Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-25
A BUSINESS REVIEW.
The Trade of the Past Week Devoid
of Striking Features.
PRODUCE AND CEREAL MARKETS
OverStocked With Stuff, and Sellers at the
Mercy of Buyers.
TESTPHALIA HAMS In PlTTSBURG.
OFFICE OF PITrsBURG DISPATCH.
SaTITROAY Fehruary 23 1889


SATURDAY, February q, 1889. )
The trade features of the week show moth
ing marked. Certainly there have appeared
no indications of a revival. The week
winding up with a holiday and the tightest
weather of the season, has made a record for
business transactions, if anything worse
than the few quiet weeks which preceded it.
In the line of cereals, receipts have been
larger than for a month past, and sales
lighter at the Grain Exchange on call. Opera
tors in grain and hay who speak cheerfully of
the situation are few. Trade gives few signs of
life. Sellers are at the mercy Of buyers on ac-
count Of the overdose of stuff. Oats appear 10
be the weakest factor of cereal markets. and
good milling wheat the strongest While all
else has been gravitaJing toward lower prices
the past week. wheat and -four tend upward
There has been a more active movement in
fancy patent flour the past week than at any
time since the collapse Of the wheat corner in
the fall. Produce dealers report an improve
ment for February over January IN the egg and
butter trade.
Views of a Jobber.
A leading jobber in these lines said to-day
that his sales were larger for Thursday and
Friday than for any two days this month.
There is an unlooked-for quietness in cheese
With a stock unusually light and the time
fully here when the ante-Benten activity should
set IN, iobbers have been disappointed over the
Uuietness which still prevails Said a repre-.
sentative of the principal lobbing hrm OF the
city: "Our trade was never as good as all last
summer and fall. November was one of the
hest months we ever had. December showed
a falling off but our sales were 5000 and up
ward. more than the average for that month
of the year.
January showed a fall below the average as
December was aNove it, and the present month
hQG hnftpr plOSInr
months of the old year with their great activity
aud they have been almost offset by the two
opening months OF this year"
f'How do you account for recent Quietness in
the cheese trader was asked.
ut is not easy to account for these extreme
fluctuations in demand for such staple ar
ticle as cheese. In my view, the bad country
roads has had not little to do with light de-
mand The country and village stores have
been visited much less than in ordinary winters
by the farmer. He has not been getting salts
factory prices for his products because of the
great abundance of everything. Having little
extra cash, and roads being wretched every
where the farmer has stayed more at home
than usual and lived on his own products, to
the loss of tradesmen."
Fruits,and Vegetables.
In the line of fruits and vegetables the trade
situation has not materially changed from a
week ago. Some dealers report a better de-
mand and frmer prices for choice apples,' as
InOSe winch were sFOCkCu up lOI NluJ6T
have for the most part either rotted or been
pushed on 70 markets at nominal prices. The
loss by rot has been equal to one third and
when il is taken into consideration that apples
bring no better prices than at the time of in
gathering of fruits. it is plain that they have
have not been a good commodity for the specu.
lator this season. Some who entered heavily
in this line said to-day to The DISPATCH rep
resentative that they would only be too glad to
come out even, but had little hopes of doing so.
At Liberty street commission house the
writer was permitted day or two ago to have
his hrst sight of Westphalia hams This
article of commerce has been introduced for
the first time this winter in any considerable
quantity TO the Pittsburg public. The West
phalia ham Is used in its raw state as Clipped
beef in some of our fancy restaurants and
sells at 261ze per pound. The one jobher who
handles it reports tha: good trade has sprung
up in the past few months.
A Monster Smokehouse.
In connection with this new article Of COM
merce, we append Characteristic note from