The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-03-19
cHlrrIM ! PRICES :l s.,
Peelers Watching The Market-so are
Dealers--A big Sale.

= = Il /
Dealers--A big Sale.
Chittim, and what its price will
be this season is subject of wide L
conjecture now. Dealers figure on
it peelers discuss it. and onlookers
wonder about it. 1t is said to be
the standard topic of conversation
over in Alsea. 1t is almost head
quarters for chittin,, over there,
!, Wade Malone. having bought o. 4
900 pounds, or about ten carloads
of bark last season. The amount
represents only part of the Alsea
] product. large quantities having !,
been, hauled and sold to Monroe
and Corvallis buyers The average
price paid by Mr.. Malone. includ-
/ ing the low price of the earlier and
! fancy figures of the later season,
was 81 cents, making the amount
! paid out by him for the bark about
$4,000. Mr.. Malone expects that
as much bark as was peeled last
year will be available in Alsea ag ain |
this season.
1t is generally believed that the
bark will never drop again to the
low figures of former times. Wheth-
er however, prices will soar again
as they did last year, is a question
that only the future can answer.
No dealer offers to contract at any
i figure, He couldn't contract if he
/ would, because, after the experience
: of last year no peeler would be like
4 ly to contract if he could. Every
thing connected with the subject
of price is conjecture. 1t is said
that there is enough of the bark in
Eastern warehouses to supply the
worlds demand for FIVE years, 1t
is also related that when the prices
went skyward in the United States
last summer that large quantities of
the bark that had previously been
! shipped from this country to
/ London were reshipped to New York
and that immense profits were real
lied in the transaction. 1t is also
declared that large San Francisco
firm which has been the chief Pa
cifc Coast operator in cascara in
the past, has purchased large areas
) of chittim laud in Clark County,
Washington, and with an army Of
= employees is to do its own peeling
this season. All these things are
cited as signals that show that sky
' prices are not likely to be in vogue
again this season.
s On the other hand, there are
!. signs that point in different dir
: ection. The we'll known Wilhelm
d firm at Monroe. which bought i'm
I mense quantities Of bark at, top
: figures in the latter part Of last sea-
$ son closed out the remainder of its
e holdingsa couple OF weeks ago at
81 figures that are said to have brought
t the firm out even if not more than
s even on the season business. What
) these figures were, nobody knows.
d They are placed by good guessers
e at I6 cents, or more. The lot com
!, prised three carloads, and the trans
e action involved $4,000 or more
/ This transaction leads many to be
lieve that if there is now a five
d years supply of bark in Eastern
: warehouses, the holders of it pro-
IS pose to have price that will still
" leave handsome figure for the
n peelers who are going to marke'
y bark this season.
% Another statement of interest is
,t that at the present time the tor
'e New York price for chittim for de
le livery the coming season is abou
re 10 to II cents, and that small
IS amount could be contracted on tha
d basis, which would mean nine D
er ten cents in Corvallis. There is al
re so excellent authority for the state
d ment that recently in New Yorl
City the bark could be purchased
ID in any quantity at IS cents, deliv
al cred free of charge to the buyer
is This was old bark. and of course
N lighter than when it originally wen
or on the market. et
l. A large number of Lincoln coun
er ty peelers passed through Corval
le lis a few days ago, enroute to tn
it vicinity of Chehalis, Washington
nt where chittim trees are said t
N abound.
ly