352 



TEE AGBICULTUBAL JOURNAL. 



Market Reports. 



(Responsibility for the accuracy of the Statements and Opinions of the following Reports rests with 



the respective contributors- ) 



MARITZBURG— Messrs. W. H. Walker and 

 Co. write :— Notwithstanding the fact that many 

 farmers questioned the assertions made by our- 

 selves and your Durban correspondent, that 

 there would be a very heavy crop of mealies, 

 there is every indication that what was predicted 

 has been realised. It is years since so many 

 mealies have found their way into Maritzburg 

 during the months of June and July, and as 

 numbers of farmers have not yet offered their 

 crops for sale, and as there is prattically no out- 

 let for accumulated stocks, there is every 

 possibility of a decline in the price of gram. 



Mealies.— On the market mealies have reahsed 

 from 10s. to 10s. 6d. per muid, including sack ; 

 10s. 6d. is now about the average per muid. 



Forage— Yery little ofEering ; 9s. has been ob- 

 tained per lOOlbs. 



Hay— From Is. lOd. to 2s. 9d. per lOOlbs, 

 bedding from 4s. to 26s. 6d. per load. 



Potatoes. — The several varieties offered have 

 realised from 10s. 6d. to 18s. per lOOlbs ; sweet 

 potatoes from 2s. to 4s. 9d. per sack. 



Beans. — Common red beans from 9s. to 14«. 

 per lOOlbs. Canadian Wonder, 17s. 9d. per 100 

 lbs. 



Mnbele. — Notwithstanding the large acreage 

 under cultivation, and the phenomenal yield, 

 nothing has been below 6s. per 1001b. ; some 

 samples have realised 7s. 9d. and 9s. 6d. per 100 

 lbs. 



Ow20?is.— Some varieties have been as low as 

 128. 6d. and 10s, 8d. per lOOlbs. ; but good samples 

 have realised 25s., 29s. 2d, and 33s, 4d., per 100 

 lbs. 



Poultry.— Gova.xnon fowls from Is. lOd. to 

 3s. 7d. each, but good birds have realised from 

 4s. to 68. 9d. eich. Ducks from 7s. 6d. to 15s. 6d 

 per pair ; turkeys (cocks) 12s. 9d. to 16s. each, 

 (hens) 6s. Od. to 7s. 6d. each. 



B%Mer.—FTom 7d. to 2s. 5d. per lb. 



Erigs.-From. Is. 8d. to 2s. 4d. per doz. 



FeoetafcZcg.— Beans, beetroot, cabbages, carrots, 

 celeiy cauliflower, onions, peas, potatoes, pump- 

 kins, tomatoes, and turnips have been sold every 

 day. 



^^-uit—YeTy few varieties offered now ; those 

 sold consisted of apples, pine-apples, bananas, 

 naartjes. oranges, and papaws. 



Sundrie-s.-Mutton from 4d. to Wd- per lb. 

 pork, from 3id. to 9.1d per lb. ; beef, 7d. to Bid; 

 ner lb Several mornings fish was sold at 

 prices varying between Is. 3d. and 4s. 3d. each. 



Wood.— From G^d. to ll^d. per lOOlbs. 



DURBAN.— Mr. W. H. Edmonds, Box 44, 



writes : - „ , , j 



General.—Tr&deis rather dull of late, and pro- 

 fits are being cut very fine. However, with the 

 gradual return of the refugees, business with 



Johannesburg shows a continual and steady im- 

 provement, and this will serve to prevent any 

 great trade depression. 



Alealies.-The market is very dull, and there 

 is an absence of any large outside demand, ine 

 great yield of the seison is indicated by daily 

 offers from farmers of large parcels, and but tor 

 the activity of speculators in buying up to hold, 

 prices would be very low indeed, bcores ot 

 thousands of bags are being tanked on the coast, 

 and it is a remarkable feature of this^iw de Steele 

 aoe, that Indiana and Arabs constitute the 

 biggest speculators in mealies. A good many 

 thousands of muids of the old season crop are 

 still held over from last year by speculators up- 

 country. Apropos of this, [ am informed that 

 the Lion's River farmers, who lately petitioned 

 the Government to induce the military authori- 

 ties to buy mealies, are amongst the largest 

 holders of old season's grain— now, probably, 



Those speculators who held on to stocks when 

 rates were as high as 16s. to 17s. per muid de- 

 serve no sympathy whatever, but nowadays many 

 farmers pay more attention to gambling in 

 grain than to legitimate farming. The result 

 is that lately we have seen nearly one hundred 

 thousand bags of American mealies in Durban, 

 and, per contra, thousanHs of bags of Colonial 

 grain rotting with weevil for want of buyers 



Farmers need not cry out to Jupiter-other- 

 wise Government-to find them buyers, ihe 

 writer is prepared to name a Durban buyer who 

 will take ten thousand bags delivered in Maritz- 

 burg, at 10s. 6d. per muid, cash on delivery. 



The Military authorities are buying aU their 

 requirements in Durban at an average ot 10s. per 

 muid. 



Potatoes.-Colonial grown samples continue as 

 before to ibring top market figures, and pnces 

 SSe between 20s. and 23s. 6d. per bag of ISOlbs 

 Supplies, however, are getting fewer and fewer 

 weekly. Australian importations now practi- 

 TaUv hold the market, and following a strong 

 rise in Australia, quotations are very farm to- 

 day at £14 per ton. 



Seed Potatoes for early spring pl^nting are 

 largely enquired for. Very few are to be had, 

 and imported small lots of " Early Rose from 

 Australia command fancy rates. 



Hav -This is in great demand, but very little 

 is on offer, as most of the holders are sending 

 everything to Johannesburg. . 

 " fllbele.- The enquiry for Kafir corn is 

 limited, and parcels are difficult to place. There 

 s a large crop in the East London district, and 

 fn all I'robability shipments will be shortly made 



''^rn*-This''a"ticle is cheap and plentiful just 

 now owing to the great glut in the local mark^^^^^ 

 Up-country farmers now have a tavouraDie 

 oDDortunity to lay in supplies, Quotat ons 

 raTe f rom 6s. to 7s. 6d., according to quality 

 The former represent South American, and the 

 latter Australian bran. 



