VALUES GENERALLY FIRM

Taranaki Daily News, 8 September 1934, Page 11

VALUES GENERALLY FIRM

TARANAKI STOCK MARKETS JUMP IN PRICE OF BEEF CATTLE. ALL SHEEP BEING QUICKLY SOLD. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company Limited’s market report states that the weather during the past week has been frosty, with warm sunny days, but' has not been conducive to .a rapid growth. Farmers generally have almost exhausted their supplies of hay and ensilage, and the dairy cows now at profit are not increasing their milk supply, this remaining about stationary owing to the feed not coming away. The position is reflected in the fait sheep and fat cattle section, values for both being very firm. So far the estimated number of fat ewes have come out of the breeding flocks, 'and this fact is also having a tendency to hold up the price of fats. Fat wethers are still firm, with good competition for any lines yarded or quoted, and the same applies to fat ewes.

Beef cattle have taken a decided jump in value, the position apparently being that supplies are scarce all over the Dominion, and facts point to a continuance of this position for some few months, as there is not sufficient feed available, to fatten stores quickly. Store sheep are in good demand, all sorts being quickly sold when quoted. There is a demand for ewes and lambs, but so far practically nothing has been quoted, and. consequently very little business is being done.

Weaner heifers are being sought, but the demand is principally for wellgrown, best quality cattle, medium and inferior sorts being rather neglected. Up to £3 5s has been paid during the week for tops. . There is a really good demand for good quality yearling Holstein heifers, t but very few are offering. There is a definite tendency on the part of many dairymen to produce or secure good crossbred dairy type cattle, evidently with the idea of improving constitution and fixing a better type of cheese cow. With this idea in their minds a number of dairymen are now. inquiring about the possibilities of securing good- Shorthorn, Ayrshire and Holstein bulls for their herd sires. Dairy heifers are still coming forward to the sales in large numbers, but nearly 90 per cent, of the entries are of very poor quality, and. very many are very low in condition. Prices for tops are good, but the inferior cattle are hard to quit. • • Dairy cows are also coming forward in large numbers, but as is usual at this time of the year, most of them are holdover cattle, and consequently prices are not high for the majority of those sold. Any good quality young cow close to profit sells really well. Pigs are still selling very well, and large yardings are the order of the day. All classes are sought after, and competition is keen. Private sales during the week comprise fat ewes to 255, fat b.f. hoggets to 265, ms. hoggets (small) to 16s, fat heifers £3 10s, dairy heifers to £7, dairy cows to £7 15s, draught Colt 60 guineas.

; ALL STOCK IN DEMAND EFFECT OF SPRING APPARENT. FIRMING OF FAT STOCK. ✓ . . The Farmers’ Co-operative Orgahisation Society in its weekly review of the stock markets states that a steady Week of trading-has been experienced. The' weather for the most part has been very mild,, resulting in. a noticeable growth everywhere.. The Countryside is looking particularly well, and, in most Cases production has been well maintained .Compared with previous years. News of interest to dairy farmers generally came this week- in, the application of a 40 per cent restriction on foreign importations of pork into Great Britain, thereby, establishing a more open market for the Dominion article. By correct breeding: and feeding, With the palate of the British housewife ever in view, an opportunity, lies open for the establishing of a solid industry, to the benefit not only of the producer but of the Dorhiffion as a Whole. Values of both lamb .and mutton have remained firm with the outlook optimistic. Both butter and cheese have regained to a certain extent the drop-in Values of the previous week, butter closing firm at 79s to 80s, with the chesee market dull.

The recent Sydney wool Saids evinced good competition from Japan and Yorkshire, with fair support frotn France and Germany, the market closing firm with an upward tendency apparent.

A curious situation has arisen > in the stock market to-day insomuch-that 1 there exists a keen demand tor practically every class of stock, difficulty in obtaining quotations being ■ the main feature. ' “ Values of all classes of fat stock have firmed considerably. The slight easing in values of fat sheep of a week or two ago has been replaced with a decided hardening tendency. Sales of fat ewes, which are difficult of quotation, include two trucks at 25s and odd trucks at frdm 24s 6d to 26s 6d. Fat wethers remain firm at from 29s to 31s. All classes of fat cattle are difficult of quotation, every day seeing new record levels reached where fat stock are offered at auction. Values of extra prime .fat heifers remain firm at, from £7 to £8 ss, including a, line of 150 prime fat heifers and cows on a spread delivery basis at £7, with extra prime fat cows at. from £6 5s to £7 ss. Prime fat • cows and heifers, of which several trucks have been disposed, range from £6 10s to £7. Ox beef shows a decided firming tendency at over £1 per hundred. All classes of store sheep remain in keen demand, quotations' being difficult to obtain. Both ewe and wether hoggets are keenly sought after, as was seen at Urenui on Monday, where a line of 500 wether hoggets were keenly competed for up to 19s lOd, with a line of 200 ewe hoggets finally being knocked down at 24s 2d. All classes of store cattle remain in keen demand, with a growing demand for- store bullocks. Sales during the week- included a line of 40 P.A. heifers at £3 J os, 50 Hereford heifers at £3 ss, and a line of poor-conditioned cattle at £2 15s. Values of 4 and 5-year bullocks remain firm at from £4 15s to £5 10s, including a line of 150 P.A. and Hereford bullocks at £5.

As is usual at this time of the year, a keen demand exists for top quality dairy heifers close to profit, difficulty Of quotation confining the business practically to the yards, where keen competition up to £7 10s and £8 for choice cattle is frequent. Average quality cattle change hands at £5 5s to .£6. A growing demand with the signs of better w’eather conditions is evident for yearling heifers, sales including 60 good cattle at £2 15s, a further 40 at £2 10s, 20 at £2 ss, and odd trucks at from £2 5s to £2 17s 6d, with hold-over cattle at from 32s 6d to 37s 6d. At all the sales large yardings of dairy cattle have been submitted for auction, keen sales resulting, and where fat cattle have been yarded very keen competition has been witnessed.

At the Opunake sale on Monday a good yarding of all classes of cattle came forward. Bidding throughout was keen and a total clearance was effected at the following prices: Weaner pigs 9s 6d to 10s 6d, store pigs 12s 6d, 16s, 17s 6d to 19s, store cattle 9s, 12s, 15s, 18s, 21s, 255, 295, 33s to 375, paddock cows £2, £2 6s, £2 12s, fat cows £3 ss, £3 14s. £4 4s to £4 18s, forward dairy heifers £5 15s, £6 to £6 ss, more backward sorts £3 15s, £4, £4 ss, £4 10s, £4 15s to £5, dairy cows (close to profit) £6 ss, £6 10s, £7 to £7 10s. At the Urenui sale there was a full yarding of all classes of stock. A line of 500 wether hoggets met with keen competition from both local and outside buyers and realised 19s lOd. A line of 175 ewe hoggets was also in keen demand, and sold well at £1 4s 2d. On account of Mr. H. R. Whitehead, Onaero, three pens of .prime bullocks were sold at £8 18s, £8 and £7 2s 6d. A few odd fat cows on account of the same vendor made £6 Ils. A number of dairy cattle were, also offered, the best heifers selling to £5 10s, while dairy cows sold to £6. The sale throughput proved the most satisfactory for some time. At the Stony River horse fair on Tuesday a yarding of 30 horses was submitted to a fair attendance of buyers. Though a number of the horses were of inferior quality, any that were really first-class sold reasonably well. Two very good three-quarter draught unbroken three-year fillies on account of Mr. D. F. Greenway realised £42 10s each, and a good seven-year three-quarter draught gelding on account of Mrs. Cameron made £4O. Other sales were made at from £25 to £3O for . good waggon horses. Hacks sold at late rates. At the Kakaramea sale on Monday a good yarding of all classes of cattle came forward and good bidding resulted in a total clearance. Forward hoggets realised 18s 6d, fat ewes 24s 6d, store cattle 13s, 15s, 18s to 21s, paddock cows 21s, £2 6s to £2 14s, fat cows £3 ss, £3 15s, and dairy heifers £3 ss, £4 4s to £5 15s. On Tuesday a capacity yarding of both store and dairy cattle was submitted for auction at Manaia. Springing dairy heifers realised £7 15s for top cattle, others £7 10s, £7, more backward sorts £6 ss, £6, £5 to £4-10s, calved cows £6 ss, £6 10s to £7 10s, others £5 to £5 ss. Beef was in keen demand, and anything showing quality brought a high figure. Young cows (fat) changed hands at £6 to £6 ss, with others at £5 10s, young paddock cows £2 ss, £2 10s to. £3, more Ordinary sorts 28s and boners at late rates. A line of hoggets sold at 21s. A fair yarding of pigs sold at prices on a par with last week’s quotations. Due to ; the improvement in the spring weather there was a decided move in the market for good quality' heifers at the Eltham sale on Wednesday. Some exceptionally good cattle were submitted to a keen bench of buyers,, and some very good prices were realised. In the store cattle section good forward-condi-tioned cows met keen competition, but in the sheep pens forward hoggets met little demand. Good-conditioned three-year-old dairy heifers made £7 5s to £7 16s, three-year-old calved heifers up to £6 ss, choice 2-year-old dairy heifers £5 10s to £6 ss, medium quality £4 10s to £5 ss, calved heifers £3 to £4 ss, fat Jersey heifers £4 14s, forward conditioned Jersey cows £3 to £3 12s, lighter conditioned sorts £2 5s to £2 16s. Store cattle sold at late rates. Fat ewes realised 255.

A very heavy yarding of cattle came forward to the Hawera fixture, every pen' being filled. The special-entry of fat cattle met a ready sale, buyers being present from all. parts of Taranaki, and the entire offering of 120 head was ■cleared at auction. The specially advertised weaner heiferS also sold well, the market showing'an appreciable rise. In. the fat cattle section the offering consisted of heavy cows and some prime •good ijuality l Polled Angus lieifers. Best • coWs made £8 2s, With- others from £7 to £7 : 10s, best-heifers £7 ss, Others £6 to £6 -10 s. Mr. C. W. Carlson’s'' pen of weaner heifers brought £3 ss, and Mr. Beech’s cattle also 'made the same money. A heavy - yarding ‘of ’ dairy cattle met keen competition for the best quality cattle closfe to calving, but medium .and backward heifers, which comprised-the bulk of the yarding,' wbre difficult to sell. About 100 changed hands, hoWever. The top price for extra choice cattle Was £6 to £7 15s. A very heavy yarding of store' cattle met ah exceptionally keen market owing to graziers purchasing for the paddock, and very few fell to the works buyers. Really good forward Stores made £2 to £2 10s and others from 25s -to 355. An extra heavy yarding of over 300 pigs also met a keen sale, resulting in practically every pen selling at increased rates. A good yarding of fat sheep came forward, with a few pens of store sheep which met a ready sale, prices being on a par With late rates. Dairy cattle (extra choice) realised £6 16s to £7 15s, good £5 to £6 ss, backward and medium £3 10s to £4, calved cows £4 to £5, springing. cows (good) £5 to £6. Fat wethers (good) realised 27s 6d,to 28s to 28s 6d, fat ewes 22s 6d, 245, 25s 6d, store wethers 21s 6d, Wether hoggets 15s 6d, 16s 6d to 18s 6d. Fat cows (extra. prime) changed, hands at £6> 15s to £7 10s, heifers (good quality, light) £4 -15 s to £6, fat cows ex dairy £3.105, £3 15s, £4 to £5 ss, store cows (good forward) 30s to £2 10s, medium 20s to 30s, •stores 9s' to 15s. Pigs (extra good stores) realised 25s to 28s 6d, medium 20s to 245, good weaners to ; 18s 6d, medium 10s to 15s 6d, sows with litters £4 16s to £7.

EXTREMELY FIRM TONE GOOD GROWING CONDITIONS. INCREASED SALES OF YEARLINGS. Newton King, Ltd., reports that while pastures show no tendency to rush away, there is ample evidence throughout the district of the influence of good growing conditions and, although artificial feeding is being continued in most quarters, stock generally reflect the benefit from the change in the season. From a dairyman’s point of view a greater abundance of fresh grass would be appreciated but should existing weather conditions prevail for any period, little concern is likely to be occasioned for want of succulent feed. Trading during the week has.revealed an extremely firm tone in practically all sections of the live stock market, and it is evident that many are concerned as to the probable cost of adequately stocking their farms, not that the actual outlay will be great but the want of supply seems likely to occasion an advance in values that may create some timidity with those of a less optimistic frame of mind concerning the future, and with it. the tendency may be to refrain from satisfying their full wants. At the moment it is difficult to assess with any degree of accuracy the numbers that are likely to come on the market, but the current month will, as is the general rule at this period, uncovei- some of the hidden supplies, and, if due regard is to be given to the after-effects of last year’s spring demand, we may find sellers taking advantage of the existing desire to purchase more readily than is perhaps at present expected for, outside the coping with the spring demand, no happening locally or overseas can be recorded that is likely to influence the market towards betterment.

The outstanding feature of the week's trading has been the increased changing with yearlings suitable for next season’s dairying requirements, and it is pleasing to observe that holders are taking full advantage of the increased inquiry without any great advance in quotations. At auction, values for this class have hardened, and all classes in this connection have enjoyed appreciation, but for the most part the inquiry is for top cattle,

and values for these have perhaps shown the greatest improvement. Hold-over heifers are also in keen demand and When a comparison of values is made with those ruling for bettergrown cattle,. it would appear that the shortage of supplies of this class has occasioned realisations being somewhat out. of relation to those ruling for tops. Some idea of the values at present ruling in this connection can be gauged from .the results of the Inglewood sale on Wednesday, where approximately 150 yearlings came forward, the general quality of which left little to be desired, all classes meeting a free sale, and values showed an advance on late rates, this being more noticeable in regard to tops and hold-over cattle. Choice well-done Jersey yearlings made to £2 19s 6d, good-quality cattle £2 6s to £2 11s, good sorts a little small but in good condition £1 16s to £2, Jersey-cross cattle of size and quality £1 13s to £1 18s, average to good quality, suitable foi' late mating £1 15s, good-quality hold-over Jersey heifers £1 9s to £1 13s, others £1 3s. ' Sales through the medium of private treaty include 85 good-quality well-done cattle at £2 10s, 38 well-done marked heifers at £3, 40 hold-over heifers at £1 8s 6d. 25 yearling Friesian heifers at £2 3s 6d.

Outside the improvement shown in this class, little alteration has been observed. in realisations for other classes in the store cattle section. Young paddock cows are extremely popular and spirited bidding is the order at all sales, the numbers offering being far from sufficient to meet the inquiry. The Inglewood sale drew a fair entry of this class, and a ready clearance was effected. Forward young Friesian and Jersey-cross cows made from £2 15s to £2 19s, forward young Jersey cows to £2 Ils, goodframed stores of the Jersey-cross breed £1 12s to £1 15s, older sorts £1 5s 6d to £1 9s, boners 10s to 18s. The inquiry for bullocks is strong, and negotiations of some magnitude are at present in train, details of which will will be conveyed in the next report. All classes of store sheep are freely inquired for, but business is of little consequence mainly for want of quotations. Sheep off the shears will soon be available, when it is expected that business on a larger scale will be the order. Sales during the week include a line of 200 wether hoggets at £1 Is and 100 at 20s 6d.

The dairy cattle section has shown little alteration since the last survey. Good-quality well-done cattle are scarce, but where any of these are included in sale entries, keen bidding is the order and a slight improvement in realisations has been noticeable during the week. Unfortunately the major - portion of sale entries in this department consist of light-conditioned and small cattle, for Which there is little inquiry and low values continue. The firm reports the Sale of 30 good-quality well-done 2-year springing heifers at £5 15s, while several truck-lots of smaller Cattle of good quality have been purchased by northern buyers at. from £4 to £4 15s. Contrary to recent predictions, the fatsheep market has staged a slight advance in values. The influx of dry ewes is not expected to be of any consequence, and possibly this accounts for the appreciation in the market, and sales of extraheavy fat ewes have been made at up to £1 6s 6d during the week, and few eWes are now available at under this figure. Wethers haVe not shown any appreciation, and quotations range from £1 8s to £1 9s.

A Very firm tone is the order in the beef section, and the ready market that is in evidence for importations, suggests that local supplies ate not plentiful, and the likelihood of a firm market for some, time yetrto come seems assured. Sales of fat P.A. and Hereford heifers have been recorded at from £6 10s to £5 15s, with occasional sales of extra-heavy cattle exceeding the latter figure, but few, if any, quotations are now available at under the former amount. Sales during the week include two trucks of prime young Jersey and Jersey-cross cows at £5 5s and 30 fat P.A. heifers at £6 10s. The oddments offering at auction meet spirited bidding. Heavy young Jersey coWs sell at from £4 15s to £5 ss, lighter prime £4 to £4 10s, heavy aged cows £2 10s to £3.

The Urenui sale on Monday drew a good yarding of dairy cattle, which was supplemented by an average entry in the store-tattle pens. The entry of dairy cattle included a line of choice 2-year heifer's, somewhat small but in good condition, and these met spirited competition, the best of them making to £7 15s, while others sold at from £5 17s 6d to £6. Other heifers of average to good quality made from £5 10s to £6 ss, small cattle a' little more backward but in good condition £3 10s to £4 2s 6d, lightconditioned and inferior £2 to £2 16s, young dairy cows close to profit £5 10s to £6 ■ 155,, others £2 to £3 ss, forward Jersey-cross cows £2 10s to £2 14s, heavy reject cows £llos to £ 1.125, young store cows £1 16s to £1 18s, good-framed young Jersey cows £1 10s to £1 Ils, boners 15s to 20s, choice weaner pigs 18s.

At the Stratford sale on Tuesday another full yarding came forward. Store and hold-over cattle sold well, works buyers and dealers operating freely. A few prime fat cows sold well and were secured by butchers. In the dairy pavilion some good heifers were offered, and these made good money. Taken all through, the quality of the dairy cattle entered was above that of any previous sale. Quotations are: Prime fat cows Jersey and Jersey-cross £4 3s to £5, lighter sorts £2 Ils to £3, fat heifers £2 9s to £3 Is, empty heifers £1 18s to £2 ss, hold-over cows and heifers (thin) £1 2s to £1 9s, same, good £1 17s 6d to £1 Is, boner cows Ils 6d to £1 Is, yearling heifers, best Jersey and Jei-sey-cross £2 5s to £2 10s, smaller sorts £1 Is to £1 13s 6d, thin and poor 14s 6d to £l, best cows, young and close to profit £5 10s to £6 10s, according to quality and condition, £4 10s to £4 15s, best 3-year heifers, close up, goodconditioned £5 to £5 10s, others £4 to £4 15s, thin and backward heifers from £2 12s 6d.

The entry of dairy cattle at Inglewood on Wednesday included few well-grown cattle in good condition. There was, however, a slight improvement in realisations throughout in this section and practically a full clearance was effected. Average to good-quality springing heifers made from £5 5s to £6, cattle a little smaller £4 to £4 17s 6d, small, of good quality £3 10s to £3 15s, others £1 7s 6d to £2 10s, fiood-quality young dairy cows £4 17s 6d to £5 7s 6d, inferior £1 15s to £2 2s 6d. In the pig section there is a decided preference being displayed for large stores, especially those in good condition. Weaners of the Tamworth and Tamworth-Berkshire cross strains also meet a good demand, but over the last fortnight the demand for small and lesser-done pigs has waned. The New Plymouth Haymarket sale on Friday drew a capacity yarding, a feature being the keen competition that was in evidence for stores and good-quality weaners. The entry included a fair number of inferior-bred arid light-conditioned weaners -which were dull of sale, arid realisations were a little duller than last week’s rates. Realisations were: Porkers £1 14s to £1 16s, good stores £1 10s to £1 Ils 6d, smaller sorts 23s 6d to 28s, slips 18s to 20s, • choice weaners 15s to 16s, medium sorts Ils to 12s 6d, small and weedy 4s to 6s 6d, sows with litters £4. QUOTATIONS FOR EGGS. SALES AT NEW PLYMOUTH. Wholesale prices for eggs ruling at New Plymouth this week, with last week's prices in parentheses were:— First grade hen eggs, 9d to lOd to O’/od); Second grade, (Bd to Shad); mixed, S’Ad to lOd (S'/zd to 9d); duck eggs, 9d to lOd to 9d).