Omaha daily bee., 1893-05-14
Produce poi;itPrS.

The imports of potatoes from Europe for
the month OF April have been ", 365 sacks
the continent. The figures for the previous
II oath (March) were 259,G5S sacks from
Great Britain and 81, 060 sacks from the
continent.
There is one thing that country shippers
should remember, and that is that butter Is
graded much more closely than it was DUR
nl, the winter When butter is as scarce as
il was during the winter months, most any
thing would sell for good to choice, and the
trade had to take it or go without. AT this
season, as butter becomes more plenty, the
trade can be more particular, and choice
butter means choice butter and not poor
butter
Iowa farmers are beginning to find their
poultry Il profitable investment. Eggs from
Iowa are sent to the Atlantic coast during
the summer and are in much greater demand
than the eastern product This is in the
face of the prcjudic C of eastern people who
have deemed it practically impossible that
western eggs should be placed before them
in better condition than those of their own
section. A well known dealer explains the
cause for this as follows: ''rhe Iowa egg is
irmer and stronger and is n much moro
solid product than that of the east"
From present appearances there will be a
potato famine In California this year or in
any event, high prices will rule, even if
full supply is obtained from outside quarters,
says California paper. Stocks Pre lighter
than they have been before for many years,
and the advance in value has brought in
shipments from the east as far back as Wis
cousin. There are few dealers here who can
relate another instance of the kind, although
for years past Utah and Nevada have been
drawn upon to help out at times. The ship
mcnts referred TO came to hand from
| Waubacca. and as high as @.lO was
paid for choice lots. They were all
| of the Burbank variety. Another carload is
| expected TO arrive and higher rate is bid
fop them From all accounts this will he n
| very bad year for California potatoes, and
| the crop will amount TO little over onehalf
| of that which is usually raised. The pro-
| longed rains interfered with the planting
and did not benefit the crop put in early in
| the year
The egg case problem appears to be diff
| fcult matter to arrange to the satisfaction
of both parties, the commission men and the
| shippers AT the present time egg cases are
sent out into the county to any one order
| ing them, If one house will not furnish the
cases TO IA certain shipper some other house
| will. Every commission house has large
amount of money tied up In egg cases and as
| the life of an egg case subject, TO the rough
| handling OF express companies and freight
| lines is short, there is a constant
outgo for new cases. But this is not
the worst feature of the question. Com
| mission men do not complain at the
amount OF money tied up or of the wearing
out of the cases. The great cause for dis
satisfaction lies in the fact that country
| Shippers, as RUE, 10 not appear 10 reallzo
that egg cases cost money and that the man
sending them out into the country at the
request OF a shipper has right TO expect
them back again.
A shipper recently declared that he held
that egg cases were public property and that
the man who would pay the most for the
eggs should have the cases even IL they had
been sent out TO him by certain firm on re-
quest and on promise that the firm sending
them should have the eggs. Few
shippers would care to take that stand
openly, but great many of them conduct
their business on that principle apparently.
1t happens very frequently that a commits
sion firm is requested To send a certain num-
ber of cases TO a shipper and after waiting a
reasonable length of time for the eggs
writes only to learn that some one offered
more for them and was allowed not only
TO take the eggs but the cases as well. II
does no good for the commission man To pro-
test as the cases are gone and the country
shipper will not pay for them. u frequently
happens that a shipper after selling firms
egg cases will not ship any more 10 that frm
for fear that the firm will hold back enough
money To pay for the cases. Thus the COM
mission man not only loses his cases but I
shipper al the same lime.