The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-01-16
Lauriium Department.
MEAT PRICES ARE
ADVANCING AGAIN
WHOLESALE QUOTATIONS HIGH
ER AND 1T MAY BE NEcES-
sARY TO RAISE THE RE-
TAIL CHARGES.

az the Wholesale prices of beef pork
and mutton keep advancing, | am
afraid retailers will have to go back
o. the old scale or near it," said
dealer THE wholesale prices of beef
and pork are now almost as high as
they we're during the fall months. i
have been surprised at the way the
nrices have advanced, as l expected
oven lower prices by this time. At
the nresent wholesale rates none of
tbe retailers are making any money.
some of them are losing money, es-
necially on the better beef cuts Ii
will be difficult 10 advance prices
again, but it may have to be done.
Good native steers are now selling
at from nine to ten and one-half cents
ner pound wholesale. There are no
western steers in the market, and the
cheaper beef at this time is confined
principally to bulls, which bring from
seven and one-half cents To eight
cents per pound. Pork loins are SELL
ing at fourteen and one-half cents
wholesale and the prices of all kinds OF
pork give no promise OF falling soon,
as the farmers are holding their hogs.
The heavy production of last season
Is largely responsible for the shortage
in the hog market. The farmers can
keep their hogs at about so per cent.
of what il cost them last winter. Corn
is now retailing at about thirty cents
per bushel less than 1t brought last
winter.
The farmers who raised any con-
siderable number Of hogs last year
realized a larger margin of profit than
they made on any of the other farm
products. | know a farmer who last
season realized about $1,000 on an in
vestment of less than $50. He bought
dozen hogs and i'm eighteen months,
he had nearly fifty ready for market,
and he sold them at top price Most
Of them brought him better than a
shilling a pound dressed. II cost him
practically nothing to feed the hogs,
as he turned them loose all summer.
In the fall he fed them for about six
weeks before they were ready for
market. He fed them principally on
small potatoes and corn. He receiv-
ed only thirty cents per bushes for his
corn. so that the quantity he fed to
the hogs did not represent large
outlay.
There has not been a time i'm the
past year when the packers have been
able TO get as many hogs as their
trade demand. If the hog market
were easy for few weeks the prices
would decrease but most of the farm
ers are independent and cannot be in
duced to sell until the price suits
them. The same is true. to a certain,
extent Of the cattle raiser. There
were times during the past year when
the wholesalers had to reduce their
orders on hogs from their branch
house so per cent. If more people
would go into the hog raising, there
by forcing down the prices. il would
also result I'm cheaper prices for cat
tie, as the beef would not then be in
such good demand. According to the
statistics published by the market
journals, there has been an unusual
increase in the consumption of pork
within the past few years
The wholesale price of veal has in
creased i'm proportion to the price of
hogs and beef The better grade of
calves are now bringing twelve cents
per pound wholesale. Mutton and
lambs are considerably higher than
less than month ago. but the mar
gin Of profit on this grade OF stuff
Is much better than on beef, pork and
veal. All the beef and veal coming
rom the wholesale concerns is stall
led and as a rule Is first-class."