directly seen at" the last Christchurch sales, and I tbinte there is reason to believe this improvement" •will continue, though prices may not gfl . ea high as they were. So far as the law of supply and demand applies,, it is 'ttt favour- of a rise in price, all authorities agreeing that supplies are by no -means ahead^ of consumption and that stocks o£' wool held are lighter than usual. I I quoted' the December shipments of -1 dairy produce last week. The two cheese* shipments to London during December were* records. The shipment by^ lie lonic wasr the larger 1 , and probably even this will b» beaten before the season, is over. The lonic sailed on January 3' with' 42,734boxes butter and 17,471 oases cheese. Thecorresponding, steamer last year took 48,157 boxes butter and 17,471 cases cheese." The the lonic's shipment is less by about 50001 boxes of butter, but. the- cheese- shipment was more than doubled. -Last year a shipment of 12,141 cnses« of- cheese .constituted' a record for the time, but the Mamari oa December 6 took 14,099 cases ; the Tongariro, December 19, 15,096 cases; the lonic, January 3, 17,471 cases. I shall not be sur' prised to see 20,000 cases go in one fort< night this season. 'It must 'be noted thai in addition to these London shipments fortnightly the "West- o£ England steamer is taking some 500 r O -boxes of butter and 5000 crates of cheese very four weeks, so that the New Zealand- dairy produce export trade is increasing considerably. v Out of