Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-11-05
OUR MARKETS.
Family supplies-H0usekeepers cut I'm
Force Yesterday Afternoon.
ETRERr MARKFr


was thronRed yesterday afternoon with
people engaged In laying In stores Of ne
cessaries and luxuries for their Sundays
subsistence and enjoyment. Matrons,
from q young wife. purchasing for three
self. little one, and the little ones father
to the staid aud business-like feminine
hesd Of q family Of a dozen, picked their
way among the stalls, now chatting with
their butcher, then passing a word with
the vegetable woman pricing articles here
and there, buying as 1t best suited them,
until the heaped basket and depleted
p-ortmonnaies gave warning that there was
no longer an excuse for remaining. How
neat and tidy appear these ladies, doing
their marketing, or as they say IN Mo-
bile and New Orleans, "making marketi"
The young housekeeper, with a little bas-
ket that would hold about enough to feed
a cansry-bird twice, the elder ladies with
baskets as large as q hay-boat, and lots of
people with no baskets at all, but sill BENT
on coming to market, and all dressed as
though there wRs an inspection 70 be held.
There were also to be noticed certain am
ateurs st the business who 20 TO make
believe" they are doing great things.
They usually come away with a dimes
worth of apples, OF 8 bunch of grapes.
These are generally young girls with mat
rimonisl prospects, snd ladies re-
Gently married who are learning the
business. These make q very interest
ing feature of the scene which is the
most lively and cheerful of any
to be witnessed In this city, not excepting
even the theatre. For many hours during
the afternoon. the panorama is continu-
ally changing. New fsces sre presented
to the curious spectator, and faces that
have become familiar by passing the
same point half dozen times, finally dis
appear to wander homewsrd. 1t is q study
not without amusement, and, perhaps,
profit, this continual passing and repsssing
Of all sorts Of people. The energetic lady
who runs a bosrdinghouse may always
be known by her business air and matter
Of fact manner She is a daily attendant
at the market, and there Is nothing TO
mantle or picturesque about her eye ex-
oept 9 hunk of cheap beef or q bargain in
potatoes. The fat cOlored woman, with g
face like the back of a full moon, is always
pleasant to look upon; she smiles as
broad as a longitudinal slit in a pumpkin.
hnOWe.every other person there, and talks
to everybody, but is all the time bent on
business. She appears like q person that
goes to market to enjoy herself. Fine ladies
hardly eve visit the market. widows in
Strengthened circumstances are numerous,
and one can almost tell how many chill
dren she has to provide for, not so much
by the sizs of her basket as by the pinch
ed appearance OF her nose. Little ll-car-
editor children occasionally rush in and
rush out again, taking 8 pork steak or a
peck of potatoes. These belong to the
unhappy homes. A little experience will
teach one TO discern in the appearance of
each conner very many of the circumstan-
ces Of their social lie. Those who live
up on third and fourth stories can always
be distinguished from the dwelling on
the ground floor"
On Saturday afternoon the livelinsss is
much greater than on q other There
Is always a greater supply on that even
ing, Of such articles as are deemed essen
tial for well appointed tables. For the en-
lightenment of those who don't go to
market We append a list Of prices Of the
principal items of grub" Eggplant,
per bunch, sc; snap beans, 10c. per quart;
half peck sweet potatoes, l5c; (enough
for q small family. Tomatoes reach up
to 75c. per peck according to quality.
Nice celery, zoe per bunch, but some can
be had for l0c. ButterbeanE, Toe per pint.
Peppers. sc q measure. Turnips, &c per
bunch. Csbbsges, Is to zoe per head, ac-
cordinR to size. Lettuce, Be per head,
very hne, Eggs, IS to 40c, and scarce. No
country eggs in the market; sill western.
Chickens SO to 60c and scarce; all import
ed; butter, 40 to SOC, and scarce. There
seems to be 3 fair supply Of meats We
quote: Pork steaks, l5c, very choice.
Fine beetstesks, 15c; mutton the same.
bhL4O &c principally boAO - II bA1DOAE- /
ums about town. This list of prices is
published this morning for the double
purpose Of enlightening those ladies who
do not go TO market upon the prices of the
prime necesssries Of life, and to give
them an opportunity Of amusing them
selves calculating the value Of a meal. It
is also published as q check upon those
who do 20 and tell their husbands, when
they go home, chow fearfully dear things
arel I declare to my goodness, what's j n
that basket cost four dollars and seventy
i've cents. There is no use in going to
market without q pocket full of money;
it looks as ifeverything was turned into
money these times" Now the simple
Door man hat allows dust to be thrown
in his eyes by talk like this, can make his
own calculation, and "check Off every
item as 1t comes out Of the basket.
POPLAR STREET MARKET.
Prices at the Poplar street market rule
in the same way, but the place is not so
well ~pstronised as the south market.
Vegetables are not in such demand; be-
sides the beef-ssting population seem to
be crowding southwark. The same in
structive scene is presented Saturday
and one would swear almost
that the same people visit both places.
The fat negro woman is there in great
SO is the sharp "bosrding
missus," snd,the amateur housekeeper.
In passing along the butchers tables, q
feel inclined to think that all the
steaks were cut from the same animal,
look so much alike.
We were impressed with one conviction
after visiting and inspecting both, and
that is, Memphis Is badly in need of q
and respectable markethouse.