Commercial.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 35, 25 December 1885, Page 17

Commercial.

Mb. Dokald Stbonach (on behalf of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited; reports for the week ended December 22 as follows :— Fat Cattle. — 135 were yarded for to-day's market, representing all qualities. Owing to the trade being fully supplied last week, competition was dull, and to effect sales fully £1 per head reduction on last week's prices had to be submitted to. Best bullocks brought £8 to £9 17s 6d ; two prime prize bullocks up to £14 2s 6d ; ordinary, £5 5s to £7 10s ; cows in proportion. We sold on account of Mr. A. Grant, Temuka, and others, bullocks to £9. Fat Calves.— Forty-one were yarded, and sold at 7s to 22s 6d. Fat Sheep. — 2,114 were penned ; of these 250 were merinos (of poor quality), the balance cross-breda, of very good to prime quality. The requirements of the trade in these were easily satisfied, and this number being far in excess of what was really wanted, prices realised for those sold were 2s per head below last week's, besides a number had to be turned out unsold. Beßt crossbreds brought 8s 6d to 10s 6d ; a few pens extra prime 12s 6d to 13s 3d ; ordinary, 6s 3d to 8s ; merino wethers, 4s to ss. We sold on account of Mr. W. Cunningham, Pleasant Point, cross-breds. mixed, toßs6d ; Mr. G. B. Watson, Deborah, and others, merino wethers at 4a. Fat Lambs.— 93B were penned. This number was also in excess of the requirement ; a number were turned out unsold, while the remainder sold at Is 6d to 2s under last week's rates, the range to-day being 4s to 8s 6d. We sold fifty at 7s 6d. Pigs. — Eighty-seven were penned, mostly suckers, from 2s 6d to 7a 6d ; porkers, 21s. Competition was inactive. Store Cattle. — There would have been a better demand existing but for the want of rain, which is even now beginning to cause anxiety to a number of farmers. At sales held last week four to five-year-old bullocks realised £4 7s 6d to £6 7s 6d ; heifers, £2 15s to L 4 ss. Store Sheep. — We are still unable to report any movement in this market. We have particulars of several choice lots for disposal, and are now piepared to suit buyers. Tallow.— There is a good local demand existing, and all lots offered are freely taken up at — for inferior, 12s to 14s ; medium, 15s to 17s ; good to prime, 18s to 19s ; and rough fat, at 7s to Us per cwt. Grain. — Wheat : The stock in hand for sale is very light, and scarcely any addition is being made by new arrivals. There is a slight inquiry for prime samples of velvet, but the transactions in this line have been very limited in extent during the past week. Inferior and fowls' wheat continues in good demand, and prices hardening. We quote prime milling 3s 3d to 3s 4d ; medium, 3s Id to 3s 2d ; inferior, 2s 6i to 3s (ex store, bags weighed in). — Oats : Those are in very good request, and, although prices are firm at late quotations, we cannot report any advance. Good bright, short oats are in limited supply, and are likely to stand at present prices, if not advance. Consignments of inferior and discoloured continue to come forward, and as these are readily taken up, chiefly for local use, at low rates, values for best samples necessarily suffer. We quote short, bright milling, Is lOd ; short, bright feed, Is 9d ; medium, Is 8d to Is B^d ; musty and discoloured, Is 3d to Is 7d.— Barley : There is nothing to report in the barley market beyond the disposal of small lots for feed and milling occasionally at from Is 9d to 2s 6d.