The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-11-04

We clip the following extracts from Chicago
Provision Circular, dated Nov. LIST, which contain
some valuable information
The past season proved of a most trying charac-
| ter to both packers and operators. The prospee-
tive demand from the army, and the shortness OF
the crop, made daily more apparent, had. a. pack
ing progressed, completely unsettled the market
and forced prices beyond the limits of security or
prudence. The sudden cessation of hostiIties, the
consequent depreciation in gold and sterling eI-
change, a. well the almost total cutting of the
army demand, which much reliance vas
placed, had the effect Of upsettng all calculations
and the result was . causeiess panic which for
some months held control Of the provision market,
and carried devastation and ruin in its course
and though rs the summer advanced much of the
decline Was recovered, yet the packing season Of
1865 win long be disagreeaby remembered By
all connected with it.
As regards the prospects for the coming season
the farmers insist that the crop of hogs is shorter
than was ever before known. while many droters
and others who have had fall opportunities of in
vestiRating the resources of the country, Assert
that We shall find by the end of the season that We
have . fun supply in the increased weight of pork.
and that this will become still apparent as
the spring and summer months approach. With
out expressing any opinion as to the correctness
Of either Of these assertions, it is certain that
packers have but little relish for present prices
|
their money hack again in the event of their
making present investments. No contracts for
hogs for future delivery have been entered into
and droyers and packers seem nut uAlly disnalined
to make any engagements. The receipts of hogs
from the LIST Of March to the lst of October, 1864
were 1896, 534, and the shipments. 2sl,s27, leaving
ll4l07 for the summer packing and city consutrip-
ton. For the corresponding period in 1865, the
receipts were 4l5.Ts1. and the shipments 349. D2s
leaving SO, 1873 for the summer packing and local
consumption.
The increase in the receipts of hogs during the
stated time amounted to 2,204, and in the ship
ments to 1901, for 1865, a. compared with the
corresponding period in 1864 For the month Of
October, 1864, the receipts 1873. 500, and the
shipments rs, PAS, leaving 6s, 351 for packing and
city consumption. For the month of October, 1865,
the receipts were SS,e69, and shipments 6S,570
leaving 19, 49e for packing and city consumption.
The low prices current through the summer, for
all products, and the avidity with which hogs
were bought up to supply the eastern demand.
prevented our summer packers from prosecuting
their usual business, and consequently decrease
appears in the number left over for packing and
city consumption of s7,354 in 1865, as COMPARED
with 1864. At this time last year many oil our
houses were largely engaged in packing, while at
present but one or two are doing anything, and
that merely to very limited extent. The hog
market, for the past two days, has shown some
symptoms Of giving way, and sales were made at
decline from the highest point of soc to.&l 90 "a
100 lbs, closing dull at LII to llAcfor good bacon
hogs, and IL to 12tc gross for the heavier grades
The farmers having plenty Of corn will probably
feed their hogs late rather than make any mate
rial concession, 1t present No contracts for the
future delivery of any products have yet been en-
tered into. The stock OF pork here, as closely as
We can arrive at it, consists of 2,03T mess, $3.50
prime mess, l39 rImp, and L prime. Total. TO-
s23 bris. The market for mcss is firm at 435 TO
SO 90, and the stock is becoming absorbed rapidly.
Prime meks is very dull and nomnaly $27 SO to
IS so. The stock of cut meats, bacon and lard,
has for some time been completely exhausted.
New lard is selling in retail parcels at 2S62a1e.
The packing of beef has been carried on to a
very limited extent, only four houses having en-
gagged in the business, and only about 200 cattle
have been packed. These have been about equally
divided between tierce and barrel beef. 1t is
probable that unless prices should advance mate
rally in England and the east our winters pack
ing viii continue on the same limited SCALE