The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-09-23
CONDITION OF TRADE.
Business Continues Quiet and
Without Feature.
Hops and Dried Fruit-lmports Of Groceries.
Foreign Imports for Eight Months.
Cereals Quiet-Etc.

Local bank clearings last week were 500
O55, 800, against S20,675, 600 for the same
week last year Trade runs along in the
same old groove and exhibits no features
worthy of note.
THE GRAIN MARKET.
Cereals are not interesting this week.
Wheat is rather firmer, but quiet Barley
is in large receipt. but prices are very steady,
Oats are stiff and the tendency is upward.
Corn is neglected and weak. Rye is dull
Bran and middlngs have been marked down.
Flour is in fair request and steady.
Grain bags are in fair demand and IN
changed
GENERAL COUNTRY PRODUCE.
Honey is in large stock and dealers report
the market very dull.
Butter is very weak at a marked decline
and the tendency downward continues.
Stocks are large.
Eggs were advanced to 42H cents per
dozen, wholesale, several days ago. but this
high price has checked the demand and the
market is dull.
Choice new cheese is firm at the recent
advance.
Hay went up at the close of last week. bat
is quieter again, as the advance called in in
creased shipments.
Beans are exceedingly weak, and four or
five descriptions have declined sharply since
last review.
Potatoes and onions are in ample supply
at about last weeks quotations.
Hides are inactive and easy.
Wool is still quiet and quotations show no
particular change
Hops continue depressed and neglected.
There are good many poor hops all over
the world this year, aud choice lots are ac-
cOrdingly expected to command a premium.
However, the existence OF large lines of
poor goods tends to keep the market weak.
1t is now definitely known that the Oregon
and Washington crops have been seriously
damaged by lice and mildew, the Oregon
crop being estimated at not over % 200 bales
of No. hops. The hop louise is response
BILE for most of this shrinkage. The local
market is being pressed by growers who are
anxious TO sell, and the tone IS one Of weak
ness.
Dried fruit shows no particular change.
There have been a number of narrow fiuc-
tuatiOns during the week, almost invariably
toward lower prices. Some dealers report
the market dull, while others quote very
fair trade in small lots, saying that buyers
attracted by the low prices are taking hold.
| Dried grapes are about the tirmest article
on the list There is rapidly increasing
| area of demand for grapes, as they are used
! in the East for wne-making, and cheap
| hotels, restaurants and poor people use
them as raisns and for stews, etc. Three
years ago no grapes of any consequence
were dried here; now the Industry IS max
| ing rapid strides 1t Is a source Of great
relief to the grower, because If his local
| wine-maker bids him starvation prices for
| his fresh grapes he imply dries them aud
comes out with flying colors
! RajSinS are dull. Arrivals of the new
crop are thus far insignificant
GROCERIES AND PROVISIONS.
Imports of staple groceries at this port
| during the first eight months of 1891, as
compared with the same period in 1890, were
as follows: Sugar, 272, 26O, 2SS pounds,
against 217, 139, 867 coffee, 20, 1s5 4S9 pounds,
against 17,485, 115; rice. 81. 45S pounds,
against 33,151, 419; tea, 2,770,641 pounds,
against 3,7l6,O42 These imports form Az
per cent OF the total foreign imports for the
first eight months of the year. Sugar,
coffee and tea are on the free list, and form
about 70 per cent of the imports of free
foreign goods at this port. JObbers in gro
ceries report very fair trade in their line.
Sugar is fluctuating again, C'' grades hav-
ing been marked up at the beginning of this
week. The demand is reported good.
Coffee rules dull and weak. New York
mail advices say that the situation in Brazil
coffee is weaker, owing to combination of
| circumstances. The receipts at the primary
sources of SUPPLY are extraordinary. bein G
$4,000 bags at Rio and 43, 900 bags at Santos
| for three days. European spectators are
| on the bear side of the fence. and they are
| assisted in their manipulatiOns by the de-
| sire manifested by holders in Brazil to re-
lease stocks.
Hawaiian rice is firm at an advance,
| owing to light receipts and tie prospects of
only moderate arrivals this season. 1t is
said that owing to the increase In the
Chinese and Japanese population of the
| islands, the domestic consumption of rice
there has considerably increased of late.
thus reducing the amount available for ex-
pOrtatiun.
Provisions are in good demand and firm.
The tendency in bacon and lard is upward,
while Eastern hams are weak as the East
ern packers are working off old stocks.
Canned fruits continue quiet. Nibbling
from the East continues and some sales on
that account are reported, though the aggre-
gate does not amount to much
Canned salmon rules dull at easy prices
| Sales of 10000 cases Alaskan at 80 and 95
cents are reported. Arrivals of Alaska SAL
mon to September 10th inclusive aggregate
| 1874 ,592 cases, against 259,58 cases to same
date i'll 1890 and 206,675 cases to September
It, 1882
GENERAL MERCHANDISE.
Tobacco and cigars are in fair demand.
Dry goods are quiet There have been
imports of pig iron and other metals recently,
but prices show no change.
Foreign imports at this port during the
first eight months of the year amounted to
1929. 900. against S3i, 34363l during the
same period in 1890. Compared with last
year there was an increase of 81, 400 600
from China and Hong Kong, S736, 900 from
Great Britain, S594, 600 from Central meri-
ca, S493, 600 from East Indies, S455, 900 from
tine Ha" allan Islands, S347, 600 from British