228 



Market Prices. 



[JUNE, 



fat cattle, the quality of which was still well maintained. 

 The market was written down \d. per lb., the top quotation 

 "being y\d. for Norfolks, but there were certainly a few prime 

 steers which made y\d., although not so many as on the 18th, 

 and the weighbridge again recorded 42s. 8d. per cwt. for at least 

 one lot. Sheep mustered 7,100, and met a dull trade at Id. 

 per lb. decline all round. Lambs were far too numerous for 

 the demand, and prices fell i\d. per lb. 



In the Central Market beef values were well maintained, 

 except that at the end of the week American chilled lost a little 

 further ground. At first sight this fact appears surprising, 

 as the present high rates are supposed to be due to the short 

 supply of this article, but the reason undoubtedly was the 

 .greater effect of the warm weather on the refrigerated beef. 

 At the first advance in our markets Denmark, as usual, imme- 

 diately sent forward a few hundred sides of beef, but the move- 

 ment was not followed up on account of the higher temperature. 

 Carcase mutton met a slow demand, and English wethers of 

 .good quality sold at yd. per lb., but small Scotch tegs were very 

 scarce and fetched fancy prices^ Taking the country markets 

 as a whole they were decidedly better for beef on the week. 

 The keynote of nearly all of them was the excellent quality of the 

 cattle on offer. At Hereford and Leicester y\d. per lb. was 

 freely quoted. Fat sheep were more irregular, but the tendency 

 generally was firm for good quality. The trade for fat lambs 

 was slow almost everywhere, and many complaints were made 

 of want of condition. This might have been expected after 

 the unpropitious weather for fattening lambs which prevailed 

 till quite recently. The price of mutton at many of the 

 principal markets was much the same as in London, viz. : — y\d. 

 to Sd. per lb. for shorn sheep of 72 to 80 lb. The %\d. quoted 

 in London being for exceptionally small tegs of about 64 lb. 



Store Stock. — The rapid progress of vegetation during the 

 month, together with the good trade for beef and mutton, 

 rendered a sharp demand for store stock inevitable. There is 

 a decided scarcity of forward cattle suitable for immediate 

 preparation for the butcher, but all classes and ages are in 

 good demand at very full prices. At Norwich some Marsh 

 cattle of excellent quality reached £22 10s. each, while prices 

 per cwt. are frequently as high for store cattle as those for 



