The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-11-14
OUR BUSINESS.
What Cincinnati Has Been Doing.

/ an We SiiP 0AAS -A@No1SSs
ing extracts;
DRY GOODS
The wholesale dry goods business of the
city has not been marked by the extraordi-
nary events of preceding years, and yet, it
has been q year characterized by some
striking aspects, and sustains an important
relation to the past and future history of
this department of our business.
| 1t may not be uninteresting to name the
prices of few articles in the midst of the
war period, to show what mighty changes
have occurred since the inflated and abnor-
NAL condition. The price. at tCincnnati, of
standard brown sheeting during The highest
point of the war was rs cents at wholesale,
now, cents Standard prints were As
cents, now 6 cents, and during the last
spring were as low as 5 cents. Standard
tickings were Is cents, now 1877 cents.
Standard bleached Uonsdale) shirtings were
! 60 cents now 81 cents; standard jeans 81,
now 80 cents; standard brown drills IS cents,
now 81 cents. 1t appears impossible,
without occasionally referring to figures, TO
be able to fully realize what tremendous
changes in value have marked the past
fourteen years
The retail dry goods business of this city
has been we'll maintained, compared with
the previous year. Some important changes
have occurred in the matter of location. On
the one hand. while there has been fur
ther concentration of retail interests on
Fourth street. the firm of John Shillito &
Co., so long known to the habitues of this
locality, have courageously left their old
stand and erected farther uptown, one of
the largest and best appointed establish
ments in the United States or the world,
distinguished for its size, light, air and
taste, alike credit to the city and to the
leading firm, whose growth and success
have become part of the history of Gin
cinnati.
In the dry goods commission trade of the
city there have been no important changes.
The business in clothing has, in some re-
spects, been the most unsatisfactory in the
history of the trade.
A careful approximation places the ag-
gregate sales of clothing at wholesale at
$40, 9l5, 900, in comparison with $1l, 1855, 900
in the previous year
The receipts of packages for 1877-78 were
/ 1223, 226; the shipments were 1,44S,009
packages.
The past year shows the largest business
in eggs that the city has ever enjoyed. The
dSST eSale ItCelplS nave Ueel Ilo, foo
packages, in comparison with 81, 426 in the
preceding year, and the shipments %, 1918,
compared with 1857.
Prices have been the lowest since the
wear 186l-62, when toward the close eggs
were quoted as low as ~ cents per dozen
In the year just ended eggs, at one time
we're quolable at cents, and at all times
rom the beginning of warm weather to The
close prices were very low. The average
quotation for the year was 12.57 cents per
dozen.
FEATHERS.
The dealers in feathers report about the
same business with the previous year, The
receipts and shipmen s. however, exhibit
an increase, the former having been 12006
sacks, in comparison with 1O,052 the pre-
vions year. and the latter II 624 compared
with 10, ,351. There has been fair demand
at the prices. which opened at 43 cents per
pound and declined in DC obcr to 40 cents
Receipts of sacks, 12,O06; shipments, IL ,624.
FLOUR
The business in flour in, this city shows
an increase over the preceding year. The
receipts have been 606,667 barrels. in COM
parison with $40 1913 in the previous year,
and the shipments 1888 ,954 barrels compared
with 29G373. 1t Is somewhat noticeable,
however. that the net receipts have been
q, ,O42 barrels less than in the year 1867.
The average ices were; Family, S. II;
extra, 81 $50; spring family, $5 45.6; su-
pcrlinc, S. W.9.
The business transacted in foreign fruits
was larger in this city than in the preceding
year, until the appearance of domestic fruit,
which. on account of the abundance and
the low prices, necessarily affected the de-
mand for foreign goods. The yellow fever
epidemic in the South where many Gus
toners of Cincinnati in this line are found,
also drew seriously on the business during
the last two months Of the commercial year.
Prices of foreign fruits declined during the
first hall of the year about ten per cent, but
subsequently,, on account of a reduction in
stocks and diminished importation, reacted,
and entered on steady appreciation.
Prunes commanded full prices during most
of tine year. Oranges were in large suppl,
while lemons for the year show diminished
receipts. During the first few months of
the calendar year, prices for both did not
vary much from those of the previous year,
at times we're lower, though later they were
mainly above the previous year for the cor
responding period. The receipts of oranges
were 48, $50 boxes, compared with 35, 485 in
the previous year, and of lemons 1865 in
comparison with %, 1870. Rasins ruled some
what higher than in l876-77 closing at So
per box for ordinary layers, in comparison
with 81 SO at the corresponding period in
the previous year.
The business of canning fruit, jellies, veg
etables, as we'll, to some extent, meats, has
continued to increase, having been larger
here, in the general line, in the season OF
1873 than ever before. Peaches having
been a failure in the East, have been put
up here in large quantities. The old stock
of canned goods has never been more
thoroughly cleaned out than at the COM
mencement of the season of 1873, so that
the new product enters the field without
any serious competition with old canned
fruit. The product of the packins-houses
for 1878, according to reports submitted to
the Superintendent, were as follows:
Peaches, 81 500 cases; apples, 5000; black
berries, 4.300; cherries $500; raspberries,
II 900; Strawberries, 5000; plums, $500;
jellies 37900; corn, 900; beans 5000;
peas, 49, 200; tomatoes As 800; besides large
quantities of pickles, ca'slp, pigs feet,
sausage, tripe, and other articles.
The crop of apples in 1877 was short. the
supply for this city mainly coming from
Ohio and Kentucky.