Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-08
FEATURES OF TRADE.
Produce Prices Ranging Practically
the Same as a Week Ago,
WITH EGGS AS THE EXCEPTION.
Boot and Shoe Trade Firm as Viewed From
Boston Standpoint.
GREAT INCREASE OF LIVE STOCE
OFFICE OF The DISPATCH,
PIrTSBURG, SATURDAY, February 6. (


In the produce line the principal event of
the past week has been the sharp advance in
eggs An unusual scarcity in this line is
reported from all trade centers. Two weeks
ago fresh eggs were slow at 24c per dozen,
and now there are not enough to meet de-
mand at 35c per dozen. In dairy product
lines there have been no new developments
the past week, with the exception of slight
advance in choice grades of cheese. Pitts
burg was about the last trade center OF the
country to fall into line i'll the upward move
ment of cheese The reason for this was
that our jobbers were heavily stocked up be-
fore the rise at sources of supply. For the
past few weeks New York cheese could be
bought here at lower prices than at the fac
tories. Vegetables and fruits are slow
at about the same prices as pre-
vailed week ago. At this time last
year potatoes and apples were worth
more per bushel than they are now per bar
rel With large families this means saw
ing of not less than s. per week in the line
sof household necessities. The consumer
the producer and middleman find little
that is comforting in the situation. Very
few produce and commission merchants are
able to more than meet expenses OF late. A
season of such plenty as the last season was,
while satisfactory to the consumer, is the
opposite to the producer and middleman.
In Grain and Groceries.
In cereal lines we note continued heavy
receipts and light demand, with tendency
toward lower prices. Wheat, flour, oats and
millfeed have found lower level in the
past week, and hay is barely steady at
prices of last Saturday. The entire weeks
sales on call at the Grain Exchange did not
amount to over ten per cent of the actual
receipts as bulletined. Unless there has
been large amount of private selling,
stocks in the hands OF grain merchants
must be very large, since between 600 and
700 carloads have been received in the past
two weeks
The featuree of the week in grocery lines
has been the advance in package coffee, the
advance being 3-2O on standard brands. At
the rise markets are reported very strong.
Hog products are only in fnir demand, and
prices lor the week to come will stand as
they have been for the week past.
Increase of Live Stock.
The United States is still on the increase
I'm both cattle and hog raising, says William
Adams in the Indiana Farmer. Ia 1915 there
were $50 700 cattle and 25, 726, 500 hogs, CIV
ing about 60 cattle and 56 hogs per 100 inhab
1tants to the United States. In 1890 we had
50 Sol ,9O7 cattle and 81 6O2 $50 hogs, double the
number OF hogs in l5years and nearly double
the number of cattle, making S43z on cattle
and S234 hogs to every 100 of our population.
A professor of mathematics says at this ratio
vi lDCTetS0 III l5lS NS Will utNe sts ulstu1
tie and hogs as we have population, as it
takes at least double this time for our popu-
lation to double, the ou tlook being plenty
and to spare In recalling our past record,
we find some very interesting facts, namely:
Tennessee, kentucky and Ohio in ls45 were
the leading hog States; now Iowa has as
many hogs as those three did then. Many
States attained their zenith in hog raising
many years ago.
Footwear mt the Hub.
The Boston Herald has this to say of the
boot and shoe situation and outlook: Manu-
facturers of boots and shoes are getting
rather more orders of late, and the market
looks rather better, except that goods are
being made at low prices. But the explana-
ton is made that good deal of the differ
ence between prices this year and a year
ago is the result of what may be termed
natural causes. Tne raw material leather,
is lower than last year: besides, considerable
progress is being made in machinery and
the methods of making certain goods, all of
which enables the makers to turn the goods
out for less money.
1t is feature worthy of note that samples
of shoes for next tall are being sold, and
being sold at less prices than a year ago.
samples, and though it is early, vet the
samples must be made. In the face of the
lower prices made on boots, the jobbers are
demanding that shoes also be made for less
money than last year, and the samples sold
thus far have been sold generally on q
lower basis of prices. The position of the
leather market is expected to help the
manufacturers ouron these lower prices for
boots and shoes.