CANTERBURY MARKET

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 97, 18 January 1919, Page 10

CANTERBURY MARKET

By Telegraph— Press Association. ' ■-: / * ' Christchurch, January 17'. • ' •:.;. The good night!e rain that has fallen ■'-,-,, 'will do an immense amount of good to [growing crops of all kinds, but the ./' ■', .'■ißjurface soil is so dry that even more ■■ •; . would,be welcome. The harvest is not "y.°t general, so the rain will.cause little delay and all grain crops that are still ' .vin an unripe stage should be improved -by the better filling of the grain. There vh'as been some forward selling of oats ;• by-merchants, nut only odd lots have been purchased from' growers on rub- . becUout sample. : -The early cut Al- ■;. .gerian oats are naturally light, hav- ■ ing been grown on the drier land, and :.' one sample has been sold,at 4s. 6d. on trucks..;';An offer of 4s. 10d. for, ■ '. .VGartbns ,- was not accepted, but it. Ie . -reported -that a sale was effected, at ; : ss. at country stations. 'No sales of ,new oatsheaf chaff are yet reported. It- is too early yet to say definitely : ■how the market will open in Canterbury, but £i 10s. to £5 are mentioned as probable prices. The barley crop is smaller-in area than last year, •■but the yield .will be larger, giving a total about equal.to the.average- of the past few years, any shortage being made up by importation from Australia. It is expected the market will open at about last season's prices. The market for "X, 'grass seed- has not yet opened pro- \ .pctl.Vj only small, lots of Perennial and Italian hivving been on offer. The former is likely to be- a short crop. With .a quantity of last season's seed oil hand and a promising crop, white ; clover is expected to be much lower in price-than last year. The red clover ■ crop is'likely to be smaller. Some offers '■for'potatoes-for forward delivery are ;' now: being'.made, (but the market has -, , not- yot" settled down to anything like i'a»'definite'figure/ and there is as-much '•asi £2-per ton difference in the prices mentioned. Last night's rain should <ln a considerable amount of good to the potato crop, which so far is looking yory healthy.