THE LEVIN MARKET.

Shannon News, 19 August 1921, Page 3

THE LEVIN MARKET.

YOUNG DAIRY STOCK SELL WELL

The Levin market on Tuesday showed mat pigs and young dairy cattle were ihe most saleable stock , offering at the present time. After the weak market for sheep last week the entry yesterday was small. This, however, more than met requirements, in fact the greater part of the yarding was passed in. At the previous sale 20s 9d was received for a pen of prime ewes, this price being exceeded yesterday by one penny for an extra good lot of maiden ewes and wethers. Outside this.price, values all round showed a decline, wethers by as much as 2s' per head. Very few store sales were made. There was no demand for fat beef, and several lots were passed, but of the sales made a pen of bullocks reached £B, and fat maiden heifers £5 5s to £5 17s 6d. Empty store cows and heifers and weaner steers failed to find buyers. On the other hand, good springing heifers were in request, and there was lively competition for animals near profit, of which several lots were forward; Well-bred weaner heifers were another saleable line, especially, if showing the Jersey breed, one specially fine lot making the good figure of £8 per head. In the dairy section, too, young cows had the preference of the market, many useful but aged animals failing to get much above £5.

As was the case last week, pigs, especially the weaner and store classes, are meeting a good market, with the inquiry unsatisfied. Weaners again reached 27s to 30sft and stores up to £2. Baconers maintained late rates.

Sheep.—Maiden ewes . 20s 10s, fat ewes 14s Bd, fat wethers 11s 6d for light to 14s 3d, forward wethers 9s 2u to 11s, forward ewes 12s Id, hoggets 6s to 7s 6d.

Cattle.—Fat bullocks £B, maiden heifers £5 5s to £5 17s 6d, vealers 355, Jersey weaner heifers £B, others £2 5s to £4, lines of springing heifers at drop £9 ss, £lO to £l2los, line of Holstein heifers at drop £ll. Good dairy cows £l6, £l3 10s, £lO 10s, £lO, £8 10s, £B, down to £5 and £6. Pigs.—'Weaners 7s 6d for small to 15s, 20s, 255, 27s 6d and 30s for wellgrown sorts, stores 30s to 36s and £2, porkers £3 to £4 ss, sows £4, sows to farrow £4.

A fanner at yesterday’s sale remarking on the offer of a halfpenny per lb for some of the lots of sheepskins at the last skin sales, said that that price did not pay the trouble of handling the skins, let alone the expense of sending to the market. He was quite content to leave his skins hanging on the fence, and if prices did not improve they could stay there for good. The opinion was expressed by a farmer at yesterday’s sale that until feed is a lot more plentiful there can be no improvement in store stock, which lie considered was at zero just now so far as prices are concerned. There was a fairly big entry of produce offered at yesterday’s stock sale, chaff realising 6s 2d per bag and potatoes 7s to 9s. The auctioneers announced at the Levin sale yesterday that in future no animal will be offered in the dairy section under £5, the object being to eliminate cull entries. A cautious dairyman inquired: “What if butterfat goes down?” The auctioneer: "\yell, if that goes down we’ll all go down.”