Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-04
Today's Supplies were Large for
Friday and Sales Were at
Barely Steady Prices
HOG PRICES WERE VERY WEAK
The Market Was in Bad Shape and
Prices Declined About 10 to is Cents
Below the Close Thursday-Trade
Was Dull-sheep Active and Steady.
Other N,.ws.

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supply was a liberal one for Friday,
offerings mainly common to medium In
quality. sales slow at barely steady
prices.
Traders are enjoying season of har-
vest this week because of the influx Of
buyers incident to the exposition. While
the advance has been wide enough to
create considerable activity in the mar
ket, the disposition OF buyers to pay
higher prices was not very strong They
seemed quite willing to take the cattle
at the low values established last week,
but hesitated some to pay an advance.
tho by force of circumstances were
compelled to. The Improvement this
week, which is about 25 cents over the
values of last week, does not yet put
prices UP to u point where they can be
called anything but cheap. The fact is
buyers admit that the cattle are cheap,
but they are afraid Of the future and
are none too anxious to take chances.
a good substantial advance in the fas
cattle market would do the feeder trade
more good than anything else just al
the present time
Hogs.
There were $4,000 hogs on sale to-
day and the market in bad shape.
Prices were weak and about 10Qf15
lower and tr3de was dull.
With the range of prices as narrow
on all grades of hogs as 1t has been
running of late, there is little spread
between mixed packing and the mixed
that are good enough 10 go to the
shipper and butcher trade with little or
no sorting.
The recent bulge in hog values is
future market conditions Said one: 'If
hogs are not broken to 81 before De-
eember 10. we will have So hogs before
the middle of January" Said another:
Packers have the market well in hand
and viii get their 81 hogs before we
have any long period of better prices"
Still another: Il look for the market |
to fiuctuate right around present po-
sition, $3.50. according to daily supplies
In sight until after New Years when
receipts will have enlarged enough to
permit some further reduction in val-
ues." Said several: Packers hive
done everything they know to put hogs
on to 81 basis but reached the limit
when, just before Thanksgiving the
average cost at various points ranged
around s4.20@4.25. From now on val
ues should advance moderately
Sheep.
Trade was fairly active at steady
prices.
Practically all Of the Northwestern
t<>t
market and from thence to the feedlots.
and the supply OF southwestern feeders
is beginning to dwindle down to small
All indications point to a
very heavy feed the other side of the
and in the northern half of
the corn belt. Chicago broke her feeder
shipments record this year, and this,
along with the extensive movement
from range to eastern feedlot, Is sure to
result In the markets being fairly well
loaded with supplies between now apd
next May. Nebraska is said to be feed |
ing 20 to 80 per cent more sheep this |
year than she turned out last winter. |
Kansas Is probably feeding as many
sheep as at any time within the past
four or five years. The movement ot
feeding sheep from Kansas City this
fall has not been quite as heavy as last |
year, which would be taken as a very |
buiiish factor were 1t not for the fact
that this is more than Offset by the
augmented cross-country movement,
the supplies of Mexicans and
Utahs, but mostly the former. taken
from the range direct to the feedlots,
This latter movement Is perhaps so
per cent greater In Kansas this year
than 1t was last fall and dtscountenan-
ces the reduction of feeder shipments
out of Kansas City. Missouri has pur-
chased more feeding sheep so far this |
year than she did the same time in 1902 /
although the number of muttons In the /
lots could by no means be called ex- I
,essive Northern Colorado is launch
ing into the business on big scale. one /
reporting a movement of 500
cars of lambs to the alfalfa districts in
the Silver state. The Arkansas valley
Will not handle as many woolskins as
four years ago. but will turn out as
many as she did last winter.
The wise ones say that the farmers
81 Illinois and other Mississippi I
states are doing with muttons this year
lust what they did with cattle last
biting off more than they
san chew. On this account predictions
ire for lower markets when the fed
stuff begins to start toward the sham
oles. However. there will of course be
IN interim between now and that time,
and during this hull is where the early
bird sheepmen" SHOULD score.
1t is thought that no appreciably ex-
lensive runs of fed westerns will be-