The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-09-19
This Is Prediction Made by
Well Known Market
Writer.
HAS STUDIED SITUATION
EASTERN EXPERT MAKES THE
ASSERTION THAT THE AMERi-
CAN FARMER 10 TOO PROPER
Gus NOW TO MILK.

Here 10 how the New YORK Evening
Post sizes up the butter market and
makes prediction that it will reach
80 centSa pound:
Butter. hitherto regarded as neces-
sary ct most breakfast tables is in
danger of being classed among the
luxur1es by the time winter has arriv-
ed, In the opinion of market men who
have watched the price of butter
climb higher and higher the last few
weeks. Large dealers said today that
they would not be at all surprised II
New Workers. were paying from AZ to
46 cents per pound for butter by
Christmas time, while some were rash
enough DO predict that the price would
20 all the way to SO cents.
The more conservative dealers how
ever, do not believe that the 50-cent
mark will ever be reached. although
they agree that the probable price will
not fall far short of that. At present
they are paying 80 cents for cream
cry butter, wholesale, and by the time
this butter reaches the table the con-
sumner has paid IS cents for 1t. Just
. year ago, wholesalers were paying
only 24h cents. nj other words but
ter was IN cents cheaper than 1t is
now.
But the worst IL yet to come. &C.
cording to those who distribute dairy
products throughout the city. The
present rate, they declare. is the high
est for this season in thirty years.
One of the chief reasons for their APP
prehension is that there has been a
falling off In the country's output Of
butter for the year.
Millions Put In Storage.
It may not be generally known that
there Is q butter crop Just as there is
. wheat crop or a corn crop each year
June and July are the great butter
producing months. Much of the out
put Of these months and the rest of
the summer season is kept in cold
storage for winter consumption. Mil
lions Of pounds of 1t are preserved in
this way at temperature of zero. In
this condition butter will keep for
six months or more. June butter is
eaten on many breakfast tables in
January and February of the follow
ing year. But the supply In the store
houses is tar below what 1t was a year
ago. Last Tuesday night the Amer
lean association of warehouses, repre-
senting thirty-two OF the largest stor-
age warehouses in the country, issued
some figures that gave an added i'm
petus to the upward trend Of the price
Of butter. The report of the associa-
ton showed that on September 1
there were stored in the Ice vaults of
the thirty-two warehouses 5O,377,848
pounds Of butter ready for winter use.
This meant that there had been fall
ing of Of 100000 pounds from the
corresponding crop of last year.
year. Prices Immediately jumped when
the news became known among the
wholesalers.
The reason Il given for the shortage
ID simply that farmers are not keep
ing up with the growing demand for
their produce. A man who is regarded
- IN authority on matters relating to
farm produce said today that the
number Of COWS maintained for dairy
purposes had not materially Increased
in the last I'VE years, while the de-
mand for dairy products had grown
by'laps and bounds In all parts Of the
country.
Farmers Too Prosperous to Milk.
The American farmer" said he,
''is too prosperous to take the trouble
TO milk his cows, anyway. He doesn't
develop the resources of his own farm.
It's all very we'll to talk about the
trusts sending up the price OF COM
modities but here Is case where the
sole reason for the high price Of but
ter lies In the fact that the American
farmer isn't producing enough of 1t.
There Is no trust manipulation be-
hind this. It Is simply q case Of the
demand being far greater than the
supply"
In New York 80 per cent Of the but
ter consumed is creamery" butter
the high grade variety. It is this but
ter that is now selling at 80 cents
Wholesale. and for which fancy figures
are predicted for the future. Some of
the large retailers-grocers who have
stores in many parts Of the city-can
afford to sell at slight advance Of
one or two cents. but In doing so they
make little or no profit. The great
mass Of retailers have advanced their