GRAIN AND PRODUCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 April 1939, Page 3

GRAIN AND PRODUCE

CANTERBURY MARKET.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

CHRISTCHURCH, April 1

The Canterbury grain and produce markets are reasonably active. Though there are few large orders about for any line, there is in the aggregate a good volume of business. Both wholesale and retail prices remain very much as they were.

A heavy trade is being done at present in seed wheat, which is going out to the country in unusually large quantities. It appears that sowing this season, given reasonable weather, will be considerably heavier than for some years. Sales of seed wheat were large last year but a great deal of it was not sown because of bad weather in the autumn.

Deliveries of milling wheat are now back to normal after the rush of recent weeks. There is still a good deal of wheat in the country, but it will be held for increments, one of which goes on today, the rise being a penny a bushel for all grades. Millers are very anxious to obtain supplies. The sample has been excellent and practically nothing below milling grade has been seen yet. Seed oats also are being bought in

large quantities. The market for oats otherwise is dull with quotations unchanged. A gartons are worth 2s 6d to 2s 7d with B’s up to 2s 4d. Duns are worths 3s 6d to 4s, and Algerians about 3s. There is still a good demand for ryegrass of reasonable germination, but lines of 80 per cent and over are very scarce. The price remains steady.

Cocksfoot from Banks Peninsula is almost cleaned up, though a fair quantity is still being held in the hope that prices will rise. The Yed clover sample is very good and yields are reported to be above the average. The area is smaller. The I rice is up to 7s a lb for good seed. Chaff is offering very plentifully and the market has weakened. The price at present is about £3 15s a ton. Till there is something definite known about the prospects of the Australian market, potatoes are quiet though they are firm in expectation of short crops in both the South Island and the North Island. The prompt market is steadier because of heavy deliveries recently and prices are from £6 15s to £7 a ton. Forward, business is restrained with values nominal at up to £6 10s. A shipment of about 500 tons of onions was sent to Australia this week. The market in the meantime remains very firm at about £ 13 a ton on trucks.