Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-06-26
THE LAMB MARKETS.
Possible source u Profit to Farmers
Living Near a Good Market, But by No
Means a Certain One.

A Possible source u Profit to Farmer,
Living Near a Good Market, But By No
Means a Certain One.
Among tie possibly profitable prod
ucts of the farm for which many farmers
sre looking in these days Of close com
petition and IL small or minus profits
the business u growing early lambs
has, SAYS TIE Rural New Yorker en-.
gagged the attention Of many because OF
the apparently high prices for which
they are often sold As is the case with
so many other agricultural and horti-
cultural products, the development Of
the South and the Improvement o.
trans p0rtation facilities have complete
ly iemoralized preyiously-existing
market conditions and changed raany
formerly profitable enterprises into Tn
profitable ones Formerly. what are
known to the trade as LIGHTHOUSE
lam bs." l. e., those grown in winter and
put on the market in early spring,
brought very high prices-from twelve
dollars TO fifteen dollars, and often
twenty dollars for extra fine ones.
those weighing from thirty to forty
/
necessarily very limited. and as the
supply has increased from year to year
the price has decreased. until many
growers declare that raising them will
not pay for the extra cost and labor in
volved
The first lambs arrived from New Jer-
sey this year before Christmas and sold
for SO. They are now little scarce
and selling for from s. TO $40. but any
material increase in the supply would
reduce these prices considerably Near
ly all sent at this season are slaughtered,
drawn and sent with the skins on, like
hog-dressed calves. They are sent to
such commission merchants as handle
poultry, hog-dressed yealS, etc. Hallen-
beck & Hollis, Of the Union Stock
Yards, say that they do not receive any
Of any account until about May, though
some few scattering ones are received as
early as March The first come from
Kentucky Tennessee and Virginia; the
next from Maryland, New Jersey ana
Pennsylvania, ana later from New
York Chic Michigan and other West
ern States and Canada AS we'll as from
New England The above firm say that
the best lambs come from New York and
the poorest FROM the far West although
the latter are constantly improving in
quality
The breed considered the best is the
Southdown ana its crosses. The fine
wool breeds are the poorest. Occasion
ally few Angora goats are received,
but not enough to make any quotations.
The prices for spring lambs on April
last were 81 to S.. 50: May /, So so; June
Il S.. 30, July 1. IS pounds, 81; August
l. s to r; September /, $. IS to Sc. So
October /, : to 81. so. Novem Der /, S. Is
s. 50, and Decemb Der /. s.. 80 to So The
extreme variations at some periods were
caused by scarcity or over-supply
The apparently small difference in price
between the winter-raised lambs and
those dropped in the usual season it
see ms would not pay for the extra ex-
peuse and risk involved in raising the
former Then. again the demand for
these early lambs is very limited. and any
material increase in the supply would
result disastrousiYa as TO prices Ii seems
to MS from all the facts We are able 10
gather thar there is small encourage
meut for any ono TO engage extensively
in this business. especially Il any mate
rial expense il necessary 70 begin opera