ADDINGTON YARDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6048, 8 December 1897, Page 3

ADDINGTON YARDS.

— * . THIS DAY. [Per " Star's " Pigeon Express.] There were medium entries in most classes of stock at the Addington market to-day, with the exception of fat lambs, which came forward in large numbers. The attendance was good and business fair. Fat Cattle. — The week's supply of beef was made up of 229 head. The entry was a very mixed one, including a few prime heavy-weight steers and heifers, but the bulk were light weights. A line of North Island bullocks was withdrawn at auction at M 17s 6d apiece. There was no spirit in the bidding, and a good number were passed in. Prices for all sorts showed a decline, best beef fetching from 16s to 17s 6d, good do 13s 6d to 15s 6d, and cow and inferior lis to 12s 6d per 1001 b. Per head steers ran from .£5 to £S, heifers .£3 12s 6d to .£7 17s 6d, and cows .£3 to .£ls. Store Cattle.— The store cattle were a nondescript lot with the exception of two or three pens of good two-year-old steers, one of which from Cheviot brought .£2 7s 6d, and 25 eighteen-months-old steers and heifers from the south at 265, and were the only sales worth recording. Tlie younger cattle all showed the effects of the dry weather, and many of them were Jersey and Ayrshire crosses. Dairy Cows. — Out of about 50 cows and springers there were only half-a-dozen really good ones, and the sale was lifeless. . Fat Sheep— Out of about 3000 fat sheep there were some SSO freezing wethers, the rest of the entry being ewes, the bulk of which, though fat, were aged. The sale opened at well up to last week's rates. Fat Lambs. — In consequence of the expected boom in fat lambs, from the news as to the bareness of the London market, farmers fairly rushed their lambs in, and there could not have been less than 1600 yarded. That they were justified in doing S o was proved by the fact that export buyers were competing keenly for all lots suitable for the trade, and one buyer secured close upon 1000. The quality, considering the large entry and the dry weather, was good, and nearly every lot was cleared at from 9s 9d to 12s Id for freezers, 7s fld to 9s Od for trade lines, and 5s to 7s for unfinished sorts. Store Sheep. — About 1500 store sheep came forward mostly in small lots. There was a slight improvement in the demand for wethers, but ,ewes and lambs were almost unsaleable. The sales included (360 forward wethers, from Puraii. at /s 3d, 13-1 wethers at 7s, 2-16 do at 5s Id, 2-10 crossbred ewes and lambs, all counted at 2s Gd, and 72 aged ewes (boilers) at 2s. Puss. — The yarding of pigs was a large one, the classes beiujr well represented. Fats were firm at late rates, but if anything these were harder. Bacouers brought 32s to 00s, porkers 20s to 29s (id; large stores ISs to 30s, a line of 50 bringing from 21s to 30s; small do 13s 6d to 17s 6d, and suckers and weaners from 6s to 12s ; porkers ran from 3-Jd to Id per lb, and baconers from 3|d to 3jd.