, 1885-03-01
THE CATTLE TRADE.
A Resume of the Business of
the Past Week.
The Supplies too Large and
Fat Droves Scarce.
The Closing Sales of Range
Cattle and Sheep.

CHICAGO, Feb. 2S.-The cattle market
during the past week has been pretty
generally on the down grade. In
making up for the time lost
on account of the snow blockade
supplies have been altogether too large.
AT the start there was a good inquiry for
shipping stock, but buyers were inclined
to feel their way cautiously. Reports
from other points were encouraging. New
York was higher, Liverpool steady and
western markets buoyant. Here on the
first day or two with dressed beef men
and shippers of live cattle were buying the
demand, and offerings were pretty evenly
balanced. Hence, although the
poor and medium grades were
barely steady, the better sorts
sold up to fully former rates. These
early days, however, were the only les
at all satisfactory to settlers, for as the
week advanced receipts gradually grew
larger and larger, and the quality poorer
and poorer. Only at rare intervals could
a choice fat drove be found, and good
grades were not much more plenty than
the demand warranted, but Of lean,
rough, light lots there was an excess.
Nobody wanted them. Everything was
slow at sale, but this common stock was
badly neglected. First prices dropped 10
cents;then as buyers saw each day s arrivals
were larger than those of the one before
they commenced to act Indifferent and
bid lower and much more discrimination
was used in selecting purchases. As a
buyer said, they wanted good to prime
beeves, the kind they paid $6.OOG6.5 so
for at the start, but they did not wish to
pay any such prices. In this n respect,
however, sellers had the advantage.
Good to prime beeves were scarce. and
not more than a shade off from previous
figures would be accepted In common
to fair grades it was another thing. Half
fat, coarse cattle, were abundant. Such
we're fully zoe off and hard TO dispose of
at hat Everybody, too, talks in favor of
n further decline next week, as receipts
then are expected to be even heavier than
those ofthe past week.
Butchers stuff has generally followed
the shipping market, though with not so
wide 4 range. Offerings have included a
large assortment of nearly all kinds of
cows and mixed stock. The de-
mand has also been moderately
good, but of course the competition
was not very sharp when there vas more
than enough stock to go around. Canning
cattle sold slowly with buyers inclined to
Gull the best and neglected the others, or
bid considerably lower. Several lots of
Texans came in towards the end Of the
week but they were mostly of poor quail
ty. Prices do not show any great change
as far as the best grades are concerned
but rates are generally l5@ 25c lower
than last week. A large amount of bust
ness has been done in stockers and feed
ers especially during the early days.
Prices have ruled pretty steady, though
ommon light mixed stock was a little
slow and buyers grumbled considerably
towards the last as they saw the
decline in other markets and the large
supplies Of young cattle here.
closing sales range as follows:
Extra shipping steers, Sc. 100000
choice to fancy shipping steers, $500
SOS; good to choice shipping steers,
S.. 2O@5.75; fair to good shipping steers,
$4.45@5.l5; poor to fair steers, $1,000
4.40; fair to choice COWS, SO. 5@4. 20; in
ferior to fair COWS, 81. 400 80; poor to
choice bulls, s. .2O94O0; stocken,
50. 40@4.20.
Sheep have been in heavy supply, and
sold irregularly lower. The proportion
of good fat lots was small, and such
fetched nearly previous figures, but poor
to fair grades have declined l5(G SOC. The
last sales ranged at 50. 25G2. so for scrubs
to s5.O 0 for fancy ones, but few lots got
above $500.