Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-06
No CATTLE MARKET
Steers Finish Week Lower Than
Last-.-Butcher Cattle About
Unchanged
HOG PRICES BREAK BADLY
Big Packers Did Not Stimulate Sat
urday Market to Any Activity, Con-
trary to Usual Observation-Disclosures
of Packers Strong InfIuence-Lambs
Finish Higher Than Last Weeks
Close.

Chicago, Feb Cattle-There was
practically no market. Receipts Were
meager and prices closed nominally
| steady. Steers finish the week 154r2o
cents lowec.han last weeks close,
lwhile butcher cattle show comparative
| ly little change.
The liberal supplies since last Tues
day have thrown the market into a
badly depressed state and present lev
els show largely 2od50c decline from
high point at the start Monday. when
the scant supply forced an uneveny
higher price basis. Practically all Of
the early advance was bost before the
close that day. however. and followed
again Wednesday and Thursday BY
still another decline, the market now
being nominally on a basis lowest of
the year thus far and especially for
the good to choice strongly weight
steers.
The demand for heavy steers has
been particularly poor this week ana
sellers have cited recent sales at $3.50
a 600 as being fully soc lower than on
Monday. While noting instances of
even greater loss.
Lower priced grades. fair to medi-
UNI grade killers have not shown s'lcl
wide break in values from Monday.
tho the bulk of recent sales under
500 have been at 25c decline. ana
most of these have shown 15G9 zoe de-
cline from a week ago, with the big
strong weight good to choice steers at
o0@30c decline
loqs.
Hogs broke bayuy ON the late. M.
ket, thru the indifference of p;.,,::eN's
and their Discrimination to pay prices
that sellers were asking at the OPEN
ing. At the close. it was 5U10 cents
lower than the best time of the previus
lower than the best time of the previ
Gus session. tho some early sales were
made at steady prices. Contrary to the
usual program. big packers did not
stimulate the Saturday market to any
hogs sold at the full decline, the bulk
being about 5 cents lower.
Owing to the decline since Monday
it has been bad market for country
buyers and this ought to insure a
lighter movement next week. Hogs
have been losing $o0M 100 per car for
country shippers, a market condition
that generally prompts them to chill
up. There is suspicion that packers
are not partial to these big runs as
they have a lot of product they would
like to market. Official stocks of pro-
visions at Chicago. Kansas City,
Omaha, st. Joseph Mo. and Milwau-
kee at the close of business Jan. so
make heavy aggregate. Total cut
meats foot up 314. $4,000 lbs. as COM
pared with 62,456O00 lbs a month
earlier and with 2S1.259,000 lbs a year
ago and 199651,OO0 lbs two years ago.
Stocks of lard ribs and hams make
an equally heavy showing. Stocks If
cut meats in the above centers in
creased 52,25S,0OG lbs last month, as
with 100 coo lbs in
crease year ago and 34,626,000 lbs,
increase in January two years ago.
Sheep.
Sheep and lambs were steady, on the
little stuff that was offered. Lambs in-
ished 10@l5 cents higher than the
prices at the close last week, while
sheep show little variation.
The best phase of the market is the
feeder end of the trade Feeding lambs
are in request at $6.75@7.15, but few
are going to the country. because pack
ers are competing for half-fat lambs,
feeders on the $3.50 al kind.
The result is that half-fat grades are
selling relatively higher than finished
stock.