Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-04
A REVIEW OF TRADE.
Railroad BlOckades Breaking Up Too
Rapidly for Comfort.
DEALERS IN CEREALS AND HAY
Wrestling With the Problem Of Placing
Their Supplies.
AN ACTIVE MOVEMENT IN GROCERIES
OFFICE OF PITTSBURG DISPATCH,
SATURDAY. November 2. 1889.


In produce lines trade shows slight
Improvement over last week. Potatoes
from the West have been in measure cut
off by railroad blockades. The Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy and Chicago and
Northwestern roads have been refusing
freight for Pittsburg, Philadelphia, Wash
ington and Baltimore the past week. The
result is beneficial to our trade since New
York potatoes, which are of better quality
than those from the far West, begin to come
to our markets. The cold weather, which
cannot be far away, will bring still further
embarrassments to Western shippers. There
is an improvement in quality of potatoes
since last week, and for choice stock prices
are shade higher.
Tropical and Other Fruits.
The mild, soft weather Of the past few
days has had the effect of checking the de-
mand for tropical fruits. The first carload
of Florida oranges for the season put in their
appearance the fore part of the week.
OF domestic fruits grapes have still the lead,
but are growing scarce. Concords are about
the only variety now On the market, and prices
are 10@l5c per basket higher than last satur-
day.
Apples still go very slow.
In the line of dairy products trade has been
quiet the past week. Prices of creamery but
ter and cheese are unchanged. Jobbers report
this the quietest week for month or two past.
The upward movement of German cheeses re-
ported week or ten days ago has been arrested
and trade is quiet.
Poultry and eggs have been unusually active.
There is scarcity Of choice eggs, and has been
for month past. Our supplies are in the main
from Chicago. Home raised eggs retailed in
Diamond market this week at 35c per dozen.
Exceptional CerenI Receipts.
By reference to our domestic market column.
it will be seen that receipts Of grain and
hay this week reached $50 carloads, the largest
in any one week this season. The Panhandle
road delivered on Friday 81 carloads according
to the Grain Exchange bulletin, about one-half
of which were oats.
1t is problem with which our grain dealers
are wrestling. as to where and how these i'm
mense supplies are to be placed. When it is
remembered that some of the main railway
lines of the West are of late refusing freight
for PittsDurg, there is no prospect for let up
to large receipts in the near future. Last week
dealers complained of difficulty in receiving
stuff. This complaint no longer holds. The
prayer now is that the blockade may not be
broken soon. Corn holds up fairly well, and is
IN fact shade higher than last week. Wheat
also holds its own.
Flour is quiet. buyers being inclined to fol-
low the hand-to-mouth policy in hope Of lower
prices. Millfeed is in active demand with
prices steady.
Groceries Quite Active.
Unusual activity is reported by all jobbers
in this line. Goods are moving out freely.
The lull which Immediately followed the Ex-
position in all lines Is certainly at an end so far
as the wholesale grocery trade is concerned.
The weak factor Of the trade is sugar, which
days. Through 1888 the steady upward move
ment of sugar, through manipulations of the
trust, furnished jobbers here and elsewhere
constant source of profit. Now the boot Is on
the other leg, and the downward drift Of sugar
can hardly fail to bring frequent losses to those
who carry large stocks. Coffee has followed
sugar in the downward drift, and our quota
tions are shade of from last week.