1 90S.] 



Market Prices. 



549 



REVIEW OF MARKET PRICES IN SEPTEMBER. 

 A. T. Matthews. 



The peculiar atmospheric conditions of the present season have been 

 anything but favourable for grazing, and for many weeks the cattle coming 

 to market have shown a marked tendency to deteriorate in quality from the 

 butchers' point of view. Cattle have done badly at pasture, in striking 

 contrast to last year's grazing results. Keep has been short in quantity and 

 poor in feeding quality, and yet about the usual numbers have been marketed, 

 with the inevitable effect of depressing prices. This has been the case 

 almost all over England except at one or two places in the eastern counties, 

 which are the centres, not only of exceptionally good grazing districts, but of 

 a better system of feeding than prevails generally. There have been many 

 complaints on the part of butchers of cattle weighing light after slaughter in 

 comparison to appearances when alive, and in many instances the weigh- 

 bridge, used after sale, has revealed indifferent bargains for the purchaser. 

 It may be safely assumed, therefore, that quotations of prices derived from 

 estimate in the usual way have frequently understated the actual price per 

 stone. 



First Week. — At Islington on the 7th supplies were about normal in 

 numbers, both of cattle and sheep, but, largely in consequence of their 

 prevailing unripe condition, trade for cattle was decidedly against sellers, 

 and the best Herefords, which made yd. per lb. on the last day of August, 

 had to be reduced^ to 6%d., the same decline applying to Devons and 

 Scots. Shorthorns and Welsh Runts, however, were still quoted at 6^d. to 

 6d. and £>^d. to b\d. respectively. If proof were required that want ot 

 condition was at least partly responsible for the low price of ox-beef, it would 

 be found in the very small difference between the value of second quality 

 steers and that of fat cows from London dairies. Some of the ripest and 

 youngest of these were in fact sold at 6d. per lb., while their average was 

 about $\d. The trade for second quality cattle in London suffered consider- 

 ably from the large arrivals of Canadian " Ranchers," which were in quite 

 as good condition as the bulk of the English grass-fed animals and selling 

 at $d. to ^\d. per lb. in the Central Market. 



The class of sheep supplied to London in the autumn presents a great 

 contrast to that which comes during the spring months, when the English 

 tegs form the bulk of those on offer. At this time of year the market is 

 made up of heavy wether sheep of many of the coarser breeds, such as Kents, 

 two-year-old Long wools, Irish Long wools, Lincoln half-breds, &c. Very 

 low prices had to be accepted for many of these at the first September 

 market. The Kents were not worth more than 6d. per lb., which was the 

 value of Down ewes, but Irish Roscommons, which carry much more lean 

 flesh, sold at 7%d., and this is a surprising difference of value between two 

 breeds of white-faced Longwool sheep. Cheviots and Scotch half-breds, 

 weighing about 64 lb., realized &%d., and English Downs of 72 lb. 8d. per lb. 

 Lambs, rapidly going out of season, were in small supply, a few Scotch 

 fetching yd. per lb. 



The country markets showed little change during the week, but the 

 tendency was generally weaker for both cattle and sheep. Shorthorn cattle 

 sold better in the country than in London, as the following prices will show : 

 — London, ys. yd. per 14 lb. stone ; Ashford, Ss. id. ; Chichester, Ss. 2d. ; 



