SPLENDID PRICES FOR FAT LAMBS AT YARDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18630, 6 December 1928, Page 11

SPLENDID PRICES FOR FAT LAMBS AT YARDS.

A SMALL ENTRY FOR OPENING OF SEASON.

For the first sale since the opening of the freezing works, there was a verysmall entry of fat lambs at Addington yesterday’. The number of lambs forward was barely moro than sufficient to meet the requirements of butchers. Consequently the demand was keen, and prices were satisfactory. Generally' both fat cattle and fat sheep sold well, and there was active competition for store sheep, especially dry sheep, which improved by up to Is a head. There was an entry of 490 head of fat cattle, forty more than last week. Cows were again numerous, and big steers, a good few’ of them of a plain character, were also fairly heavily represented; medium-weight, wellffinished steers were scarce. Altogether, the entry was not up to recent markets for uniformity* of quality, heavy cattle being too numerous. Several truck lots came from the -West Coast .and South Otago. The sale over the earlier stages was a shade easier for the heavier cattle. The market proceeded practically throughout on these lines, heavyplain bullocks being down by up to los per head. coWs to a slight extent, but with practically little difference for medium-weights of good finish. Graziers were in the market to some extent for light steers, and in some cases appeared to pay prices that are not going to leave much margin for fattening. Best beef made in a few cases up to 49s per 1001 b, good steer 44s *to 47s 6d, medium 40s to 435, plain heavy 38s to 40s, best heifer 43s to 465, best cow 40s to 435, secondary* 35s to 38s and light and rough sorts from 28s to 335. There was a smaller entry of fat sheep than last week, totalling twelve races, compared with fifteen. Quality was fair, with less outstanding stuff than at recent sales. Prices in the early stages were slightly down on last sale, but a hardening set in later and the earlier easing was recovered* Prices came within the range of the published schedule for export and the companies bought a fair proportion of the offering. With the exception of a Blenheim line practically all the sheep came from north and mid-Canterbury.

The offering of fat lambs totalled only 640 head. The bulk of the lambs were bought by the butchers, very few going to the export buy’ers. Prices were fully equal to the export schedule for all classes. There w-as a fairly large y’arding of store sheep. The demand throughout was good. Drysheep, which constituted the bulk of the penning, sold well at prices showing an advance of up to Is a head on late rates. Ewes and lambs met with good competition at last week’s prices. Store cattle were forward in unusually large numbers. A feature of this section of the market was a line of 120 eighteen-months to two-year-old heifers, which made £6 10s to £7 17s. Very few steers were forward. Cows and bulls made late rates. Only thirty-six head of dairy cattle were penned. Competition was keen and prices satisfactory*. ' Vealers, fit for killing, as usual sold well.

Prices for all classes of fat pigs were about equal to those ruling a week ago. On account of an oversupply, prices for store pigs were easier. They receded rather markedly in the later stages of the market. Following are ranges of values;—

FAT CATTLE. Values were: Extra prime heavy steers, to £24 17s 6d. Prime heavy steers. £lB 10s to £2l. Prime medium-weight steers, £l6 5s to £lB ss. Ordinary steers. £l2 to £l6. . Eight steers, £9 10s to £ll 15s. Extra prime heifers, to £l7 7s 6d. Prime heifers, £l2 15s to £l3. Ordinary heifers, £lO to £l2 10s. Eight heifers, £8 12s 6d to £9 15s. Extra prime nows, to £l6 12s 6d. Prime cows, £l2 5s to £l4 10s. Ordinary cows, £9 15s to £ll 10s. Light and aged cows, £6 to £9 10s. STORE CATTLE. «- Eighteen months to two-year-old heifers, £6 10s to £7 17s. Two-year-old steers," to £7 ss. Good cows. £5 to £8 ss. Medium cows, £3 to £4 15s. Aged and inferior cows, 30s to £2 10s. Bulls, £4 to £9. DAIRY CATTLE. Best second, third and fourth cal vers, £lO to £ls. Medium sorts, £7 10s to £9 10s. Inferior sorts, £5 10s to £7. Best heifers, £9 10s to £l2. other sorts, £6 10s to £8 10s. Backward calvers, £7 to £lO 10s. FAT SHEEP. Extra prime wethers, to 36s lOd. Prime wethers, 32s 6d to 355. Medium wether#. 29s to 325. Light wethers. 24s fid to 28s. Extra prime ewes, to 33s fid. Prime ewes, 28s 6d to 31s fid. Medium ewes, 26s to 28s. Light ewes, 22s fid to 25s fid. FAT LAMBS. Extra prime lambs to 35s lOd. Prime lambs 31s to 335. Medium lambs 29s to 30s 6d. Bight lambs 26s 6d to 28s fid. VEALERS. Eighteen months old sorts, to £rp Ss t ;ood vealers, £6 5s to £B. Medium vealers, £3 10s to £5 15s. Small calves, 15s to £2 10s. STORE SHEEP. • Mood ewes and lambs, 24s to 25s 6d. Ordinary ewes and lambs, 19s to 235. Inferior ewes and lambs, 16s 6d to 18s 6< Good four, six and eight-tooth crossbred shorn ewes, 28s to 295. Good shorn half-bred wethers, 25s to Ordinary shorn wethers, 23s to 24s Shorn merino wethers, 8s 3d to 11s 10d ' PIGS. Choppers, £2 to £4 6s. Light baconers, 57s 6d to £3 10s. % Heavy baconers, £3 15s lo £4 4s 6d. Average price per lb, s|d to 6d. Light porkers, 32s to 40s. Heavy porkers, 44s to 525. Average price per lb, 6d to 7d. Small weaners, 6s to Bs. Good weaners, 10s to 14s. Small stores, 14s to 16s. Mediuml stores, 17s to 20s. Large stores, 22s to 265, extra large 1° 30s.