A PAGE FOR FARMERS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 156, 13 June 1936, Page 3

A PAGE FOR FARMERS

RAIN HAS RELIEVED ANXIETY OF FARMERS.

CLEARING SALE SEASON NOW IN FULL SHYING.

Newton* Kingr-Llii:; reports that although its benefit can be of little consequence, the rain early in the week relieved the anxiety of those who had top-dressed, and increased acreage is now available for grazing. Artificial feeding is necessary in most parts of the district, and the desire to unload any surplus is manifest in all branches of the stock market. Holders of dairy cattle, especially, display eagerness to quit, and as a consequence much larger yardings of both cows and heifers aie being dealt with and business in this branch by private treaty is being reasonably well maintained. The clearing sale season is in full swing and results are fully up to expectations, the feature of all offerings being the strong support that awaits good quality early calvers. Values for these show a hardening tendency. At Mr. J. B. Marsh’s sale at Oakura on Thursday a herd of C 6 cows realised an average of £8 7s a head. The quality of this herd was very even and values throughout were consistent, but July and August calvers were most keenly sought. Tiie best of the July calvers made from £lO 10s to £l2, lesser quality sorts £8 5s to £9, good quality August calvers £9 10s to £ll, good quality September calvers £7 to £8 10s, while cattle of lesser quality sold from £5 IQs to £6 in?

; the week including a line of u 0 P.A. and i Hereford cows and heifers at £7. The position in the fat sheep section is unchanged, supplies being just sufli- : cient to meet the local demand. Pat ! oW es are saleable at from 22s to 245, while : wethers sell at from 2Gs Gd to 28s 6d, according to quality. Inglewood Sale. 1 At the Inglewood sale on Wednesday ' last an extra heavy yarding of dairy ' cattle came forward, which was supple- > menfeci by an average yarding in the store - cattle and sheep pens. Competition throughout the dairy sale was keen, especially for July calvers. The entiy ■ included the whole of Mr. H. M. Clough’s ! grade cows, and these realised an aver- ; age of £9 10s. The herd offered on be- ’ half of Mr. R. D. Ferguson was keenly competed for, the best of the early i calvers selling at from £8 10s to £9 ss, average sorts £7 to £7 15s, later calvers displaying quality £5 15s to £G 10s, inferior £3 10. s to £4 10s, three-year incalf heifers, a little small, but displaying quality, to £6, two-year heifers a i little small but of average quality £5 10s, weedy and later calvers £3 2s Gd to £4. The entry of sheep met keen competition, full-mouth ewes mated to Southdown ram making to 24s Gd, store wethers 225, forward-conditioned ewes AGs, store ewes 9s 9d to 11s, killable 1 wethers 24s 3d, good wether hoggets 18s (Gd to 19s Id, store black-faced hoggets ! 16s 3d, culls 13s lid. Good quality yearling Jersey heifers sold at £3 19s, average sorts £3 Bs, Jersey-cross hold-over ; heifers £2 2s to £2 ss, two-year empty Jersey heifers displaying quality £3 10s to £4 Is, lesser-quality sorts £2 12s to ; i£3 4s, good fat Jersey cows £4 to £4 15s, lighter sorts £3 to £3 15s, meaty works cows £2 5s to £2 17s, good-framed ; boners £1 14s to £2, others £1 to £1 ss.

Sales by private treaty in this branch include 40 good quality three-year heifers £7 10s, 42 cattle of the same age but a little small £6 15s, 15 good quality two-year heifers, September calvers, £6, truck lots of two and three-year heifers of good quality from £7 5s to £7 10s. Strong inquiry continues for the purchase of* dairy herds, but difficulty is being experienced hi obtaining cattle early enough to meet the inquiry. Sales include 20 good quality young dairy cows at £B, 25 hold-over dairy cows £G 10s, 12 second calvers somewhat small and light conditioned at £G 15s. Store Cattle. In the store cattle section sale entries consist chiefly of oddments, mostly cows from dairy herds, and works’ buyers’ competition account for all except those suitable for butchers’ requirements. Values are firm at late rates. Other entries displaying quality are not wanting for buyers, and in fact the demand for cattle suitable for next season’s dairy requirements shows a hardening tendency and values are correspondingly firm. Supplies of yearling Jersey heifers are undoubtedly scarce, and when more serious consideration is given to their purchase a hardening of values seems likely. At the moment top quality yearlings are saleable at from £3 15s to £4 and average sorts sell at from £3 to £3 os. Inr ferior bred are not freely sought. Twoyear empty Jersey /heifers displaying quality are in good demand, the tops selling at from £3 15s to £4 ss. Others realise from £2 5s to £3. Private sales include a line of 57 average sorts at £3 10s. Store Sheep.

Sale at Ararata. At Mrs. Roberts’ clearng sale at Ararata on Wednesday good competition was available for young July and August calvers, and an average of £7 15s was paid for the herd of 45 Jersey and Jer-sey-cross cows. These cattle came forward in good condition, the best of the July calvers selling at from £lO to £l2, lesser quality £7 to £8 10s, rough and more backward cattle from £4 10s to £5 ss. At Mr. G. L. Vickers’ sale of heifers held at Midhirst on Thursday some 50 two and three-year Jersey-cross heifers were disposed of at an average of £6. Good quality cattle made from £7 to £B. More backward. and lesserbred sorts sold at from £5 to £6. A number of pedigree Ayrshire cows was also offered at this fixture and realised £7 7s to £lO 10s. Pedigree Ayrshire bulls sold at 131 to 21J guineas, and sows in farrow at £3. Pigs. ■>: At Messrs. T. W. Telford and Sons’ sale of pigs on Thursday good competition was available for sows in farrow, hut younger sorts were not keenly competed for, boars being difficult to dispose of. Maiden sows due to farrow in August made from 61 to 71 guineas, others 4} to 5.1 guineas, empty sows from 21 to 2:'; guineas, grade sows £2, boars of serviceable age 3 guineas, younger sorts of good quality 3:J guineas. The Urenui sale on Monday last drew a smaller-yarding than usual and values were firm at late rates. Fat two-tooth wethers made to 26s lOd, fat Jersey cows £4 2s 6d to £4 10s, good fat Jersey heifers £4 2s to £4 Bs, lighter fat cows £3 5s to £3 10s, meaty works cows £1 10s to £2 Bs, boners £1 4s to £1 Bs, twoyear empty Jersey heifers £2 11s to £2 17s 6d, two-year springing Jersey heifers £6 10s to £6 12s 6d, later calvers and small £4 5s to £5 ss.

In the store sheep section a good demand continues, but lines of consequence arc seldom displayed. Small lots of fullmouth to inferior ewes in-lamb frequently appear and generally prove saleable. Hoggets of both sexes are freely sought, but as with ewes oddments constitute the offerings, and their scarcity has occasioned those who desire any quantity having to go further afield for their requirements. Paddock sales in this section include 150 wether hoggets at IDs, 80 ewe hoggets at 28s Gd, 150 black-faced hoggets 15s Gd, 120 six-year ewes mated to Southdown ram 28s, 120 sound-mouth ewes at 2Gs, and a further 100 at 255. Despite the recent receding in the export schedule for beef and the comparative dormancy in exporters’ operations, values for local consumption remain unchanged. Oddments from dairy herds where yarded meet good competition and from £4 10s to £5 5s is available for prime young cattle, while lighter and older sorts sell at from £3 5s to £4. Quotations of well bred cows and heifers range from £7 to £7 10s, sales during

Pigs are being yarded in small numbars at the various haymarket sales, and the demand, especially for weaners, shows an increasing tendency. Prices have improved on late rates. Stores, however, are not so popular and sell at comparatively low levels. At ihe New Plymouth haymarket sale on Friday good weaners made from 12s 6d to 13s 6d, others Gs to 10s, weedy 2s to ss, good stores 18s to 20s, slips 17s.