The Stock Market.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 215, 12 March 1895, Page 2

The Stock Market.

. «. The depression amongst farmers in the South island seerus to be severely felt, judging from Messrs Wright, Stevenson, and Co.'s report of their great sale of pure- bred stud sheep — Lincolns, Border and English Leicesters, and Shropshire L>owns — the property of the noted breeder, Mr E. Menlove, of Windsor Park estate, Oatnaru, which took place on Thursday, the auctioneers reporting that it proved an almost complete failure, very little business being done, notwithstanding that everything that it was possible to do to make it a success bad been done. That buyers from Australia and the North Island did not put in an appearance can only be attributed to the pressure of the times, the low values of all colonial products, and the stringency of the market. As regards the biddings although the auctioneer intimated that Mr Menlove was determined to sell at prices in keeping with the times, only an occasional bid was forthcoming, and then, with one solitary exception, at values little more than one-half of those current a year ago. 2400 pure-bred sheep were offered, consisting of : Lincolns, 1240 (700 ewes and 540 rams) ; Border Leicesters, 350 (150 ewes and 200 rams); English Leicesters, 200 (100 ewes and 100 rams) • Shropshire Downs, 610 (400 ewes and 210 rams). For Lincolns the highest price obtained was 45gs for a one-shear stud ram ; 7Jgs and 7fgs being the price obtained for other one-shear stud rams, while 2ga was the price obtained for one-shear flock rains. One-shear ewes brought 2f gs and 3gs and two-shear ewes 2£gs. In Border Leicesters one-shear rams brought 2gs ; English Leicesters, one shear stud ewes realised 2|gs and 2£gs; Shropshire Downs, one shear rams. Mr Matthew Henry reports on his Palmerston sale as follows : — A good number of sheep came to hand, composed mostly of two-tooths. Cattle were not so plentiful. As usual, there was very little life in the trade, but at the close of the day a fine business was done at prices if anything better than last sale. Cattle — Forward bullocks, £4 12s 6d ; fat cows, £4 to £4 10s ; store cows, £2 14s ; weaners, 21s to 255 ; calves, 8s 6d. Sheep — 2-tooth wethers (small), 6s to 6s lid ; 2-tooth ewes, 5s ; store ewes, 2s 7d ; woolly, lambs, 3s 6d ; culls, 2s.