The San Francisco call., 1899-06-05
COMMERCIAL BALLOONING.

X lot for wears have commercial conditions been
n so promising in California as they are to-day
All down the long list OF commodities quoted in
the market reports runs the uniform statement OF an
active market and good prices. This applies to both
farm produce and manufactured goods. The only
exception throughout the whole list IS hay, which has
been the duest and deadest thing in town for some
weeks Last year at this time it selling at $I8a22
per ton the quotations to-day less than hall those
of 1903 being SzGu as average prices, with large
cron impending Hay evidently had its boom last
wear and is now paving the inevitable penalty. But
otherwise the farmer Is doing remarkably well His
wheat oats and barley bringing fair prices, his
potatoes are rising with unusual rapdity with short
supplies his wool has been selling off like hot cakes
for two months his cattle sheep and hogs are higher
than for years his butter and eggs above the quo
tations usually ruling at this time OF the year, his
poultry has been a profitable investment Tor some
time and as for his iruitit is in the clouds. lie IS
getting from $40 to $50 per ton for his apricots and
from $50 to S45 for his Bartlett pears and the can
ncrs agents are his eager and deierentia customers
The fruit grower is king OF the farmers this year
owing to the February freeze throughout the country
east Of the Sierra Nevadas which played havoc with
fruit everywhere.
Nor is the farmer the only prosperous one The
merchant is doing good business simply because the
farmer is in clover. 1t all comes back to the man
with the hoe after all We write plying poems about
him and draw pictures OF him, but sometimes he is
cock OF the walk and this seems to be one OF these
times When the with the hoe sells his humble
asparagus at s. so per box, he has done this year
he is making good deal more money than his city
brother in his counting room. surrounded by sleek
and well dressed clerks Still the city brother is do
ing very well too at the moment. There is certain
active demand for goods OF all classes which no
Iod, ~nie ~ from every
where North. South, East and West, from Manila tc
Germany and from Alaska and Siberia to the wes
coast. 1t takes in lumber groceries, provisions
canned goods. hardware produce machinery, cloth
ing dry goods-al sorts Of things 1t really seem.
like old times in san Francisco. Vessels arc in dc
mand to move this merchandise and ireights in some
lines have made marked advance. owing to made
quacy Of tonnage which in its turn makes the ship
ping trade happy the farmer and the merchant
In default of explanation Tor this remarkable de
mand for goods, it is customary on the street tc
ascribe it in general terms to mckinley prosperity
which is probably pretty close guess.
The East, too. continues 10 make fine exhibit The
April failures were the smallest ever known but the
May failures were still smaller The disributvc trade
IS generally good throughout the country, and II
some sections is lively The demand for iron passe!
all belief Prices for all kinds OF iron and stee
products have advanced sharply, many more furnaces
have gone into blast and yet the famine grows more
severe. as everybody who buys nails wire and other
iron products have discovered ere this The call fo
lumber continues unabated and prices have again beer
marked up. Cotton goods are steady with an in
creased inquiry in spite OF higher prices.
The course OF the wheat market is ptizzling The
country at the moment The winter crop of the
United States is seriously deficient, and reports 0
partial and complete failures have been coming il
thick and fast from Europe, and yet the market i
sngulary backward in responding. True quotations
have advanced somewhat during the past fortnight
but not nearly as much the crop reports warrant
his suggishness is unaccountable
Wall street opened the week with decline but i
did not last long Toward the close Of the weel
prices took upward turn, and though the bear
made desperate fight they were forced to hunt fol
cover. The announcement that $I6oooooo III golC
had been engaged for export was hailed as a facto
in their favor but II had contrary and curious effect
II eased off the London market and thereby created
buying demand there. which spread to Anlcricar
stocks advancing their quotations. and thus proved
boomerang In fact all the country in Wal
street. in merchandise and on the farm prices seen
determined rise and nothing apparently is able tc
keep them down.