Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-24
Week Closes an Unsatisfactory
Livestock Market---Too
Many Cattle
QUALITY OF HOGS DECLINE
Poultry Season Has Made Slow
Market For All Large stock-Qual-
ity Has Been Poor and Receipts
Laree-If Shipments Arc Hold Back
There is a Better Time Coming.

Chicago, Dec. 24.-Cattle-The week
closes with the usual Saturday insig-
nificant receipts, prices being mostly
nominal. Beef steers have sold at an
extreme range Of 2.65 @6.60, largely j.
75@5.75, with sales mostly l0@2o
higher than at the close of last week.
The present consumption Of beef is
not large enough to warrant large re-
ceipts, and an improvement in prices
is due to exceptionally small offerings.
1.-THE month Of December has always
in my experience, been one Of unsatis-
factory prices, except for choice steers,
good enough for the Christmas trade
here and abroad said a trader. THE
market has been flooded with cattle in
the past few months, and while buyers
took good grades fairly well, all others
have been decided drug in selling and
values have been pounded down to \
very low level. However, there should
be an improvement, and what Is need
ed is smaller receipts Offerings of
this weeks volume during the next
month would put buyers in different
position, and cause much moro salts
factory selling in later weeks"
Long fed cattle are getting compar-
atively scarce, and it looks as though
they will continue in small supply for
some time, as the country seems In no
frame Of mind to feed cattle to q fin
ish," remarked a commission man.
"On the other hand liberal runs of
sixty to ninety day cattle may be ex-
pected around the middle Of January
and on"
The western river markets demand
for good qualified stocker cattle and
weighty feeders continues to show i'm
proyement, but call for common and
medium grades is light, sales of such
offerings being made with great diff
Guilty at the prevailing low prices.
There have been times when cheap,
common cattle made good money, but
this winter farmers evidently do not
hold this view.
Hogs.
There was tolerably fair supply of
hogs for Saturday. 5000 fresh arrivals
and 1000 carried over last night There
was a good demand and prices closed
at an average Of higher. Bulk OF
sales were $4.3O@450.
Thursdays receipts Of hogs turned
out to be over $4,000. Fridays run was
estimated at $4,000, showing decrease
of 5000, compared with week ago.
The weeks receipts so far show an
increase of 1900 over last week and
$4,000 over a year ago. The quality of
the offerings is not nearly SO good as
it has been and weights are running
decidedly light. However, the eastern
shipping demand is smaller than 1t was
last week, leaving a large number of
hogs in local slaughter and for that
reason the market for even the choice
heavy shipping hogs yesterday showed
lower range of prices.
Sheep.
Sheep receipts were only 1000; prices
firm at recent advance.
Every day this week receipts of
sheep have fallen much short of the
estimate, and the total supply for the
week is 10000 short of last week.
Owing to this shrinkage in the supply
the pulse of the trade has beat more
actively and prices have improved
greatly over the low time Of the week.
Most of the sheep and lambs are
quoted Csc higher than at that time,
still prices have not gotten back to the
high spot Of last week.