The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-03-26
THE LAMB MARKETS.
A Possible Source Of Profit to Farmers
Living Near . Good Market, But by No
Means q Certain One.

A Possible Source Of Profit to Farmers
Living Near Good Market, But by No
Means q Certain One.
Among the possibly profitable prod
ucts Of the farm for which many farmers
are looking in these days Of close COM
petition and Of small or minus profits,
the business of growing early lambs
has, says the 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 Of
transportation facilities have complete
ly demoralized previously-existing
market conditions and changed many
formerly profitable enterprises into I'M
profitable ones. Formerly, what are
known to the trade as LIGHTHOUSE
lambs" i. e., those grown in winter and
put on the market in early spring,
brought very high prioes-from twelve
dollars to fifteen dollars, and often
twenty dollars for extra fine ones,
those weighing from thirty to forty
pounds. But the demand for these is
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 $40. They are now a little scarce
and selling for from IS 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 veals, 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 and
Pennsylvania and later from New
York, Ohio, 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 and 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 1
last were "a to So. so; May 1, $3.50; June
l, $3.50; July l, SO pounds, 81; August
1, SIS to 81; September I, $5.75 to So. 80;
October 1, IS to $3.50; November /, IS to
$3.50, and December 1, IS. so 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
seems would not pay for the extra ex-
pense 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 disastrously as to prices. Itseems
to us from all the facts we are able to
gather that there is small encourage.
ment for any one to engage extensively
in this business, especially if any mate
rial expense is necessary to begin opera
lions.