Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-23
IN THE LOCAL MARKETS
MARINE PRODUCTS WILL BE IN
DEMAND NEXT WEEK.
Decided Drop In Price of Eggs-Bad
Season for Fruits and
Vegetables.

Dealers in marine products are antici-
pating an increase in their business next
week, when Lent will begin and when meat
is tabooed so many more days than during
the ordinary business seasons Some deal
ers are already making preparations TOT
the prospective increase in their trade. and
among other things are arranging to nave
an extra supply of oysters on hand for the
Ash Wednesday trade. There is every pros
pect that fish will be more plentiful during
the lenten season this year than usual
and that the demand for oysters VIII De
smaller. oysters have been unusually plen-
tIfuI all the winter on account of the open
weather and. IT is stated, people are get
ting tired of them. Fish have also peeh
plentiful. but most Of the winter stock was
frozen and IT was not until recently that
the fresh-caught fish became sufficiently
plentiful to supply the demand. The Poto-
mac river Is already supplying many nsh loi
the local market and some fine specimens or
the finny tribe are being received here from
the James river. North Carolina waters
are furnishing some of the finest shad that
local dealers have ever handled. and the
best of them are selling at slZo each.
These large roe shad weigh from SIX 10
eight pounds and dealers say they are equaI
to the fish that are caught in the potomac
river later in the season.
1.-THE water is much colder now than IL
will be later a fish dealer remarked to
Star reporter today, and the fish are natu-
rally solid and fine. In my opinion they are
better now than they are when the water
gets warmer.
While the best roe fish are thought 10
be high the buck shad are to be had for %
cents Many persons regard them as being
superior to the roe shad. Large white perch
from the James river are selling al 10 cents
a pound, and yellow perch are even cheaper:
Rock fish are scarce, pan rock bringing 10
cents and boiling rock 30 cents pound.
Potomac bass are still being received IN
quantities large enough TO supply the oe-
mand at IL cents q pound. Ihe catch VI
bass In the Potomac has been larger TINS
spring than usual and the price has been
correspondingly cheap. Frozen trout are
still plentiful and cheap and there are
enough of them in storage to prevent
an appreCiable increase in the prices or
fish during the lenten season. Crab meat
will also be in demand during the coming
six weeks. Local dealers have been getting
fresh picked meat during the past month
and the shipments are liable to increase as
the spring advances.
Price of Eggs Lower.
The decided drop in the price of eggs this
week will probably have the effect of de-
creasing somewhat the lenten demand for
marine products, Twenty cents a dozen is
the market price for fresh eggs, some of
the dealers asking as much as % cents for
specials. Storage eggs are to be had for
almost any price hucksters offering them
from door TO door at as low as IS cents a
dozen. Similar eggs 1t is said, were re-
Gently sold In Baltimore at the rate OF two
dozen for % cents.
1T is hardly likely that eggs will be much
cheaper during the lenten season than they
are now" remarked a local dealer to
Star reporter "and it would probably be
we'll for consumers to put in a supply large
enough to last them ten days or two weeks
while they are so cheap
There has been but little change in the
butter market during the past week. Fine
grades of fresh butter show an increase in
the wholesale price. but the retailers have
not yet found it necessary to advance the
price to the consumers While the best
butter is scarce. there is plenty cold stor-
age and other inferior stock on hand;
enough to hold down the prices for a short
time. 1t is stated that the scarcity of line
butter is due to several causes. Milk pro-
ducers IN the west, II is stated, have been
prosperous and are out of debt and they are
not paying much attention TO the feed
ing and care Of their cows as they did
when times were dull and they were IN
debt. Many Of them, It is said, have turned
out their cows because of the early spring
weather and the animals are eating grass,
weeds and everything else that is green.
Fruits and Vegetables.
This is bad season for fruits and veg
etables and prices are generally consid-
cred high.
Prices are not quite as high as they
SEEM a dealer remarked today. 1.-THE
trouble is that people of moderate means
have been spoiled by cheap prices during
recent years, and they think II terrible be-
cause they are charged a little more than
usual. Years ago at this season of the
year people were satisfied to get potatoes,
cabbage and kale or spinach. but now they
want tomatoes, CuCumbers and vegetables
such as only the wealthy were able to buy
a number Of years ago"
Western celery is getting scarce and will
soon be played out but Florida stock has
appeared and will fill demands until home
grown celery is to be had. Ten cents is
about the average price of the Florida and
western product this week. Tomatoes have
not been as plentiful as usual this season
and they are now scarce and high, the
best of them selling at 40 cents a pound
price of Irish potatoes during the past
week. Lettuce is still scarce and high
selling at 10 cents q head. Parsnips are
40 cents peck, turnipS 80 cents and oyster
plant cents a bunch
Florida oranges are no longer plentiful
but the California crop is fine and reason
able prices prevail, the fruit bringing from
20 to 80 cents a dozen PineappleS are not
so plentiful as they were q month ago and
are selling at from 80 TO 90 cents q piece
Strawberries are 80 cents a quart.
There has been no change in the retail
prices of meats and poultry since last week
been slight advance In wholesale prices
but dealers have not increased the retail
prices.