Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-14
PRICES IN THE LOCAL MARKETS
RAIN OVERCoMES EFFECT OF
THE RECENT DROUGHT.
Fruits and Vegetables Plentiful.
Scarcity of Fish-Advance in
Butter-other Supplies.

In the local markets there is little evil
dence of the recent long dry spell. the
rains having apparently made full repara
ton for the drought 1t is true that
much of the early crop suffered serious
damage or was ruined but there is now
plentiful supply of almost everything in
the line of fruits and vegetables. Apples,
peaches. cantaloupes. melons. grapes,
pears plums and other varieties of fruits
are plentiful, and dealers say the prices
for most of them are more reasonable
than for several years past. Growers say
the tomato crop has not fully recovered
from the effects of the dry weather. and
lima beans are also scarce and high. sell
ing for as much as 81 cents box whole
sale They have retailed for as much as
40 cents a box. Tomatoes have been
higher this season than usual Ihey were
plentiful for several days and sold as low
as 81 cents box. but good stock brought
81 and $125 today.
Along the b street line at the Center
market this morning the farmers and
truckers had supplies of fruits and vege-
tables enough for the demand and many
of them found it necessary to carry over
portions of their stock until tomorrow.
Apples sold all the way from 30 cents to
81 a barrel. while peaches brought from
81 to s. a crate. the higher price having
been charged for extra fancy stock can
teloupes brought from 20 cents to $l.2"
crate the supply being more than equal
to the demand. Watermelons brought
from $15 to $40 hundred, while the mel
Ons from down the river sold as low as
s.. Kale sold for 10 cents Darrei, strins
beans. S1.25: eggplant, 81; peppers, *l.Jo'
cucumbers $50. and potatoes. 500.
Business Rather Dull.
dealers doing business inside the mar
ket say business is unusually dull. Com
mentng on the small number OF buyers
In the market this morning, one dealer
said it was possible to roll a tenpin ball
down one of the isles without striking a
buyer while the aisle really should have
been crowded.
There is no trouble about getting sup
plies he said. but there is trouble about
moving them.
Dealers are still speaking of the high
prices charged for meats. ard are meeting
them with the statement that they can
furnish several grades of meat and charge
accordingly.
"Highest grades of meat are always
high. a butcher remarked, land low
grades are as cheap now as ever.
THE strike of the butchers. he added.
will not affect prices here. 1t may pos
sibly cause an increase of a cent in the
price of loins of pork. but that is about
ALL Business is quiet at this time
that it would take a long time for the
market to feel the effects of strike
Scarcity of Fish.
Dealers in marine products say there is
a scarcity of fish, One dealer said today
that in all his years in business he had
never experienced such a scarcity of fish
during the month of August as is true this
month. He also said business is slower
this year than usual, the demand not be-
ing great enough to use the small sup
plies. 1t is believed by the dealers that
there are more people out of the city this
year than usual. which. they think. ac
counts for the dull trade.
Soft crabs are not 50 plentiful. the
demand for them at summer resorts
affecting the receipts here, and prices
today ranged from 70 cents to 81 a dozen.
Crab meat Is plentiful at the usual price,
and clans are also plentiful. selling for
30 cents quart or 81 a hundred. The
prices of most fresh fish are higher thar.
usual. Weakfish, trout, butterfish and
bluefish are quoted at ID cents pound
Pan rock and white perch scarce
the former selling at 20 and % cents and
the latter at IL cents pound. The white
perch are small.
Advance in Butter.
Butter and eggs are not as cheap as
they usually are at this season. But
ter advanced a cent a pound the past
week, but the advance has not affected
being the prices charged by dealers
Country butter sells as low as Is cents.
Eggs are selling at from 90 to % cents
a dozen. the prices being too high for
dealers to put them in storage. There
are many eggs in storage, most of them
having been put away in April. 1t is
expected that the storage eggs may cause
packers some losses during the coming
winter on account of the crusade that is
being waged by the health department
under the provisions of the pure food
law. Heretofore. it is stated, such eggs
were not labeled. but hereafter. 1t is be-
lieved, the health department will in
sist on buyers being advised of the char
acter of their purchases.
There is not much demand for tur-
keys at this season and the prices charged
put them beyond the possibility of per-
sons OF ordinary means purchasing them.
Cold-storage stock is bringing % cents
q pound. there being no fresh-killed tur-
keys in market at this season. Spring
chickens are selling at from 20 to 23 cents
a pound. fowls Ii cents and ducks 1S
cents. Long Island ducklings are % cents
a pound.