Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-31
CATTLE ONLY NOMINAL
Market Has Shown a Disap-
pointing Weakness at Times
During Past Week
HOGS ARE GENERALLY STEADY
There Was Failure, However,, to
Maintain Fridays Full Strength =
Lack of Shipping Orders Given as the
cause-Advance of Ten to Twenty
Scored in Sheep Market.

day was only nominal. While there has
been fairly good market this week,
it has not met all the expectations of
sellers, and has shown at times weak
ness which failed to indicate that there
was an inherent strength to trade.
Steers have made a slight gain in
value, most sellers placing the advance
at ten, while butcher stock was nearly
steady.
Traders say the situation at present
does not warrant big marketing early
next week, but indications point to /.
pretty liberal run of supplies and sellers
fear they, will not be able to hold the
advance noted in values for good steers
this week
The general level of prices for, med
ium and plain steers, however. is not
much changed from a week ago and
these have gone slowly of late, altho
the outlet has been little more salts
factory than one week ago. Export
demand has been the main stimulus to
the trade during the week. The mar
kets abroad have been firm. The for
eign shippers had contracts for liberal
amount of ship space and they bought
rather freely altho there has been Moth
ing particularly wrong with the demand
on eastern account and total shipments
have been close up to those of the week
before.
Offerings this week foot up about
Sc, 900 head, which is practically the
same as last week. but few thousand
more than year ago. Receipts are
not above the normal for this time of
the year, but the demand is hardly as
strong as it generally is.
Hogs.
Hogs were not so strong as yesterday,
but were generally steady at the close.
The lack of shipping orders was given
as the main cause for the failure of
trade to maintain Fridays full strength.
In the face of a more restricted ship
ping demand, the average price of hogs
is as high as one week ago, or the best
since May, 1908. For the first time this
season light weights sold higher than
heavy, recent sales of such being at
s6.521a, against $6.471s for big weights
While the range is still quite narrow,
buyers have viciously attacked the COM
moner. kinds. and they succeeded In
making wider spread between these
classes and the better hogs. The quail
ity has been very good, with the pro-
portion of light weights meager. while
choice 220 to 240 lib averages have been
plentiful and heavy butchers and big
weights in smaller supply than lately.
Sales of hogs higher than $6471s have
been rather few recently and only COM
mon light and heavy lots had to go un-
der s6.371a, while the bulk of hogs sold
at $6.40@6.45. 1t is the general opinion
of traders here that light hogs VIII
be marketed in small numbers owing
to the fact that producers realize sucn
are worth more to them In the feed lot
than on the market at this time.
Sheep.
Practically nothing was offered on
an open market today. The market
this week has been strong. and prices
have generally ruled decidedly firm,
advances of 10000 being scored A
great source of strength was the ex-
port demand.
The market has been active all week
on sheep, but lambs have been IN
r,,t and suffered declines variously es-
timated at 1925 cents. Some OF the
medium kinds of shorn lambs have
been mean sellers. Light fat lambs
and heavy stuff suited to the export
outlet have enjoyed whatever popu-
larity has existed. Receipts are few
thousand less than last week. Clipped
stuff has not been very plentiful, but
is selling very uneven in price. Choice
clipped wethers have made $3.50 and
fancy shorn lambs 1913. but these are
outside sales and it takes good clipped
wethers to make SIS and lambs TO 1etch
1926. -.
Export demand has again been tne
life of the trade and mas virtually
made prices on sheep ana heavy ,a .,1
Co scarce are sheep that local killers
have heen forced to take heavy lambs
IN keen abreast of their orders for