Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-26
GAH[E ABOUT STEADY
SOME BETTER SORTS OF STEERS
AND BUTCHER STUFF SHOWED
SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT.
DEMAND FOR HOGS STRONG
DURING ENTIRE SESSION
There Was Slight Weakness at the
Opening, But Prices Strengthened,
AItho Without Any Material Adj
vance in Prices-sheep Trade Slow
and Weak, With Light Receipts.

SHlCdgO, May observation-disclosures was
only moderate demand, at about
steady prices. Some better sorts of
steers and butcher stuff showed a
slight improvement, and We're held at
| firmer values. The better class of COW
stuff was strong
In the beef trade the situation, while
not so keen as a short time ago. is still
pretty good. and evidence that killers
are finding fair sale for their holdings
is a recent little advance in prices for
the medium cuts. When beef demand is
bad there is little prospect of a firmer
price level in the wholesale markets.
and Strengthened price basis ind;-
Gates condition just the opposite
Eastern buyers are not taking so
many cattle as last week, however
and with the export demand only of
such volume as can easily be filed from
light receipts, without creating much
real competition from this quarter, the
sellers are not sanguine of materially
stronger prices as probable of being
in force shortly.
| Heavy steers are getting the brunt of
the bearish opposition. Big weights
have been marketed freely in the past
two weeks, many holders evidently
wishing to get them off their hands be-
fore hot weather sets in, and the kill
ers have taken advantage of the in
creased arrivals of strong-weights to
force declines. Prices for heavy steers
barring strictly prime grades have
been lowered largely 25 cents since
Monday of last week, and in event of
any liberal marketing of these later
this week another decline will not
prove a surprise. Beef demand favors
the lighter cuts and killers efforts to
get the prices lower are only natural
Feeders are not taking a gloomy view
of the outlook for later weeks this
season. however, and a much further
price drop can only result in a check
on liberal marketings of well-fattenel
beeves
Hogs.
There was strong demand all day.
following slight weakness at the start.
Prices strengthened, but without ma
terial advance, few hogs being car
ried over.
Altho corn planting has made good
progress, the increased movement
packers expected at this juncture per-
sistently refused to materialize The
manner in which both packers and
shippers grabbed off Mondays sup
ply was genuine trade surprise
Practically everything was cleaned up
and the next morning all hands were as
ravenous as ever. With practically no
increase in supply this week shippers
have increased their purchases 80 per
cent when the talent had been looking
for curtailment of demand from That
source
| Packers have been promising cheaper
hogs all winter, while prices have
steadily gained on them. Naturally
when their stock OF provisions have
been worked off they will want to starr
over again and the struggle between
the contending factions in the market
at that juncture will be more strer-
uous than at present when it is an open
secret that packers are under the pro-
vision market.
Sheep.
Altho receipts were light, trade was
slow and prices were weak. Lambs
We're 1926 lower.
The sheep market is undergoing a
gradual rise. Just at what lofty altitude
the boom will be stopped remains to be
seen. Further appreciation will doubt
less be limited to high dressing and
country buyers will do well to be on
their guard in taking on habitat ana
grassy native lambs, which always
have to sell at a sharp discount.
A year ago supply was heavy and
the market badly demoralized. The
best wool lambs sold at $3.50, and the
best shorn stuff at $500 or $3.50 less
than today. Exporters got heavy shorn
lambs at $3.50 and the best wethers
sold at $4.75.