The age-herald., 1900-09-21
GOOD CHICKENS
 ARE VERY SCARCE
And There Were Light Stocks
 in Produce Market.
DEMAND FOR COLD STORAGE
Is Accentuated by Changing Conditions ]of the Produce Market of Birming- ham-Leading Merchant Ad-
 vocates a Warehouse

There was a small volume of business In Birminghams produce market yesterday; not because of light demand, but because of light stocks. Eggs and chickens were very scarce.
 Chickens are nomnally quoted at 22lac for the best fries, but they would have brought 25c in the afternoon had there been any on the market. The Louisville and Nashville train which usually brings large consign- ments of chickens and eggs every evening from Nashville, Decatur and other produce towns along the line, delivered only few cases of eggs and few coops of chickens yesterday afternoon.
 Butter is in fairly good demand, with stocks lighter than this time last year.
 The market is still bare, or almost bare, of sweet potatoes, but shi snents will be re- ceived today. Irish potatoes are scarce.
 Cabbage and onions are In full supply.
 In the fruit line New York apples are be- ing received freely and the demand Is brisk at $2.75 to S. The market Is quite well supplied with grapes and pears.
 Concerning the scarcity of chickens this season various causes are given, the first being cholera. In addition to the chickens that are sold on Morris avenue the coun- try carts do a good buiness and the sales that are made by the Jefferson County vendor do not enter into the trade statis- ties An. old merchant said yesterday that while the normal chicken business of the produce merchants of Birmingham was large-four or five thousand chickens a day the consumption was much larger than appeared from the wholesale trade, because oI the considerable country wagon trade. And the same condition applies of course, to the trade in eggs and butter and other country products.
 Tt would be Interesting to know just how many chickens and eggs are con- stunned in the Greater Birmingham" said a prominent egg dealer "A good volume Is handled on Morris avenue, but that does not begin to be all that this community eats. November and December are months Tn which eggs are always scarce and in demand. Birmingham merchants have bought at least ten carloads-about 10000 dozen-in cold storage in Chicago and Kan sas City, and these eggs will be brought here in December; some in November per hapS."
 what Birmingham needs right now" continued this merchant, 'is a large dry cold storage warehouse. There was one here some years ago, when Birmingham had population of only about 10000. It did not pay, and the enterprise was aban- doned. But today a first-class cold storage house would undoubtedly pay. Any capi- talist who would put $40OOO or ,OO0 in cold storage warehouse and have it oper- ated according to modern methods would find his money well invested. Whenever the market was overstocked the merchants would save money by putting their pro- duce in cold storage. As 1t is, vegetables, eggs, lard and butter and other perishable goods are often a total loss, because there is no way of keeping them from spelling. Rirmippban1 is daStina6 h an imnOrtant distributing point for produce, but before this can be we must have ample cold storage accommodations
 The Taylor School reopens