The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-03-01
SCARCITY OF CARS
IS A6Aln REPORTED
Dealers Unable to Get Them for Ship
ments of Hay, Grain and Fruit
The Market Situation.

| week Is the scarcity OF cars. Many
shipments of potatoes, apples and hay
| were deferred, and in some cases aban.
doned, because no cars to load the pro.
duce in could be obtained. This con-
dition has continued about ten days, and
there is no immediate prospect of relief.
The excuse given by the Northern Pa
cifc is that the cars are all in use for
the hauling of ice. As this years ice
crop is about all harvested now, the ex.
cuse offered seems pretty thin. 1t is
said that great many empty box and
refrigerator cars have been taken east,
and that is the reason the shortage
exists.
Those who held their potatoes for $40
are beginning to wish they hadn't. The
market for spuds is in shaky conii-
tion, and the advices from the Sound
do not indicate that more settled
state of affairs is likely to prevail for
some time. The top price obtainable
here yesterday was $l4.50, and the deal.
ers hesitated to pay that. just at pres
ent there are no potatoes being shipped
but few loads would have gone over II
cars could have been obtained to ship
them in. The only kind of potato
that is salable now is the very choicest.
There has been good deal of shipping
of apples to California and the Sound
within the past few weeks. Yakima APP
Piles are in good demand in both of those
markets, the varieties leading being the
Ben Davis, Winesaps, Newtown Pippins,
White Winter Pearmains and Arkansas
Blacks. The price realized by the grow
err varies from so cents to 81 box, the
Ben Davis selling only moderately well
at the former price.
The hay market is up in the air at
present. For the first time this sea-
son there is no market whatever for tim
othy; it is impossible to even got a
quotation, and lot of as choice timo-
thy as was ever harvested in the valley
which was offered Monday at $3.50
Alfalfa is lower and the market weaker.
Dealers are not buying at any figure ex-
cept in small quantities, and then the
quality must be of the best. the top
price quoted here during the past two
weeks is 81; in few instances $7.25
has been paid, but the quality of the hay
warranted it or a previously made ar
rangement bound the dealer.
The poultry and meat markets are
lively. Prices are on the advance. The
dealers are ready and anxious to pay
l0h to 1914 cents pound for chick
ems, live weight, young OF old. 1t is
hard to get enough to supply the de-
mand. This is the time of the year
when chickens, and especially hens, be-
come most valuable to their owners, and
consequently they are not SO willing to
let go of them as when long winter
with expensive feeding is just ahead. A
good many turkeys are being marketed,
finding ready sale at Is and IA cents a
pound, alive. Cattle remain well up in
price; prime steers are quoted at SO to
$3.50 per hundred, live weight. Cows
and veal are about the same price as
they have been for month past, the
former being worth 1926 to $3.50 hun
dred if in good condition. Hogs are re-
ported very scarce, and sell readily at
6h to 7K cents pound dressed.
Club wheat has advanced from &c to
SOC bushel, and blue stem from SOC to
SIC since last week. Through an over
sight the quotatians remain unchanged
in the local market prices on another
pages, but the quotations given here are
correct.
The produce market does not show
any great change, and there are but few
new things offered. Creamery but
ter sells at 20 cents a two-pound roll
and ranch butter at so cents. Eggs are
down to 25 cents a dozen for the first
time since early last fall, and it is
noticeable fact That all that are being
marketed are fresh. Evidently the pre-
served eggs are about all gone. Good
cabbage for some reason is hard to get,
and the price has advanced to 4 Gems
a pound. Sweet potatoes are about ont
of the market, and the last are selling
at cents; the only new things that
have appeared are cauliflower and let
tuce. These came from the soun'.
where they were raised in greenhouses.
A considerable quantity have been rails
ed here in the same manner, but not
enough to supply the local demand. The
latter part of the week, in time for the
Sunday buying, the dealers expect to
have on hand the first consignment of
the season of spinach, radishes and on
ions. Some of them are greenhouse pro-
ducts, and others come from California.