NORTH ISLAND RURAL LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 3034, 8 May 1912, Page 18

NORTH ISLAND RURAL LETTER

By John Spens.

MONTHLY STOCK SALES' SUMMARY. Auckland.—On Wednesday, April 3, Messrs Buckland and Sons had no less than 380 head to their credit in the beef pens at the Westfield fat stock market. Competition, was anything but keen, prices were irregular, and values may be said to be about 10s below the quotations for the last salo in March. Choice ox sold to £1 5s per 1001 b; ordinary, £1 2s to £1 4s; cow and heifer, 16s to £1 2s; bullocks ranged in price froin £6 10s to £ll 17s 6d; cows and heifers, £3 10s to £9 17s 6d. Veal faced' an easier market, except some extra choice specimens; runners, £3 10s to £5 Is; heavy calves, £2 6s to £3 2s; light and fresh dropped, 3s to £1 Is. Both Messrs Dalgety and the Loan and Mercantile report an allround decline in fat sheep of Is to 2s, but Messrs Buckland and Sons consider the wethers sold by them were at values much the same as those ruling at the former week's sale. They report their ewes as having suffered a further drop, and the 567 lambs sold at the reduced rates of the previous week. Prime heavy wethers, 17s to 19s; medium to light, 13s to 16s 6d; extra choice heavy ewes, 14s to 15; heavy, lis 6dl to 13s 6d; others, 7s to 12s 9d; lambs, best heavy, 13s to 15s 3d; heavy, 10s 6d to 12s 6d; light and unfinished, 6s to 9s 6d. Pigs wore penned in average numbers. The demand is easier with the sequence of lower prices. Heavy baconers, £3 to £3 8s; light baconers, £2 10s to £2 18s; largo porkers, £1 18s to £2 7s; smaller and lighter sorts, £1 5s to £1 15s; good slips, 15s to £1 Is; small pigs and weaners, 6s to 10s 6d. At the Westfield yards dairy cattle sold at the following rates: Best dairy cows and heifers, £8 to £9 17s 6d; others, £4 to £7 15s; empty cows, £2. 5s to £3 13s 6d; calves, £1 to £2 2s. At the Clevedon and Papakura yards two-tooth ewes brought 10s 6d to 14s; four and sixtooth ewes, lis to 13s 9d; wethers, 12s to 14s 9d; aged ewes, 3s 6d to 6s; lambs, 4s 6d to 6s; best dairy cows, £8 to £10; others, £5 to £7 7s 6d; cows (to calve in August); £4 10s to £6; grown bullocks, £6 to £7 Is; two to three-year steers, £4 10s to £5 12s 6di; yearling to- 18-month steers, £2 15s to £4 4s; good steer calves, £2 12s 6d; others. £1 5s to £2 2s; empty cows, £3 12s to £3 17s 6d; empty heifers, £3 to £4 15s; bulls, £3 10s to £6; beef sold at Westfield prices. At Papakura Mr J. B. Young's clearing sale dairy cows fetched from £6 10s to £ls; heifers,' £5 to £lO. At the Albert yards heavy draught horses sold at £33 to £46; medium draughts, £2O to £3O; light-harness horses, £8 to £l7; hacks, £5 to £l2 10s; ponies, £3 to £6. In the far north the approximate prices were: Fat bullocks, £1 2s 6d per 1001 b; fat cows, 18e per 1001 b; three-year bullocks, £5 to £6 12s 6d; two-year steers, £4 5s to £4 15s; one-year steers, £1 12s 6d to £3 2s 6d; store, £2 15s to £4 ss; empty heifers, £3 10s to £4 10s; dairy cows, £3 15s to £6; springing heifers, £3 15s to £4 10s; calves, £1 to £1 ss; fat wethers, 16s to 17s 6d; lighter sorts, 12s 6d to 15s; store wethers (four and six-tooth), lis 6d to 13s; twotooths, 10s 6d to lis 6d; ewes, fat, lis to 14s; lighter sorts, 9s 6d to 12s; fat lambs, 9s 6d to 15s; store two-tooth ewes, 12s to 17s; four and six-tooths, 12s 6d to 15s; full-mouthed ewes, 6s to 9s 6d; lambs, 5s to 9s. There is nothing of any importance to record regarding the mid-April sales at Westfield. Prices in the main were on a par with former sales, with perhaps this exception, that cow and rough beef was lower. The lamb yardings were perhaps below average, and prices were firm. At the closing sales for the month values had an upwards tendjjjcy as the demand was good, and the general tone of the market firmer. Messrs Buckland's yarding of fat cattle was 377 head, the L. and M. had a large yarding, and Messrs Dalgety an average one. The dema.nd for prime beef was good, and prices for choice rose 10s per head. Nice choice ox beef, £1 7s per 1001 b; medium, £1 6s; cow and hoifer, 17s to £1 4s; bullocks ranged from £7 to £l2 10s; cows and heifers, £3 15s to £9 12s 6d; heavy wethers, £1 to £1 2s 3d; medium, 17s to 18s 6d; light, 14s to 16s; ewes, 14s to 15s; medium, lis to 13s; light, 7s to 10s 6d. Messrs Buckland alone sold 1842. Lambs, best, 13s 6d to 15s 6d; good, lis 6d to 13s; others, 8s to lis. The prices for pigs mark a decided drop, for baconors may be said to have suffered a fall of 10s to 15s a head. Baconers* £2 5s to £2 15s; porkers. £1 10s to £1 19s. Poverty Bay.—Fat bullocks. £6 10s to £7; fat cows, £4 5s to £5 9s; fat ewes, 10s to 10s 9d : wethers, 12s 3d to 12s 7d ; 2£-year steers, £4 10s; two-year steers, £4 ; 18-month steers, £3 10s; weaner steers, £2 14s; weaner heifers, £2 5s to £2 8s; cows and calves, £3 2s 6d; cull cows, £2; two-tooth wethers, lis lOd; ewes, 7s_4d: two-tooth wethers, good to medium, in big lines, 9s 9d to 12s 7d; old ewes, 3s; four to sixtooth ewos, 10s; two-tooth ewes. 9s 7d. There have been big yardings at the Matawhero yards, but unless for good quality sheep the sales dragged. A first-class lino of shorn lambs fetched 9s 2d: well-grown and ordinary lambs, from 6s 4d to Bs.

Hawke's Bay.—Fat and forward ewes, 10s lid to lis Scl; empty forward ewes, 10s 4d; two and four-tooth ewes, lis; cull wethers, 10s 6d; two-tooth wethers, 12s 2d to 12s 4d; mixed sex woolly lambs. 9s to 9s 6d; fat cows, lipht, £3 lis to £4 10s; empty store cows, £3 8s M to £3 10s 6d; dairy heifers. £3 9s to £3 18s; yearling steprs, £3 Is to £3 9s; winners, £1 2s 6d to £1 ss; 2J-vear steers, £5 7s 6d. Wairarapa.—Two-year-old steers, £4 2s; 18-month steers. £2*lßs to £3 14s; yearling heifers, £3 8s; two-year heifers, £3 12s to £3 18s; 'heifers in ealf, £4 5s to £4 9s;

stoTe oows, £2 17s 6d to £3 2s 6d; mii«df calves, £1 7s to £1 13s; fat ewes, 12s sd; two-tooth ewes and wethers, 10s lid; twotooth ewes, good, 12s Id; store ewes, 5s 9d to 8s 3d; lambs, small to good, 5s lOd to 9s Bd. .

\V elhngton.—The fajt stock market at Johnsonville for the month pursued) its usual even course, according to quality and weight. At the last sale of April prime heavy bullocks sold at £lO to £lo~7s 6d; medium weights, £9 7s 6d to £9 15s; SP&' £8 15s to £9 2s 6d; prime cows, f? } os , *9 £& 17s 6d; good wethers, 16s f i? ri 6d; P rime hea *y ewes, 14s lOd to 15s 6d; good ewes, 14s 2d to 14s 6d; ighter sorts 13s 6d ; prime lambs, 13s to w til. good lambs > 12s to 12s 6d. Wellington Country Districts—l subjoin th«* following two dispersal sales, as giving southern readers a dear idea of what good, sound, well-conditioned stock fetches at such tarm auctions. At Manakau, on the Manawat u railway line, Messrs Abraham and Wilhama sold at Mrs Bradlee's homestead the following linos:—1200 four and six-tooth wethers, 13s lOd to 14s 3d 1 ; 275 two-tooth wethers, 12s Id; forward ewes, 10s 9d; 71 two and four-tooth ewes, 10s 9d; aged ewes, 7s 3d; dairv cows, £5 15s to £6 12s 6d; heifers iu calf, £5; weaners, £1 6s; store cows £1 10s to £3 17s 6d; hacks, £3 to £11; dog-cart horse and harness, £7B. At Waikanae, 37 miles from Wellington, alio on the Manawatu railway line, Mr May's stook fetched:—For two4ooth to f.m. Romney ewes, 14s 8d; another line of same class, 12s 6d'; prime wethers, 16s Gd; forward wethers, 13s 9d; iambs. 9s; fat and forward bullocks. £7 7s 6d; three-year-old bullocks, £5 16s; two-and-a-half-year-old steers, £5 6s; two-year steers. £4 6s; 18-month and two-years steers, £3 14s sd; young breeding cows, £4 3s; 18-month heifers, £3; fat cows. £5 7s 6d; shorthorn bull, £3 13s. Pnlmerston North —Forward four-year bullocks, £7 6s; throe-year-old 1 bullocks £5 10s to £6 7s* od; two-and-a-half -year-old steers, £4 15s to £5 8s; one-year steers, £1 16s 6d; wcanor steers, £1 2s; fat and forward cows, £3 10s to £4; forward cows, £3 10s to £4; store cows, £2 10s to £3; 18-month heifers, £2 10s to £3 7s 6d; oneyear heifers, £2 2s; dairy cows. £4 10s to £9; fat and forward ewes to lis 7d; five-vear-old ewes (in lamb), 12s 6d; cull wethers to 9s 6d; four and five-year-old ewes fin lamb), 32s 4d. Foild'inff and District. —Emptv ewes to 10s 4d; forward ewes to 116 6d; two-tooth wethers to 13s 4d; fat' ewes to 12s 9d; four fnd six-tooth forward wethers, 14s ~9d to 15s; f. and f. wethers, 14s 9d; woolly lambs, lis 4d; wothor lambs, to 9s 5d ; ewe lambs to 10s 3d; fat cows to £5 3s; dbiry cows, £5 to £7; empty cows, £3 2s to £4 ; 20-i non th steers to £3 17s; two-year steers, £4 4s; three-year bullocks to £6 2s 6d; cows and calves, £5 3s; two-year lieifers (in calf), £4 18s ,6d; 15-month heifers. £3 4s; mixed weaners. £1 14s; fat cows, £6 5s to £6 10s; store cows, £4 Is. Rangitikei.- -Cattle: Throe to three-and-a-half-year bullocks. £6 2s 6d to £b 13s; two-and-a-healf-year steers, £4 16s 6d to £4 17s 6d; 20-month steers, £3 17s 6d; 18-month steers, £3 4s 6d; 18-month heifers, £3 7a; store cows, £2 9s 6d to £3 2s 6d; fat heifers. £5 10s; weaner heifers (poor). £1 2s to £1 10s 6d. Sheep: Fat ewes, lis 6d to 13s 2d; forward ewes, 8s to 9s 6d; cullewes, ss; 90und-mcuth ewes (in lamb), 12s and 12s Id; cull ewes (in lamb), 6s 7d ; two-tooth wethors, 14s 6d; two and four-

tooth wethers, 14s 7d; ewe lambs, 10s 3d; wether lambs, 8s 5d to 9s 9d, mixed lambs, 9s sd; medium lambs, 6s lOd to 7s od. Wanganui and Up-coast.—At Wavoriey Messrs Freeman R. Jackson and Go. sold a nice line of 100 forward bullocks at isl lis on behalf of Mr Gilbert Pearee, brother to Mr Pearce, M.P. for Patea The auctioneers report that sheep are free or sale, lambs soiling at advanced rates. Lattle are selling well. A large entry of WM« sold in vendors' favour. Fat bullocks, iH Is od to £8 12s; fat cows, £5 to £6 6s 6d; lighter, £5; forward bullocks from ±/7 Hs to £7 lis; three-and-a-half -year-old bullocks, £5 lis to £5 14s 6d; two-and-a-half to threeyoar steers, £5 8s to £5 12s 6d; 18-month steers, £3 14s; smaller sorts, £3 8s; empty two-and-a-half-year heifers, £4 3s od; weaner steers. £1 19s; mixed weaners from 18s 6d to £1 18s; two-and-half-year dairy heifers (in calf), £6 10s; dairy cows, £6 2s 6d to £8 10s; mother-fed wcaners W 6s 6d; hand-fat wcaners (medium), h\ to £1 18s; dairv strains of weaners, hi bs 6d; forward wethers, 14s to 14s 7d; twotooth empty ewes, 13s 2d; mixed 1 twotooths, lis lid; poor wethers lis 3d to 12s od; two-tooth ewes (in lamb), 14s; four-year ewes (in lamb), lis 7d; tat wethers, 16s; mixed lambs, 7s lid to Us lid; cull iambs, 3s to 4s lOd; fresh-mouthed ordinary farmers' ewes (in lamb), 10s. Taranaki.—l quote a dispersal sale on April 24 of dairy stock, etc., at Mr W. J. Parsoo's farm at Urenm (north of V\aitara) by Mr Newton King. The cows were mostly second and third calvers in good condition, realising, after good competition, from £4 15s to £lO ss; two-year Jersey cross heifers (in «alf), £5 to £8 15s; bulla, £2 5s to £3 ss; two and two-and-a-nalf-vear steers, £3 18s; yearling heifers ±-2; jersey grade calves, £1 6s 6d to £2 as; hoggets, 12s sd: f.m. ewes, ss. The following quotations are the very latest, and include some small and some very big lines, all of which passed through Mr Newton King's hands. Best waanor heifers, £2 to £2 7s; mixed wcaners, £1 to £1 10s; 15-month steers, £2 10s to £2 13s 6d: 20-month steers, £3 2s 6d to £3 12s; two-and-a-half to three-year steers ±-5; three-and-a-half to four-year bullocks, £5 15s; bulls, £3; fat cows, £5 2s 6d to £5 iLrs: forward cows, £4; 20-mcnth empty heifers, £3 3s; two-year choice Jersey (in calf) heifer? £7 ss; two-and-a-half to threeyear heifers (in calf). £5 to £5 15s; smaller, £4 10s; herds of dairy cows (at per head), £5 10s, £6 ss, £6 6s, £7 7s. £8 £9; springing heifers, £8; lambs, 6s to 7s 6d; tat wethers, 15s; two-tooth wethers. 12s to 12s 2d- weanor pigs. 5s 6d to 8s; slips, 13s to 15s'; porkers. 19= 6d to £1 6s 6d; heavy, £1 17s