Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-30
lin THE LOCAL MARKETS
PROBABLE INCREASE IN THE
PRICE OF BUTTER.
Wholesalers Advance Figures to Re-
Plentiful-Fish Quotations.

| Dealers in dairy products expect to in
! crease the price of butter to the consumers,
the wholesale price having advanced one
| cent since last week. 1t is predicted by
many of the dealers that the prices during
the coming winter will be higher than they
| were last year, the first increase having
| come early in the season. Different
reasons are advanced by dealers for the
| advance In prices
THE trouble with the butter market"
| said a local dealer to a Star reporter this
morning. lis that there many more con-
sumers of the product than there were a few
years ago. Until recent years there were
many persons who hardly knew the taste
of butter. They used grease molasses
and were satisfied. but now they must have
butter or they think they are not having
! the proper diet.
This change" he added, has made a
wonderful difference in the demand for
| butter, and there has been no increase in
| the supply of the product to meet it. Even
| country butter is nothing like plentiful
| as it was, and there are prospects of
further decrease In the supply of the COun-
| try product. many farmers getting rid OF
| their stock because of the enforcement of
| the tuberCulin-tGSt law. / heard of one
farmer across the RIVER getting rid of his
, herd of more than three dozen cows rather
than submit them to the test. Others are
doing the same thing and there must come
short supply of the product
Needs But One More Boost.
There has been no change in the retail
price of butter because of the change in
the wholesale price, but it will require only
another similar increase to cause the re-
tailers TO announce an advance. Eggs are
selling at the prices that have been
charged for them during the past month
Plenty OF fresh aESs are to be had for %
cents dozen, % and 80 cents being
charged by some dealers for specials Eggs
are usually little cheaper at this season
of the year, and surprise is expressed by
some of the dealers that they should be so
high now. One dealer ascribes the advance
to the high prices charged for meats, caus-
ing an increased demand for eggs. There
seems to be poor prospect for cheaper eggs
this season.
Fruits and Vegetables
Most fruits and vegetables are becoming
plentiful and cheaper, dealers say but they
are complaining that there is not the de-
mand for them that there should be. Com
mission men and the smaller dealers say
their trade is not what it ought to be with
so many strangers in the city The farmers
from Maryland and Virginia, however are
getting the benefit of the increased number
OF transientS in the city. the hotels and
the boarding houses getting most Of their
supplies from the hucksters. Much of the
country produce that is coming here from
the surrounding country is being shipped to
points In Pennsylvania. more particularly
to Pittsburg and vicinity.
Tomatoes have been exceptionally good
IN this section this summer and dealers in
other cities have been glad to get them. 1t
was due to the large shipments of the vege-
Il bleS from here that growers were enabled
to get good prices for their product There
has been an Increase in the price of the
vegetable during the past few days. 60 and
20 cents a box being charged for them. Po-
tatoes are quoted at from 81 80 to 81 bar
rel the supply being much greater than
the demand.
The Potato Crop.
1t Will be but short while before con-
sumers will be putting in their supplies of
potatoes for the winter and higher prices
may be charged. Shippers are getting 81 30
a barrel for peppers, $3.50 a barrel for
cucumbers and So a bushel for onions
Cabbage is selling at the rate of only 81
hundred retailers getting ) cents each
for the larger heads. Corn remains higher
than usual, although it is fairly plentiful
selling at from 10 to 80 cents dozen
The~e Is quite a variety of fruits in the
local market Just now, apples. peaches,
pears. grapes plums, melons, cantaloupes
oranges and bananas being found dfsplayed
on the benches. Peaches are more plenti-
ful than they a few days ago al
though they are by no means cheap and
there is no likelihood that they Will be
any cheaper this season than they are now
The prices charged for the peaches range
from So to 81 a box, quart baskets selling
at II and 20 cents
Growers Note Increased Yield.
1t is said that growers in this section
are bringing many more peaches to market
than had been anticipated, but so many
of them are being shipped to other mar
kets that the prices are kept beyond the
reach of the average buyer. Melons from
down the river have come to the local
market during the past week, the great
number Of them having caused a decrease
in prices. Today melons are selling from
) to 40 cents, the average price being
about 80 cents. Cantaloupes are more plen-
tiful and cheaper, the supply from the
farms near here having greatly Increased
the stock that is to be found in the mar
kets.
The prices charged for the cantaloupes
range from to 20 cents. Pears are scarce
and prices are higher than usual They
were selling at $3.50 box this morning
the average price having been less than
10 cents In recent years. Concord, Niagara
and Delaware grapes are selling at from
10 to 40 cents a basket, plums a e 10 cents
a quart and cages" are two quarts for
% cents.
Fish Plentiful.
Fish are plentiful the supply being
greater than the demand. Norfolk spots
as large as ever came to the local market
are attracting the attention of buyers
Trout. hluefish, mackerel, rock, perch and
numerous fish from the salt water are be-
ing depended upon by consumers for their
supplies. Soft crabs are still plentiful and
in splendid condition. There are n1any
deltcactes to be mad in the fish market
Dealers are getting ready for the opening
Nov
anticipating any great number of birds
being killed on the local marshes during
the early part of the season, reed birds
being reported as particularly scarce
jamestown Exposition Special.