Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-19
SURVEY OF TRADE.
Active Movement of Butter and
Eggs--CheeSe Goes Slow.
LARGE SUPPLY OF MAPLE SYRUP.
Tussle of Bulls and Bears at Last Sends
Flour Downward.
MESS PORK L0WER---LARD STEADY
OFFICE OF P1rTsBURG DISPATCH, !

MONDAY, March is, 1889. J
Everything that propitious weather could
do for trade has been done the past week.
1t is a rare thing that a March week fur-
uishes as much balmy weather as the week just
closed has done. There has been an active
movement in butter, eggs and cheese The
greatest activity has been in butter, a fact
which is easily accounted for, as the oleomar-
garine trade has practically ceased IN the past
week or two in this city. Butter shippers have
found large outlet for trade here, which was
closed against them until recently.
Pittsburg has been one of the poorest butter
markets in the land for year past owing to
the failure to enforce laws against oleo. Now
that the door has been closed against imita-
tions of butter. it is opened wide for the genu-
inc article, and hence trade in the latter has
been greatly stimulated. There has, however,
been no advance in prices. In fact, creamery
butter is off lc per pound in the past week, as
prices were reduced that amount at Elgin on
Monday. The milo weather has had the effect
of easing prices of eggs and rates are on lc
from Saturday last.
Contrary to common Lenten experience,
cheese is quiet and this, in face of the TACT
that supply is below the average at TINS tlme.
The old stock of Ohio cheese is not oIUen as
well cleaned up at this season of the year as II
is now. New cheese begins to come IN from
the West. Domestic sweitzer goes very SLOW,
posed to make concessions on prices 1t has
been many years since cheese was as quiet at
this time of the year.
A New Feature.
Among the new produce features of the week
has been heavy receipts of new maple syrup
from Geauga and Trumbull counties, Ohio.
One Liberty street firm reports sales of nearly
1000 gallons of homemade nectar. "A repre-
sentative of Tuttle and Harmon Burton, Geau-
ga county, Ohio who are among the largest
producers and traders in this line in the land,
was seen to-day by The DISPATCH commercial
reporter He reports the season as having
been very favorable one for gathering maple
syrup. Frosty nights and sunny days in Feb
ruary are regarded as the best weather for the
outflow of sap. The product of Geauga coun-
" for this season is estimated at 45O,OO pounds
of sugar and 100000 gallons of syrup. This
county stands first in this line. About per
cent of its product finds its market in this city,
which is regarded as one of the best points Tor
their trade by producers
In the line of vegetables and fruit the week
closes without any sign of improvement in
trade. About as poor stuff as tradesmen can
operate in these times is the staple vegetable.
Potatoes onions, cabbage are no good and ap-
pear to be growing more so every week. The
truth is there has been too much of everything
that farmers and gardeners raise the past sea-
son. Now as the new crop begins to loom up
from the sunny South, the old is in less de-
mand.
A Tumble In Nheats
In the line of cereals, the feature of the week
has been the big tumble in wheat and the con-
sequent drop in flour. While the wheat furry
is to some extent speculative, bulls and bears
being in a life and death struggle for suprem-
acy there is no doubt that the drift OF things
is toward a lower level of prices. Flour has
fallen 25c per barrel in the week and is easy at
the decline. Holders of flour report more ILL.,
Quiries in the past few days. and believe an ac-
tive movement Is near. The only active article
in cereal lines is shelled corn which is reported
scarce.
In the early part of the week hog products
moved freely, but the active movement was not
sustained. There has been a decline of 40c per
barrel on mess pork since last Monday. With
this exception provisions are steady. Lard holds
its own at prices of last week. Looking all
along trade lines, it can be said in all good con-
scieI that the week shows some improve
men nd better tone to trade There is.
however, large room for further improvement
before trade is on a satisfactory basis.