, 1881-02-13
THE PROVISION DEAL.
A Big Advance in Prices AL Along
the Line.


"corncr" IS brewing In provision circles than
over before. The feeling had been growing for
some time past-thnt is, for two OR three weeks
-thnt the party who run such a successful cor
ncr In pork, which continued through several
mouths of last year, has undertaken to CRISP
the whole provision deal in his fingers and con-
troll 1t from one end Of the continent to the
other. The market has boen stcndtly rising
since the first OF the year under persistent buy
Ing by some parttes who wore hut geucrally
known; but tho events OF the last few days
would seem to pofnt IN tho direction above i'll
dicated- Tho tradlng has been very
heavy during tho last two days,
and the purchasing By the pnrty
referred to more open. The Arsn purchnsel
some 400 900 pounds OF short ribs on Friday,
which included onn block Of 1.95o.oo0 pounds;
und during that dny md yesterday probably
purchased nearly 900 barrr1s or pork and H.
0oo tu 2),0)O tiesoss OF lard. Tic quantities nro
supposed by some to be fully twice these figures.
Their purchases Of short ribs during the whole
week were In tho ncighborhood Of Is 00O, 900
pounds.
Tho condition OF tho provision market Is one
that has puzzled the wlsost heads. Prices rnnSc
very much higher thau they did year ago. Az,
for Instance: Cash pork now $14.'o, against
$l150; cash lard 9s4 per pound, against IL;
boxed short ribs ~ cents per pound, ugnlust
GS; while hogs Of the yrado known as u packing"
are selling ut ~: cents per pound live weight,
against IS: cents ii, the middle OF February,
lssO. The packing OF the city to date. since the
beEnnIag of November. os, lS IS. est,1nntea to be
n year ago, and 2,G73.UJ3 two years aso. tho NUM-
Der Of tile corresponding pert0d snrss years ago
being alinost PRECISELY :. ..:S0.0o It VII TO seen
from this tunt the production Of Chicago this
year has boe1, much gTcatcr ti1'lu last and very
nearly equal to that of two years ago; but there
has recently psen , na1Ke -ais ont Hm IN tR9
u lighter grnde, wL:ch ts supposed bv some 70 in
dicdte that the pacAers arc "orSaaS On
THE FAC END Of THE CROP.
With all this stocks Of product in this city have
been kept down To lnw point nl,d ut other
places III the country they arv believed to 10.
smaller thu;, III any. previous year ut this date
nruxressilg with 1nDd.rufc fteetom, hut tic
packers tlce forwarded ti,oir stun,-A larg,
art Of It 70 Ch!cago.nd are nelieysd to o1d
Tho uftic1c ot .arI see!ns to bo p.sttcusarly
scarce. independent OF =, marked increaso
i'll rho cous1,mIsli"n, due to its use III tac
bue,, waited In the ordinary shape much
more largely In Europe. ord has been consumed
1atrs extensively IN tue ontssa states'a result
w'pe r"pe csisa5 iro@ hnsan5 and and re-
land The resnt my ec sxn up ,o py ,r,s,' s1att
ui about t9};}) hugs has bean actually used up
over aud above tho suantity axea DURING a th2 lug
corresponding ttEn ln*s wtn1er: Mtn iess 81 stnm W
r:lw matern! during the re'nuinder OF the win
ter and the s.ln,:neE ct!.s anda large inorelst
in tho demand for e"nsHmptlon, some pa.9les nt,
hug product will rule very sca!ce few
months Iater: Rd, on this hspothesfs. they sup.
10 have lid Inc foundations of the most giyan
tic - corner " ever known IN tho history or LILO
trade.
pr.,vis,on mcn yester.isy resulted in the asccr
tanning Ut no facts positively proving that saca
| q corner is in pr.'sress. but many focts were
learned which are ncccpted by several persons
thnt such is the case. 1t will be remembered ny
those who hsd 70 to with !;t She dcal !.,nl IN
ecks nee ane epsed rsi at litter he a eornsr
pri,yross WIS Dcgun, bciorc any one except tie
t,ariics who were running It set:aed fobc aware
Ut it; aud 1t wHs only n1tcr 1hb. -: -
| MAEKET WAS Iloi'sLEs1fl CoASENED
that the trat'e got the first understanding
glimpse at tho situation, IN the 1anguagc nf
one Of them. they tnund thai. the tracks all
went to tho Hons den. and no tracks l.ld1catlng
shortate WIS NIL to r. D. Armour, and there yvas
] no settlement no rinS;ng upt no closing of 4
dsor By oanf sy til tsS9 9 ta 30 cS eh IN h
snmc direction hns already been done tbs time
thut at most, but few, days longer can
elapsc before tho trutn VII 1E KnGM m tf , ap ,6t hut
they have 10 cover by buying from tho parties
to whom they sol,1. OF course tnere. Is. to usG
the lauguaKo Of the trade STIR to nj Ht'oa9 n1
1ooaS|a T!ss'"eS eSortua a Psae'' fSas oetans @
II it 10 onco found that the whole @ ;. Of y
Is awne4 q ono t nf' ra nd 1pIe r T t ~
shorts will naturally becon.c excited, and there
is no telling to what figures ,t1oy max run up re
matket IL o2g En- nSnSt Eng 9er 'of Of the
parties uTuipg 1t.