COMMERCIAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12909, 24 February 1906, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

TIMAEU GRAIN MARKET. 2 The fine weather of the past few day? ~ hag tinded to improve the condition of ripening grain, and to have a downward effect upon the prices of old stuff. It is now almost impossible to sell last year's grain. As yet-no new grain has beesi offering, and it is rather early to state at -what prices the market "will open. :' It is, however, anticipated that it will be fairly open' ; in another week or ten days. A few sales of oats have been made to far- D mers to carry them over the harvest, but ° no merchants' business is doing. t THE HOME MARKETS. \ \ Messrs Dalgety and Co. report under . date,' London February 22nd ;—" The itozen meat market is firm, but there is not ■» much, demand. "There is a slightly better •demand for butter without quotable change: v in values. • The. quality of many brands is not equal to'Jthe usual standard which, ■accounts for prices realised. The Copen- J hagen official quotation is unchanged. -There is more demand for unsalted than salted. The total imports into the United Kingdom for the week ended 17th February, amounted i j to 94,000ewt as-compared with 95,Q00cwt for the same perio.d.last year." - SALE AT HILLSGuinness .and Limited, report having held a satisfactory sale of over 7000 i. sheep, and lambs at Pentland Hills en Thursday last. : The stock offered was the :•* surplus stock from Mr Carlisle Studholm'e's : Kaiwarua and Pentland Hills Estate and p the knowledge that every lot was for un- I reserved sale brought graziers and dealers : from all parts of'the district, including ?" several from Ashburton.; The sale did not \ s stait till, after ly in order to allow buy- > era, who had driven up, after arrival of i* morning train from .Timaru and- Oaiaaru; jl Sufficient time to; examine the sheep and re- ■! fresh the inner man, whose interests were i as usual carefully looked after by ; Mr W- f Miller and. his. assistants. Once started, . the sale did not : take long, for although the 7000 sheep were in nearly every case- ' offered in runs of 100 or over, only once did a buyer decline the whole line. Bidding throughout was very spirited and prices realised were rather above those anticipated. The first lot offered was the annual draft of the Pentland -Hills cull "ewes, all guaranteed 5 years old;' although the teeth were much worn—the purchaser being Mr J. McDowell, of Waffiaorunga, at 14s Id. The 1189 Kaiwarua cull ewes were the next iine to sell >and'were secured by Mr Waldie at 14s sd : * after .Vconsideraljle competition. 217 culT ialfbreS.'ewes were sold to Mr Meredith at 14s .'2d and; 118 failing mouth haifbred ewes V! from : 'Kaiwarua and 148 ditto from Pentland Hills, were secured by Mr Bae-Howard 'si'-i&s 6d and 5s 4d respectively, tbe«9 lots being undoubtedly the "nubbles" af the day. The e\res, although large framed v and ,ia very fair eonditioß, haying come.'straight/off the run, did net lo«lC|o ; attractive as if they liad grass for a month after ;wea»ing.and hi an ordinary saleyard would probably "hot "have realised the prices they did. Attention was .next paid to the lambs and the' first "pen "of 844 three-quarterbred lambs bred on the Pentland Hills [English grass . paddocks, was universally acknowledged to be the best grown lot seen;' in •-any saleyards this season. . Over. a quarter, of them were fit for the factory.and the balance would turn out good'weights, in a very short time.

Competition !was r very, keen for this line •which at 12s 9d; was £aoci:e3 down to Mr

H. Hertelett. three-qnarterbred neither laimbs frpm although not cfuite so weir'growit as nsiiaT were a particularly healthy looking lot and at 10s 5d jcfere sold to Messrs A. and W. Menzies

who own the adoining run. Competition for the Pentland Hills ewe and wether lambs off tussock, was not quite so keen as they were hardly forward enough to go on rape immediately, and from the first pen of 960, 200 were taken by Mr J. Connolly at 10s 6d, 502 by Mi- T. Eoberts of Hakataramea at Id less, the balance, .258, being secured by the buyers of the first run off at 10s. Another lot of similar lambs but rather smaller were' taken by Mr T. Eoberts at 8s 9d. A small pen of cull lambs from Kaiwarua realised 7s 7d and 278 2-tcoth three-quarterbred wethers fetched 13s 2d, both lots going to Mr J. Connolly, while 63 fat and forward 2 an 4-tooth wethers were sold to Mr Rae-Howard at 15s Id, who also took the last pen containing 673 2-tooth halfbred wethers entered for sale by Mr T. Roberts of Hakataramea. The very complete arrangements made by Mr Studholme for the yarding of the sheep made it easy for -buyers to inspect the stock and at the end of the sale to get their sheep delivered and on the road without delay. The drag left in good time to catch the north express, and although several strangers were disapponted at not being able to return as buyers, owing to prices being above their ideas of value, they did not consider the time lost as a- drive* through the Waihao Downs and Waihaorunga districts was a revelation to those who think there is nothing but back country through the Waimate gorge. STUDHOLME JUNCTION SALE. ' At this sale yesterday there was a very large yarding of both sheep and cattle. The cattle market was very dragging and a quantity of stock was passed. The sheep market principally consisted of store lambs and wethers. Bidding was inclined to be dull, store lamb prices being not quite up to past sales, and in. consequence a fair percentage was passed. The attendance was good. Prices were as follows : Cattle. 240 were vardsd; 2 fat heifers, at £5 lCis, 5 steers at £5 17s 6d, 1 fat cow at £4, 1 fat steer at £6; stores,. 4 dry cows at £3 7s 6d> 2 heifers at. £3 13s 6d, 6 empty cows at £2 2s, 1 heifer at' £2 12s 6d, 1 steer at £2 ss, 15 steers and heifers at £1 13s (passed), 2 2-year-old steers at £5 17s 6d, 2 2-year-old at £4 12s 6d, 3 18 months steers at 31s, 1 empty tew at £3 9s, 1 bull at £3." 1 ditto at £2, 1 ditto at £2 10s, 5 heifers at £2 ss, c;; Ives at 9s, 3 yearlings at 19s, -3 at 22s 0\ 4 ditto at 16s, 5 ditto at 15s, 3 sjn-ingeis at £2 Bs, 1 springi heifer at £3 Ik; cows in "profit, at £2 Is, £3 2s 6d. £3 10s. £3 15s. £4 15s. £6. £6 £s 6d. £6 ss, £7 ss. Sheep, ,7771 were yarded; 36 fat ew;s at lis 6d, '3O ditto at "lis 7d. 28 ditto at lis 3d. 22 ditto at lis 7d. 26 ditto at lis id, 30 ditto .at 12s lOd. <so ditto at 12s _9d,' 24 ditto at 13s Bd, 6 ditto at 12s od. 3 wethers and 1 ewe at lis sd, 1 fat lamb at 12s Id; stores, 15 forward wethers at 15s sd. 22-tooth wethers at 12s 3d, 212 4-tcoth wethers, at 14s, 119 2-tcoth wethers at lis Id. 160 2-tooth wethers at 14s 9d (passed), 300. 6tooth wethers at 15s (passed): ewes, 86 2-tooth ewes at 16s 9d, 90 4, 6, and 8-tootlr (no offer), 115 4, 6, and 8-tocth ewes at 15s Bd, 46 6 and 8-tooth halfbred ewes at 15s 3d, 158 6 and 8-tooth ewes tit 15s . 5d,~ 29 2-tooth halfbred ews at 17s 6d (passed), 500 2-tocth • ewes at 16s 93 (pass*!),. 800 merino ewes (no offer): lambs, 155 store lambs at lis Bd, 38C mixed sexes at 10s" 3d; 514> mixed sexes at 10s 8d (gassed), 480 mixed sexes at 9s lOd sexes at 10s lid. 180 ditto at lCs 3d. 60 ditto at 10s 4d, 252 ditto at 10s. 234 ditto at lis 5d (passed). 414 ditto at 10s 6d. 297 ditto at 12s, 248 cull fenbs at 7s sd, 163 mixed sexes at 12s Id, 470 «litto at lis 9d (passed). THE CHRISTCHURCH MARKETS-. Per Press Association. . CHRISTCHURCH. February 23. Owing to farmers being busy with hardest wort while the weather is fine, t'here have .been only two or three offerings of grain during the past few days. A few samples of barley, mere or less discoloured have- been submitted, but the prices aslced by growers. are beyond buyers' limits. Ther« is" a ltffge ntmber of samples of. Blen- : heim. barley on the" local market, and t'He ■ colour is bearrtifullT" bright and in niark«l : ; contrast" to the buiJr of ihxt localfy-grown. ■ No safes of wheat or eats are' reported;.. but as . some - tfireslifeg fr«an the -stook has" i been done during,. fSe' vfeek, there may \ ■ shortly &e offerings of oats. A few sam- 1 pies of cocksfoot have come forward mostly i discoloured, but die prices- offered were not j accepted". Potatoes are firmer fn conse- ;i quence" of tiie small- snppfies coming for- ] ;ward and' £6- wonTd bsr pafd for immediate ] rdelivery. - . . S