THE FARMERS’ MARKET DAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3839, 23 May 1913, Page 2

THE FARMERS’ MARKET DAY.

THE MATAAYHERO SALES. AN? EXCEPTION At d, Y LARGE OFFERING OF SHEEP. STORE LAMBS’ KEENLY SOUGHT AFTER. ~ Local farmers were favored with anything but pleasant conditions for the Matawhsro stock sales yesterday. A cold southerly brought heavy showers in its train throughout tho morning, while the keenness of the wind betokened, snow ' on the highlands. Matters were damp and boggy underfoot also, but this did not deter the sheepfaoners from seeing the sale through. There was an exceptionally heavy yarding of sheep, in all about 17.CCK. coming forward, and in this respect tho sale was one of tho largest which has been held at this time of tho year for many seasons past. Shortage of feed must be put down as the cause of so many sheep being offered. Tlie long spoil of drought, followed by cold rains, has prevented tho grass coming away, and as feed cannot he locked for until tho spring, farmers are naturally averse to carrying one hoof more than is necessary through the winter.

Thq.featuro of the sale was the keen demand for stoie lambs. A good number of these came forward, and the strong competition for good sorts saw a rise of as much as Is a head take place on prices ruling a fortnight ago. In some instances the advance

was as much as 2s a head. The ton price for lambs yesterday was S.s Gd, which was given for a good line, from Mr. Frank -Sherrill's Paritaha station. Tho fact that artificial feed, such as/ pumpkins, is now .available no doubt had an effect in hardening the market yesterday. Wethers also showed an advance of as much as Gd a head on last sale, the top price yesterday being 14s Gd. Ewes were just about at par with those ruling ,< fortnight ago. A peculiar feature about the sale was that though so many sheep came forward, every line offered was quitted under the hammer, which goes to prove that there musLstill bo a little grass in reserve somewhere in the district. Fat sheep showed a decline of about Is, due to the fact that tlie majority of the fat stock of- . fered was poor conditioned stuff. FAT SHEEP. These were not up to the usual prime condition, and prices'showed a decline in consequence. The sales were as follows ; —2o ewes 15s 4d, G do 12s, 34 do 13s, 15 do 10s Gd, 54 do 10s Id, 21 do 11s 4d. 29 do 11s Gd, 25 do 9s 6d, 36 do 10s 3d, 22 do 12s 2d, 28 do 10s 2d, 14 do 10s 4d, 14 do 10s 3d, 30 do 12s 7d, 61 do 10s Gd, 30 do 9s Gd, 2 lambs l2s 7d, 45 wethers 14s, 9 do 10s Gd. 10 do 15s Gd, 5 do 13s. STORE SHEEP. Messrs Dalgety and Co., and Common, Shelton, and Co., offered 5000 sheep, of which the majority were stores. Wethers showed a slight advance, some fine lines coming forward from Waihnka and Mangatu. The principal fines sold wore as follows: 82 two and 4-tooth wethers, 11s 5d ; 636 5-year-old otv.es in lamb, 6s Od; .500 wetlier lambs, from Waihuka station, 9s 2d; G3B wether lambs, from Mr. L. B. Tulloclrs Mangatu station, went to Air. AY. Graham, of Ormond, at 8s Id; GOO 2-tooth wethers, passed in at 11s sd; G 33 2 and 4-tooth wethers, from To Araroa, passed in at 10s 3d; 131 ewes, in lamb to Border Leicester rams, passed in at 7s; 39 ewes, 4s; 35 big-framed wethers, 12s 3d; 131 owes, 7s 3d ; 38 cull lambs, ss; 84 good, sound-mouth owes in forward condition, 7s; 58 big-framed, w 11wool led , full-mouth owes, in good for-ward-condition, 7s; 372 small, 2-tooth Lineoln-Romncy owes, well ’woolled, and in good forward condition, passed in. at 9s 3d; 15G medium store lambs, 5s 3d ; 101 big-framed forward 4-tooth wethers, passed at 11s 3d; 130 soundmouth owes, well woolled and in forward condition, 7s 8d; 215 medium Lambs, from Ngatapa, passed at As 4d; 46 cull lambs, 5s 2d; 20 fat wethers, 12s Id. Messrs Williams and Kettle, and the New Zealand Loan and Agency Company, yarded 12,00 sheep. 4 nice lino of wether lambs, bred by Mr Burgess, of Hangaroa, from rams bred by Mr. A. Kirkpatrick, of Patutahi, were keenly competed for, and were eventually knocked down at 8s 3d. Some fine Romney cross 2-tooth wothers came forward from Mr Murphy’s Waiau station on tho Coast, and these made 12s Gd. Tho principal lines sold as follows: —99 lambs, mixed sexes, 5s 7d; 395 woilier lambs, fis 3d; 383 lambs, from Mr A. Hogarty’s Mangatu station, 7s lOd; 37 wollwooll ’d hoggets, 8s Gd; 28 wethers, 11s 9d ; 35 useful ewes, 3s 2d-; 44 woolly lambs (mixed sexes) 9s 4d ; 1.10 ewes in lamb, all ages, 4s 2d; 305 owe , lambs, from Motu, B.s Gd; 980 Romney cross 2-tooth wethers. 12s Gd; 4.10 lambs (mixed sexes) 6s 7d; 158 2-tooth wethers, from the Coast, 10s; 151 Romney cross 2-tooth wethers, passed” in at 10s Gd; 246 ewes in lamb, 4 and 5-year old, from Waiilnata, 4s 3d; 93 Lambs (mixed sexes) 4s 8d; 153 2-tooth owes, in lamb to Romney rams, 6s 2d; 133 2-tooth wethers, , 9s; 303 mixed owes, Os; ,200 empty ewes, 3s 4d ; 644 lambs, 7s; 27 fonvard owes, 7s lOd; 36 forward sheep, 8s; 26 2, 4, 1 and Gtooth owes 6s 9d; 71 empty ewes, 4s 9d: 15 forward sheep, 8s; 21 emepty ewes. 4s 6d; 37 wethers, 11s; 14 do llff: 43 cull ewes, 2s 4d; 14 do, 4s; 23 fat and forward ewes, 8s Gd; 200 wethers, 14s Gd ;. 405 2-tooth wethers, 12s‘Gd; 300 5-year-old ewes, 0s; 517

2 and 4 tooth wether?,, 14,3 Gd, 70 4 and o-y-ar-old owes, -.>» 3d ; 184 do, 3s lOd ; 58 lambs, 5s Id ; 22 wethers, 10a ; 17/ ewes, Os 3d; 84 empty owes. 4s; 81 -2 and - 4-tooth wo tilers, 12s; ,112 iambs, 5s 2d; 102 wethers, 11s 6(1; 85 aethers, 10s 3d ; 118 owe lambs, 7s 4d; 12 ail I •ewes, 3s Gd ; 80 2 -tooth caves', lis 3d; 129, owes, 4s lOd; 91 rnixad lambs, 5s 7d,; 395 wether Jambs, S.-i s;i '• 383 hi mbs,’7s l'0d : ; 37 hoggets, 8s Gd ; 28 wethers, 11s 9d ; So cull ewes 3s 2d; 44 mixed Jambs, 9* 4d; 110 cks in' lamb, 4s 2d; 305 owo Jambs, Bs -Gd; GOO wethers, 12s 0d; 380 do, 12s 3d; 410 lambs, 6s 7d; 153 2-tooth wetliers, 10s; 151 do, 10« Gd”; 246 4 and 5-year-old owes, 4s 3d; 93 lambs, 4s lid: 153 ewes, 6s 2d ; 153 2-tooth Wethe-rs, 9s.

CATTLE

Bi'TOlJ ERS’ SOR'TbV

3 lie entry of beef cattle, though not of prime quality, brought slightly better prices than at the last sale. The following wero the prices reads ad; 7 cows £4, 10 cows £3 ss, 5 cows £5 7s fkl, 17 cows £5 10s, 2 cows £3 18$ Gd, 1 cow £3 12s Gd, 4 cows £3 7s 6d. The demand was not too keen, and a number of lines were passed in. / In all about 900 store cattle wore yarded, and many of these plainly showed that they were feeling the effects of the shortage of feed and the sovero weather. It was plain that a number of gi’owors had hung on to their c-attle too long, with the result that they were at last compelled no send them in in poor condition. An unusual amount of well-bred stoe.c came forward, hut though th. se we.o going for a song, eat-tle were a ding on the market, d ud <ov prices n.led throughout the day. Sonic fine young stock was offered on ae-iouu* oi Mi T. Fraser, of Pouavu, being t.ho pogerny of his prize ShorMi i•n huli, Aii'th gained so many honors m show rings in the South Island. It was noticeable that a good deal of stock was ntored from the Matawai district; where the widespread log and bush fires a few months back had cleaned out the grass. These cattle were looking in remarkably good condition, but evidentlyHJiey had to be parted with, as the grass had petered out. The following were among the prices obtained: —27 weaners (mixed sexes; 255, 34 Polled Angus weaners from Pouawa £2, 7 big-framed bullocks £5 11s, 4 steers {from Matawai) £4 7s, 8 fat steers (from Matawai) £3 7s Gd, G mixed weaners £1 6s, 22 well-bred steer calves {from Pouawa) £2 ss, 45 breeding cows £2 7s Gd, 2 bigframed. bullocks £5 2s Gd, 2 smart steers £4, 4.5 breeding cows, in calf to Hereford bulls, passed in at 30s, 10 breeding cows and Jieifers 22s_ Gd, 22 steers £3, 11 heifers £2. 12 heifers £2 12s Gd, 21 steers £2 3s' Gd, 8 stec-rs £3 11 b, 3 calves 12s Gd. 5G heifers, in "alf to Hereford hull, from Mangaiu, £3. 1 raileli cow £lO 2s £d, 9 big cows £2. 2 fat heifers and 1 i'-at cow £3 10s. 2-7 empty heifers from Matawai £2 ,455, ?A 1) cifors (from Pouawa) 395. 3 dairy heifers in calf £2 s>, young cow with yearling ca’f £4 2s Gd, two cows 02 Is.- 1 Shorthorn, bull 355. 104 cows in calf to Polled Angus bulls 28s Gd, 30 heifors^(from Matawai) £2 11s.

■ FIGS. There was cnlv a small yarding ot g«. 14 alone being offered. Seven ado (is, and 7 made 7s.