PRICES FIRM AT YARDS YESTERDAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18674, 31 January 1929, Page 6

PRICES FIRM AT YARDS YESTERDAY.

STORE SHEEP MEET WITH GOOD DEMAND. Generally speaking prices .for fat cattle, fat sheep and fat lambs at the weekly Stock sale at Addington yesterday showed little change from those ruling at the previous sale. Store sheep met with a good demand, and they also sold at about late rates. The entry of fat cattle was small. It. totalled 405 head, compared with' 450 last week. There was a good showing of prime handy weight cattle, and for this class the demand was good, kite rates being fully maintained.' Heavy cattle were, however, not sought after, this no doubt being due to the hot weather. When warm conditions prevail the average butcher does not care to have to deal with big bodies Price? for heavy cattle were down yesterday by 20s a head, but otherwise it was a good, sound sale. Prices a 1001 b were: Best handy weight beef 45s to 48s, heavy steer 36s 6d to 40s, medium quality 3Ss to 425, good cow and medium heifer 40s to 435, plain, heavy cow 33s to 37s and rough down to 30s.

Fat sheep were again yarded in small numbers. Onl> r eight races were filled, the same number as* last week. On the whole, the quality was somewhat better than has been the case at recent sales. Ewes formed the bulk of the entry, though there were a lew large lines of wethers. The sale opened with prices showing an advance on late rates, but it was not long before this improvement was lost. However, on an average prices were equal to those ruling last week. The better class of sheep made above export rates, but the medium sorts were within the limits set by the schedule.

There was a satsifactory sale of fat lambs, though only in a few cases were export rates exceeded. The yarding of fat lambs totalled 2200 head. It was a better quality entry than has been the case recently, and this factor should be considered as an oil-set against any apparent rise in values. Store sheep were yarded in large numbers. . It included drafts of ewes from the North Island, the Chatham Islands, the West Coast, and Marlborough. The demand for lambs was again good and late rates were fully maintained, while some of the more forward sorts showed a slight improvement. Ewes formed the bulk of the offerings of adult sheep. They, too, sold well, though buyers had a more conservative, and probably, on the state of the markets, a truer basis of values than they appeared to have at recent sales. Ewes sold at late rates, but buyers generally refused to go above certain limits, and in consequence a good many passings were made. Owing to the fact that harvesting operations' Sfre in full swing, the attendance of farmers at the sale yesterday was not so large as usual.

There was a mixed entry of store cattle. It consisted mainly of small lots of cows, bullsvanri younger cattle. The demaftd was good, especially for forward, Straight lines. A line of fortytwo three-vear-old steers oft the Peninsula averaged £l2 4s 9d. The yarding of dairy cattle totalled sixty-two head, twenty more than last week. In this

section, too, there was active competition. and there was a ready market for all lots at recent rates. The number of vealers forward was again not sufficient to meet requirements, and all killable sorts were disposed of at high prices.

A small offering of fat pigs met with a good demand, and prices. showed a slight improvement. There was also a good demand for store pigs. Medium stores were dearer, while weaners and small and large stores were firm at last week's prices. Following are ranges of values:— FAT CATTLE. Extra prime heavy steers to £2l 17s 6d. Prime heavy steers £l7 10s to £l9 15s. Medium-weight prime steers £l6 10s to £lB 10s. Medium-quality steers £l3 5s to £l6.

Eight steers £ll to £l3. Extra, prime heifers to £l7 12s 6cl. Prime heifers £l3 to £ls. -Medium heifers £ll to £l2 15s. Light heifers £7 10s to £lO 10s. 'Time cows £ll 15s to £l4. Medium cows £9 10s to £ll 10s* Light cows £7 10s to 19. STORE CATTLE. Forward three-year-old Steers, £l2 to flood eighteen-months heifers, £7 Is. Yearling., steers and heifers, to IpS Gd. flood cows. £5 to £6 10s. Inferior cows. 25s to £2 10s. Bulls, £5 to £l3. DAIRY CATTLE. c.ood second, third and fourth-calvers, ; £ll to .£l6 10s. Medium /sorts, £8 to £lO 10s. inferior sorts.: £6 to £7 10s. Extra good heifers to £l7. los. flood heifers, £lO to £l2 10s. Other heifers. £7 to £9 10s. Backward calvers, £8 to £ll 10s. VEALERS.* Twelve to eighteen-months sorts to £9 3s Od. flood, vealers. £6 15s to £7 10s. Medium vealers. £4 to £6 ss. Calves. 20s to £3. FAT SHEEP. Extra prime wethers to 3?s lOd. Prime wethers, 32s to 355. _ Medium wethers. 29s to 31s 9d. Lieht wethers, 25s 6d to 2Ss 6d. Extra prime ewes, 32s to 34s 4d. Prime ewes. 27s to 31s 6d. Medium ewes, 23s 6d to 26s 6d. Light ewes. 20s to 235. Aged ewes, Its to 19s. FAT LAMBS. Extra prime lambs to 37s Id. Prime lambs, 31s to 345. Medium lambs 2Ss 6d to 30s 6d. Light lambs, 26s to 28s. STORE SHEEP. Forward rape lambs, 25s 6d to 27s 6 cl. Medium rape lambs, 23s to 2os. Good mixed sex lambs, 24s to 265. Medium mixed sex lambs, 21s Gd to 23 s. 6cl. o _ to 2 _ g Medium to good wether lambs, 22s to 24s 3d. Inferior lambs, 1 Ss to 20s 6d. Cull lambs, 14s to 17s. Good ewe lambs, to 29s 6d. Ordinary ewe lambs, 23s to 25s 6d. Best two-tooth Romney cross ewes, to 39s 9d. flood four, six and eight-tooth Romney cross ewes, to 36s 6d. Best two-tooth half-bred ewes, 31s 6d to 34 s. Ordinary four, six and eight r tooth half-bred ewes, 26s to 2Ss 6d. Sound-mouthed half-bred ewes, 23s to 24s 6d. Good two-tooth cross-bred ewes, 32s to 32s 3d. Good four, six and eight-tooth crossbred ewes, to 33s 3d. Ordinary four, six and eight-tooth 01 Sound-mouthed cross-bred ewes, 23s to 255. Aged and inferior cross-bred ewes, to Good two-tooth three-quarter-bred ewes, to 34s 6d. Good half-bred wethers, to 275. Ordinary half-bred wethers, 23s to Backward half-bred wethers, to 20s. PIGS. Choppers, £2 10s 6d to £4 6s 6d. Light baconers, £3 to £3 15s. Heavy baconers, £4 to £4 6s : 6d. Average price per lb, 6d to 6£d. Light porkers, 37s to 4Ss 6d. Heavy porkers, 50s to 56s 6d. Average price per lb, 7d to 7£d. firmly. Values were:— Weaners, 6s to Bs. Good weaners, 8s Od to 10s. Small stores, 11s to 13s. Medium stores, 15s to 21s 6d. Largo stores, 22s to 265. Extra large stores, to 31s.