COMMERCIAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 341, 13 January 1881, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Leadbe Office, Thursday, Jan. 13,18,81 STOCK REPORTS,

Mr K, F. Gray reports for the past fortnight as follows: — Ha held a sale of stock at Winchester Fair on Wednesday last, and his entries numbered 110 sheep and 88 bead of cattle of all descriptions ; but owing to the great inconvenience of the yards, lie was unable to submit over 25 head of cattle: The following is a list of the stock sold, with the prices obtained for the Various lots Sheep : 110 fat cross-bred sheep were sold at 9s 7d. Fat C.;ttle; 10 head fetched from £5 15s to £7 2s 6d, For this class of cattle there is still a downward tendency, and sales are effected with difficulty. Store Cattle : From 18 m ol^9 to 3 years old.

•17 head realised from £2 15* to £ 1 16 s - The denuuid for stores is eon iderahly decreased, owing no doubt to the late dry weather, but he hopes to see a more active demand before nest Fair. He lias placed sever 1 lines of store sheep within the past week —shorn crossbred two-tooth at from 7 s to 7s (id, and merino wethers from 5s to 5s (id.

Wool.—Ho has quitted 27 bales privately Half-bred, from 9id to 9d live-eights ; merino, 9*dj locks and pieces, -ipd to sd,

Messrs Maclean and Stewart repo, t fur the pass fortnight as follows : —’ Jiorses. —Owing to the holidays, at their usual Saturday’s sales the business dupe has been very limited, and the demand for all kinds of draughts dull. At their yards today a very large number came forward, their entries consisting of 42 head, principally medium draughts, with a few good hacks, a number of which found buyers at fair rates, yi2j., from £2B to £2O for heavy draughts, £lB to L 22 for medium, and from £8 to Ll 7 for hacks.

Sheep. —They report the demand for store slmjp a little easier during the past fortnight, principally owing to the grass becoming scarce in some districts, and also as to the uncertainty of the turnip crop being a good one. At the Winchester Fair a large number of store sheep were offered, but buyers did not seem inclined to deal at the prices asked, and consequently the great bulk of their entries were withdrawn. They report the demand for sound mouth merino ewes and for crossbred hoggets as still considerable. They have placed privately 550 merino ewes and 1400 merino wethers at satisfactory prices. Fat sheep at present are plentiful, and have been placed at from Hd to lid per lb. cattle have declined slightly in price, and the enquiry for these has been less active. At their last sale at Winchester few were sold though a large number came forward : but with the exception of wellgrown bullocks the demand was very limited. Of those they sold a few head at from L 4 10s to L 5 7s Od. Fat cattle are worth from 1 a 6d to 20s per lOOlbs, at which prices they have sold a few small lots.

Property.—The late Mr Landsborough’s property, situate two miles from town, was offered by them at auction, hut did not fetch the reserve ; however, they have since placed it privately to Mr Rayner, Tomuka, at the reserve price.