The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-19

CHICAGO, Feb. 1s-MiIlers here to-
day paid 81 OF. blu for No 2 red wheat
wheat for May delivery sold at 99hc
bu, gain Of an even &c from the low
point of the day. Other deliveries were
correspondingly strong. Scarcity Of wheat
suitable Tor milling purposes was the i'm
pertant factor in causing the advance.
The close was almost at the top, May
being 1k@1Ssc above yesterdays final
hsufes. July was / &c higher. May corn
closed at gain of 1c, oats were up Il a
sc and provisions 21zc to 171sc higher
Wheat opened firm on strong Liverpool
cables. May and July both being M x 6p
Ac at CSC to $3.50 and 887sc to S9c. re-
spectively. On the theory that the pros
Pects OF war complications in Europe had
with bearish proclivitieS Thought wheat
should be sold on that account Snow in
tne southwest also brought out selling
OTa orders during the first half hour the
weakness, and May declined to STAG
while July sold off to 88Ac On the de-
cine, however, the demand became so
urgent that the market readily advanced
and prices were soon above the opening
hgures. Buying after the early decline
was Of general character. nearly all
OF the large houses taking that side of
the market.
News Very BuIIIsh.
Domestic news was of an extremely
bulliSh nature. Scarcity of good milling
wheat was a feature Private dispatches
STATED that millers at interior points OF
Kansas and Oklahoma were paying fancy
prices for hard winter varieties, putting
that grade of wheat beyond the reach Of
exporters Northwestern advices We're Of
a similar tenor, Minneapolis reporting that
Diack, Smutty samples sold for 85c and
SIC blu. The seaboard reported the for
elgn situation even stronger than yester-
Gay. With such a state Of affairs prices
encountered little opposition in the up
AT in fha low sold
to within Zee Of the dollar mark, touch
ing 9912c twice during the last few min
utes of trading. The close was strong
with May at 993s @99hc. July closed Ia c
higher at soc. after selling at 9OBc
Clearances of wheat and -four were
equal to 1866 bu. Primary receipts were
5l3,S00 bu, compared with 3S9. 500 bu a
year ago. Minneapolis, Duluth and Chi
cago reported receipts Of 299 cars, against
z4l cars last week and 1T cars a year
ago.
Corn FIuctuates Sharply.
Corn had about the same experience as
wheat, fluctuations being sharp and sud
den, with the speculative feeling a nerv-
Gus one on account of the foreign situa-
ton. There was a good deal Of corn for
sale early by commission houses and not
much was wanted, but later on offerings
became rather limited, and many of the
early sellers had considerable difficulty in
supplying needs when prices started up
ward. Shorts were fair buyers throughout
the day, and there was an urgent de-
mand from exporters. Aside from war
the chief bull factor was the scarcity of
good corn. The strength of wheat. how
ever, helped to support corn prices. The
opening on May was &c lower to 1bc high
er at 553sc to 55#c. After declining to
55B @55Ac the price rallied TO 56, but
reacted on profit taking The close was
firm at $3.50. July closed a shade higher
at 53H @533sc. Local receipts were 222
cars, six Of contract grade.
Oats Were nervous and influenced large
| Nv DV the action IF whoa and Sea In
ers had things about their own way but
they were inclined to trade on conserva-
tive lines owing TO the uncertainty oil
the foreign situation. After opening q
shade TO A@3sc higher at 43A @ to 44c
May declined to 43Bc, but rallied again
and closed at the top at 44c. July was
unchanged at 39Ac. Local receipts were
129 cars.
Buying for investment account and COW
ering by shorts, especially in May pork
caused hrmness in provisions. There was
a fair amount of liquidation in progress
the entire day and at times the market
showed a tendency to weaken, but active
support on the soft spots resulted in raj
lies The close was firm. with May pork
up 171hc at $15.15. May lard was 21zc
higher at 81. 771a and ribs were SC high
er at 81 %.
Estimated receipts for tomorrow:
Wheat, 10 cars; corn, 1876 cars; oats, sc
cars; hogs, 81 900 head.
The board will be closed Monday, Wash
ington's birthday.
Range of Quotations.
The leading futures ranged as follows:
Open. High. Low. | Close.