The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-12
Good Things for Holidays
Plenty and Cheap.

Potatoes "is riz." Gone up five cents
a bushel and liable to so higher. All
of these useful tubers are housed now,
and it costs more to get them out of the
cellars than it did to dig them out of
the ground. But the cause of the raise
isn't the chief thing, it is the fact Of
having to pay more for necessaries.
And along with this fact comes the
statement that pork has gone the other
way. The Yankee pig has at last been
downed, but not by Spain. Just by the
law Of supply and demand, which
downs more things in this country than
cheap whisky.
Christmas is coming, so the commission
men say, and by next week the pompous
turkey gobbler will get under the rain
spout to make himself look thin. Poul-
try for Christmas hasn't begun to come
in yet to any extent, however, though
there is enough in sight to supply twice
though the price can not be stated until
it is on the local market. Unless there
is another storm, a large part of the
poultry will come from the west this
season.
Oranges have been plentiful for the
last week. All of them made in Great
Britain" in Jamaica. The first ship
ment of CALIFORNIA; will arrive this
week, good in quality and the price will
not be such as to make them a luxury
The California crop is shorter than
usual, but it will not affect the market
to any great extent People don't like
/ NT,1r 10,
orange on the market is comparatively
cheap, considering the enormous duty
which has to be paid on all foreign
! fruits, q cent a pound which amounts
| to something over a dollar on a box of
| this particular fruit. Bananas will not
be so plentiful this week, but new ship
ments are expected before long. The
demand will continue good until Christ
mas and the price may be a little
higher.
Apples are still holding their own,
and a part of somebody's elses The
demand is good for shipment, and the
price is a little higher Domestic
grapes continue plentiful and keep
solid and hang together nicely. Mala-
gas are about the same as they have
been all the fall. The direct ship
ments have stopped. but the market is
likely to remain firm and the quality
stand.
Cheese. butter and eggs are known
as dairy products. 1t may be that
| cheese is always a dairy product, but
ter sometimes, and eggs never. Cheese
| is firm right now, butter is easy and
fresh eggs are strong. 1t would seem
| that fresh eggs ought not to be strong.
| Cheese prices are working up, and but
ter prices are not changing any either
way. Fresh eggs are scarce however,
J, frrl,
will probably continue so as long as
the cold weather lasts
Nuts and dried fruits continue plenti-
| full and fairly cheap Nuts do not
seem to be of the quality usually found
but the dried stuff is very good Owing
| to the shortness of the apple crop, the
| demand for dried apples is larger than
usual for no New Englander can ex-
list without apple pie at least twice a
| day.
While pork has gone down, beef is
very high at wholesale. Those who
board out and haven't homes of their
| own to go to, will have pork chops and
roast pork and pork pie where they
used to have tough beefsteaks. Lamb
| is easier than it was last week and
veal keeps steady.
The chief effect OF the storm on the
local markets has been the advanced
price III lreSh HSn' HauQock is higher
than ever before known and other
fresh fish are scarce. The high winds
destroyed many of the small fishing
smacks, and also drove the fish to
deeper water. which will keen the sun
ply low all winter perhaps
There has been no change in the
vegetable market during the week.
What used to be known as summer
vegetables are still on the market in
large quantities, and will continue so
all winter.
Smoked meats are very cheap this
year, and the quality is good.