FEILDING RAM FAIR.

Otago Witness, Issue 3804, 8 February 1927, Page 20

FEILDING RAM FAIR.

LITTLE SPIRITED BIDDING. F . ’ FElLDlNG,’February 3. ’ / The/annual ram fair was. opened to-day; Siid 2000 Romney.;and -Southdown flock and. stud 'sheep-were, offered. Bidding showed little spirit, the opinion being that too many .rams were being placed on th'e market./’The"highest 'price for' stud rsp was. 35. guineas for a ram offered behalf of H. A. Matthews (Feather-

ston), the buyer being J. Henderson (Marton). The. highest price for a flock Romney "was 22 guineas, which was.vended by W. C. Small (Feilding). - ■■■!■■■ ' . February 4. The ram fair was continued to-day. The best . price for a stud Romney .'.was 65 guineas.. The " vendor was-, J. A. Mitchell, Longburn, and the purchaser, Voss Bros., Longburn. The ■ sale. was again dragging. Stud Southdowns, by well-known breeders, sold well, but others were not wanted.' The best price for a stud Southdown wag 55 guineas, the vendor'being C. E. Vile (Bulls), and the purchaser F. J. Ellis (Bulls). Flock Southdowns sold up to 15 guineas. One Australian buyer took nearly 400 flock Romneys/ mostly cheaper lots. > CANTERBURY GRAIN AND PRO DUCE MARKET, k CHRISTCHURCH, February 4. Most of the trade ■ talk ’ during the week, apart from the wheat arid potato business, has centred tin exceptionally. 'heavy fields, and, on present indications, the average of the crops *per acre 'promises'-to be the best for over 20 years. «•’ Fairly substantial parcels of wheat Have' been offered to millers and merchants during the week. Occasional • sales, of Ashburton wheat for prompt delivery.to southern gristers have been made at 6s on trijclts for next.week’s delivery. For Ideal mills'fis 9d was being paid on trucks up till .to-day, but there were indications that this price was stopping. As a matter of fact, prompt needs appear to be met for the time being, and 5s •6d on trucks is the figure • mentioned for delivery when teady.- Most,of the wheat threshed so far has been sold at better prices than mentioned, but as the weather is stimulating long-hour threshing a heavy quantity of .wheat 'will -be“available within' a fortnight. Sales .of AGartons have 7 taken place both for-“prompt” and AprilJune at 3s, f.0.b., s.i., about : 2s ffd ontrucks. Duns are mentioned at 2s 3d, and Algerians at 2s a bushel, on trucks.* There is.no demand,, apd the business done, is practically all speculative.

Chaff is quoted at £3 on trucks. All seed crops promise well, with the exception of clover. In some districts where cutting, is taking place, the yields promise disappointingly. The demand for both perennial and Italian ryegrass is practically nil, and merchants do not feel inclined to offer more than. 2s 9d and Is 9d respectively on trucks. ; > ■As a result of the Commonwealth embargo potatoes have gone from bad to worse. Merchants are offering £2 10s to £2 12s 6d a ton, on trucks, and sales to Auckland have been made at £3 15s, f.0.b., s.i., the" lowest opening price for many years. The Sydney market f has slumped during the past fortnight in, an unprecedented manner, and to-day’s quotations .are £lO a ton ■ lower than a few weeks ago. As events have turned out there seems to have been little need for the Federal authorities to have imposed an embargo on Tasmanian potatoes at £lO to £ll a toh in Sydney, provided there was no possibility of export from New Zealand. ,• •