East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-02-22
BUTTER CREEK
RULES MARKET
SCARCITY OF FEEDERS
THERE KEEPS UP PRICES
with Less Than 1000 Head of Cat
tie Being Fattcncd on Umatllla's
Well Known Feeding Grounds the
Demand for Fat Beef I'm Portland
Is Greater Than Ever Before.
BY Hyman II. Cohen.

Portland Union stockyards, Feb.
2O.-From the best sources available
/: is estimated that at present there
are scarcely more than 1000 head Of
cattle being fed along Butter creek
the most used feeding ground in the
state OF Oregon at this time.
The situation Is most remarkable,
for the trade scarcely remembers
when such a small amount of cattle
was available for market as at this
time. A year ago fully 1000 head Of
cattle were fed along Butter Creek
and that number was found too small
for the growing demands Of the Kill
lcrs.
This year with scarcely more than
one seventh OF the number or stock
being fed at the principal grounds
and not more than one third at all
centers. the situation comes home to
both buyers and sellers in Its truest
lights.
Demand for fat cattle was never
so good In the Portland market as
this time while supplies available for
this demand are the smallest known.
Not only is the offerings of good cat
tle scare but there is none too many
OF any quality to be found anywhere.
the bulk Of the poor quality fnding
a market here during the past few
weeks. Considering the fact that
fancy cattle is so hard to get 1t Is
not surprising that in some instances
as high price has recently been
paid for this quality at Inferior ship
ping points as has been ruling In tho
stockvards during the same period,
Must Secure Supplys at once.
To the killers the present and fu-
ture outlook for cattle supplies is very
threatening. High prices have not
brought out the supplies that killers
need 80 badly because there are none
to offer. In the hope of securing
what there was remaining some Kill
lers invaded the country with their
BUYERS but this proved of but little
avail for most Of them returned nome
empty handed with big expense ac-
counts-no real fancy stuff being
available for the present market.
To cause the present shortage IN
cattle supplies here several eXpIana-
tIons are available There was the
very bad winter which caused an un-
usual amount Of feeding; the dry
spell OF last summer which cut down
materially the output of hay in the
sections where 1t was most needed;
tbe enormous values In effect on
millfeeds. and the grinding up of 50
much alfalfa hay into meal.
Uay Not To he Cheap Again.
Tho DAYS of very cheap alfalfa hay
seem to be over in the inland en-
pire-the spread Of alfalfa milling
sounding the knell of low prices which
ruled annually for many seasons. ~
has been found that alfalfa meal Is
one of the very best of feeds and since
the first mill was started at Echo
right I'm the heart of the alfalfa Sec
tIon and in the midst OF the feeding
grounds Il has been demonstrated be-
yond a doubt that more alfalfa must
bc grown annually to supply the IN
creaslng demand for the meal alone
II was perhaps the alfalfa mill that
caused large decrease in cattle
feeding this year for this extra de-
mand forced alfalfa hay to value
II seldom reaches and forced 1t to
such a high point that profitable
feeding was impossible unless much