CANTERBURY MARKETS

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19162, 19 November 1927, Page 12

CANTERBURY MARKETS

A DULL PERIOD. (BT oto COMMERCIAL IDROS.) Friday Evening. The absorbing item of interest over the holidays was the meteoric rise in the price of potatoes. A small shipment or two has gone north, but it is questionable if they will be sufficient to tide over the shortage in Auckland until the new crqp comes in. Thanks to the Auckland merchants' mis-judg-ment of the Pukekoiie supplies, tubers will be wanted irom Canterbury for another two or three weeks. The country is being laked for potatoes now, all the heavy hol'ders apparently having vanished into thin air. It would be rather an ostrich-like satisfaction it the present optimists figured out the current price as a proof of the shortage of the local crop. The local supply has been more than normal, but the failure of the Pukokohe early crop has come to the rescue, and as a result potatoes are wanted in the north more freely in mid-November than, as a rule, they i are wanted in early October. Reports ! from time to time indicated a later j season in the north, and the surprising | feature is that traders there should i have so misjudged the position. As a ! result of their foresight—or rather lack of it—they were buying tubers to-day at £9 ex-wharf, which, with some foresight, they could have been landing at about two-tihirds the price. On the other hand if there had been fewer paper tubers and less feverish consigning from this end the great bulk of the potatoes would haive been sold out at a happy half-way price between the Itedrock of 60s of six weeks ago and the 130s of to-day, for the latter is the price that farmers can get on trucks. The end-of-season holder generally finds a "let out" in the local market, and it is suggested that the extra supplies going north this last week or two will shorten looal supplies sufficiently to keep up the values here for at "least another month. The "best" informaj tion this season has been so far astray j that no one can make a confident prej diction in this respect. | Wheat. Consequent on the Australian quoted J price of wheat, the officially estimated area for next season, which shows a substantial increase, and the fear (frequently hinted as a possibility in these columns) of an unnecessarily heavy carry over on account of the importations, there is a tendency for forward wheat values to ease. Six shillings, f.0.b., is still quoted, but to effect any business this figure has to be slightly shaded off. Seeds, Etc. The home market for peas has weakened slightly. The area sown in Canterbury is much higher than usual. There is no change in the value of enquiry for general seeds, and recent quotations hold in this respect. The cocksfoot crop on the Peninsula has> improved as a result of the recent rains. Quotations. The following are quotations for produce, to be paid to farmers, sacks extra, except where otherwise stated : Wheat—6s 3d per bushel for Tuscan: up to 6s 6d for Hunters. Oats—Gartons 2s 6d to 2s 9d a bushel; Algerians 2s 6d to 2s 9dDuns, 2s 6d to 2s 9d. Chaff—£3 per ton. Potatoes—£6 10s a ton Red Clover—To lOd a lb. White Clover—Bd'to 9d a lb Perennial Ryegrass—2s 6d to 2s lOd per bushel. Italian Ryegrass—ls 6d to Is lOd per bushel. Cocksfoot—7d per lb. Linseed—Up to £l3 10s per ton. Bran—£s 10s per ton, f.0.b., southern .ports; 10s extra for smaller packings. Pollard—£7 10s per ton, f.0.b.. southern ports; 10s extra for smaller packings. Flour—Local wholesale price, £l7 10b per ton for 2001b sacks with the usual morements for smaller packings. Price for shipment, £l7 10s per ton, freight paid to main New Zealand ports. POULTRY AND EGGS. Limited supplies of poultry came forward for the markets this week, and prices remain very high. The following price* were realised per pair:—Table chickens, light 7s to 9s, heavy 10s to 13s; hens, light 6s to Bs, heavy 9s to lis; geese, 7s to 8s; ducks, 7s to 9s 6d; ducklings, 9s to 13s; turkeys, hens 18s to 225, gobblers 80s to 425, The egg market is well supplied. Tha Canterbury Co-op. Poultry Producers, Ltd., quote the fpllowing prices per dozen:—First grade hen eggs, Is 6d; second grade, Is 4Jd.

ASHBURTON MARKET. There is itill a good demand for potatoes, but it is evident that only small supplies are left in .growers' hands.' New tubers are coming on to the market from the Auckland district, but it is expected that there will still be a number of enquiries for old potatoes for some time yet. The volume of business being done In the oat market is not great, and if anything,' this line shows a weakening tendency. A firmness is still evident in the wheat market. There is very little milling wheat offering from growers, and it is unlikely that any great quantity will come on to the market now. Fowl wheat is in fair demand, and prices are inclined to harden. Business in grass seed and clovers is practically at a standstill. The following prices are quoted on trucks, stations, sacks extra:— Milling Wheat l -Tuscan 6s 4d per bushel, j Good whole fowl wheat—6s Bd. Oats—A grada Gartons 2s 7d, B's Ss sd, Algerians '2s 6d to 2s 9d for the best seed, 2s 5d for heavy feed; Duns, good, dark, heavy seed 2s 9d, feed 2s 4d. Chaff—£3 5s per ton for good, bright oatsheaf. f% Partridge Peas—7s 6d per bushel. Grass Seed—Perennial 2s 9d to 8s per bushel, Western Wolths and Italian Is 9d to 2s, red and white clover 8d to 9d per lb, according'to quality; cocksfoot, 6d per lb. Potatoes— £6 on trucks for tables.

SOUTHLAND MARKETS. (BFECUL TO XBB FBISB.> INVEROARGIM,, November 18. Oats—Local merchants are now showing, very little Interest in the oat market. Stor6 stocks are practically exhausted, large shipments having been made to Britain and Australia, and what is left will be required for local consumption until the new season's crop comes to hand. Practically no oats are offering from farmers. Offers of grade oats have been made, buyers' ideas of the value being on the basis of about 8s 6d f.0.b., s.i., which is equal to about 2s 8d a bushel on trucks at country sidings. B grade are worth about 3d s bushel lens. Wheat—There is no business passing between farmers and merchants, the only movement in the market being local sales ex store for fowl feed purposes. The stocks held by. merchants are now exceedingly small, and very soon snpplies will have to be drawn from outside centres.

Chaff —The supply of chaff hag slackened off, farmers, no doubt, being too busy with other work to go on with the cutting. Good quality is in demand at about 4s 5d on trucks, country sidings. Ryegrass—This market continues lifeless except for local seed requirements. Occasional sales have been made for shipment, but on the whole the demand has been disappointing. Some farmers have indicated their intention of either greatly redueing their ryegrass orop or not sowing any at all, and a short supply is anticipated. It is likely that the stocks in hand will be cleared up before the new season's seed is available for the market. At the present time good quality heavily dressed farmers' lines wonld realise about 2b 6d s bushel on trucks at country tidings. Potatoes—Stocks of local lines are depleted, and the market here is now being supplied with- tubers from North Otago and South' Canterbury. These seem to be giving satisfaction. Offerings from the north have dropped considerably, North" Island merchant! having bought fairly extensively. The price to fanners for southern-grown potatoes Js nominally from M to £8 10s on trucks a* country riding*..