Store Cattle Encounter Sticky Market At Stortford Lodge

Wanganui Chronicle, 14 April 1949, Page 7

Store Cattle Encounter Sticky Market At Stortford Lodge

HASTINGS, Last Night (PA).—All classes of store sheep, with the exception of in-lamb ewes, made their values at late rates at Stortford Lodge today. Five-year in-lamb ewes would have made 35s to 375. This was the only in-lamb line to test the market. In an offering of 3500 head quality was lacking in a number of pens, but where quality was offering among wethers and fattening ewes, farmers readily paid late rates. This was illustrated by the payment of 43s 4d for a draft of killable wethers. Other attractive grown wethers brought 40s 6d, and light two-tooths realised 33s to 345. Most fattening ewes lacked condition. The best of them sold at 23s 8d to 24s 9d, with inferior at 17s to 20s. Lamb entries have dwindled and few pens came forward, the price of 29s paid for second cut woolly wether lambs compared with 33s 2d for tops last week. Small woolly wether lambs were traded at 23s 3d and small ’Down-cross lambs at 24s Bd. Butchers provided keen competition for wethers in the fat sheep market, ewes being slightly harder to sell. An increase in the works schedule price for ewes becomes operative from Monday, but this appeared to have little influence on the market. There was a comparatively short yarding, but butchers were offered some quality pens. Heavy wefhers were traded at 46s Id to 46s lOd, prime bringing 42s 7d to 45s 4d, and smaller 37s Id to 39s lOd. Prime aged ewes realised 32s 4d

33s 7d, others making 29s lOd to 30s 4d, and light 24s to 26s 7d. Heavy lambs changed hands at 36s Id to 42s lOd, with others at 31s lOd to 345. Vendors’ store cattle encountered a sticky market. A good crowd filled the rostrum to watch an offering of 410 head, but buyers were more cautious than in' recent weeks and the auctioneers were forced io work hard to get anything approaching value in almost every instance. However, vendors were prepared to meet the market. The absence of autumn growth and the advent of colder weather ap- • peared to discourage buyers. Bullocks I realised £lB 17s, with a lighter cut at I £l5 Is. Thirty-months steers brought I £lO 2s to £l3, and 18-months steers £8 10s to £9 7s. Values for empty cows ranged from £7 12s to £8 4s, and for empty heifers from £9 17s to £ll 3s. A line of empty cows, with calves at foot, changed hands at £8 16s. With a large proportion of the yarding of 82 head of fat cattle, comprising ex-dairy stock, the beef market deteriorated. Buyers appeared to be fully stocked up for the holiday period after last week’s large sale, :/i"d values for a few pens of A. A. and crossbred cows and heifers showed a definite easing today. Prime mediumwei tght heifers realised £l2 Is to £l3 13s 6d, light and unfinished selling at £lO 3s 6d to £ll 18s 6d. For prime cows buyers paid £l3 Is to £l3 16s, medium quality bringing £ll 3s 6d to £l2 8s 6d, and light £6 to £9 18s 6d. Vealers changed hands at £5 to £5 10s.