1908.] 



Market Prices. 



469 



The finest Scotch mutton was selling at yd. per lb. against Sd. at last 

 year's corresponding market, and the best English at 6^d. against y\d., 

 there being the same difference in the price of Dutch. 



Veal declined \d. per lb. on the week, but stood at yd. for best 

 English calves against 6j?d. last year. There was no improvement in the 

 trade for lamb, the best making only yd. per lb. in London, and y\d. at 

 Leeds, Liverpool and Glasgow. 



Fourth Week. — An aggravation of the drought causing so much un- 

 finished stock to be forced on the market, trade became still more depressed 

 at nearly all markets for both cattle and sheep. At no officially reported 

 market was any general advance established. About half reported an actual 

 decline in cattle, and the remainder retained late values with difficulty. 

 The same may be said of sheep, and such uniformly unfavourable reports 

 are very rare. In many places the large number of draft ewes in poor con- 

 dition was a significant feature, plainly pointing to scarcity of keep on many 

 farms. The heavy rains which have fallen during the week appear to have 

 been fairly general, and great hopes are entertained that the pressure on the 

 markets of low-conditioned stock will shortly be less severely felt, and a 

 better trade will then result. London was one of the lowest markets for 

 beef, sharing that position with Leicester and Leeds, the highest prices 

 for Shorthorns at those places being ys. yd. per 14 lb., or 6hd. per lb. 

 The highest prices for this class of beef were again made at Ipswich, namely, 

 8s. 3d., followed closely by Norwich and Chichester at 8s. 2d. 



The dead-meat markets, especially that of London, presented some 

 rather unusual features, frozen beef being sparingly offered and continuing 

 to rise in price, while chilled beef was a bad trade. American declined 

 %d. per lb. and closed at 6d. for best hindquarters. Scotch and English were 

 practically unchanged, the latest top prices being— Scotch short sides, y%d., 

 long sides, 6hd., English, 6d. The business in port-killed was also in a 

 peculiar condition. The best American was extremely scarce, and the bulk 

 of the supply was composed of Canadian ranch beef. The few good 

 Americans, which were hard to find, fetched 6§</., but the Canadians did 

 not exceed ^\d. There was a falling off in the supply of carcase mutton 

 and sales were more easily effected, but prices continue very low. 



Store Stock. — The lower prices now being realised for mutton and wool 

 could not fail to have a depreciating effect on store sheep and lambs, but 

 this adverse influence has been greatly aggravated by the drought and poor 

 prospects of winter keep. There is reason to suppose that the weak 

 demand for store cattle has been almost entirely owing to the continued 

 dry weather. The lamb sales in Scotland have varied considerably in 

 relative values, but all record lower rates than last year. At some places 

 the fall has been as much as 10s. per head, while in others it was only is. or 

 y. per head. This difference may be partly accounted for by the compara- 

 tive want of growth and condition in some districts. The sales in the south 

 of England have been rather heavily supplied, and in the face of this fact 

 and those already referred to it is satisfactory to find that in most cases all 

 were sold at current values. The last sales and markets, which have been 

 held since the rains, already show recovery of confidence and some 

 hardening of prices. 



