Stortford Lodge

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 152, 23 March 1939, Page 14

Stortford Lodge

Dominion Special Service. HASTINGS, March 22. At the Stortford Lodge stock sale today, the market for store sheep was very slow. A drop of 1/6 a head for lambs was the most noticeable feature of the sale. The top price for wether lambs was 18/10, but for useful woolly pens of average quality the prices ranged from 7/6 to 10/-. Ewe lambs were equally difficult to sell at from 9/4 to 14/-; good two-tooth ewes realized 23/9. Similarlyaged sheep, for carrying over brought 15/to 16/-. The principal entry of wethers was on account of Walter Ensor, Waiwhare, which realized 15/6. Fattening ewes realized from 2/9 to 4/6. In the store cattle section prices were reasonably good, though, generally, prices were down by £2 a head on last season. The bulk of the yarding of 400 offered comprised a draft from Waikaremoana, which consisted chiefly of 18-mouths’ and 30-yjouths’ steers, and empty heifers which showed breeding. Being off high country these should develop well, locally. In the fat cattle section the yarding of 166 head, of which 35 were vealers, found an improved market upon the prices bid during the last few weeks. In a pen showing quality, however, the offering included only a very small percentage of prime entries, the balance being chiefly of plain, inferior and rough sorts. The heifers offered did not include any heavy prime sorts, and the chief entry was an offering on account of Gruinard station, which brought £7/6/-, averaging 25/- a 1001 b. Cow pens were very mixed, the top price, £B/11/-, being paid for a heavy entry averaging more thau 7001 b. Young prime pens brought 23/- a 1001 b.; average sorts. 21/- to 22/- a 1001 b.; inferior pens brought £4/15/-, making from 18/- to 19/- a 1001 b. Young entries were the only sorts that made dearer buyiug than last week. The offering of vealers was the largest penned for a very long time and proved to be an over-supply, several being passed in. Keen competition was shown for dairy sorts, which brought 19/- a 1001 b. for better pens. Quotations are:—

Sheep :• Romney cross wether lambs, in good store order, 11/10; fairly good, 8/to 9/-; small-grown and fresh-conditioned were passed at 7/-; woolly Romney cross mediinp-grown ewe lambs, 14/4; earlyshorn two-tooth ewes, in attractive condition, passed at 23/9; four and six-tooth wethers, early shorn, a percentage in forward order, to 15/6; six-year ewes, low in mouth and running with Southdown rams, 7/9; aged ewes, not suitable for breeding purposes, 2/9. Cattle: Aberdeen Angus heifers, empty, in good store condition, a useful breeding line, £4/15/-; 18-months’ heifers, wellgrown and showing Quality, £3/10/-; three-year Aberdeen Angns-Hereford cross, well-framed, empty, £4/12/-; 20 dehorned, £4; Aberdeen Angus-Hereford and shorthorn cross steers, medium-grown and in good store order, were passed at £6/16/-. the reserve being £7; Aberdeen Angus steers, a well-coated and hardy line from Waikaremoana, £5/1/-; 28 dehorned rising three-year Hereford steers, small-grown and in light order but showing quality, £5/6/-; Aberdeen Angus heifers, in good killing order, to £7/6/-, averaging 24/- to 25/- a 1001 b.; smallgrown Hereford heifer, killing about 5001 b., prime, finished, £6. Cow beef: Well-framed, heavy Aberdeen Angus cows, including two shortborn cross, solidly finished, hanging up more than 7001 b., £B/11/-; small-framed young Aberdeen Angus cows, in good killable order, very useful cutting sorts, heaviest not scaling more than 5501 b„ £6; young horned Hereford cow, solidly finished, showing extra quality, £7/11/-; medium-framed, elean-bred, aged Aberdeen Angus cows, light condition, just killable. £4/15/-; five clean-bred, heavy, well-framed Aberdeen Angus cows, solidly finished, £7/16/- the heaviest sealing almost 7001 b. Ox beef values: Small Aberdeen AngusHereford bullock, in good order for summer beef trade, and which would scale 6751 b., £lO. Vealers: Vealers ranged from £2/5/to £3/18/6, according to condition; Aberdeen Angus-Hereford cross runners, to £6/4/-.