Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-17

| days strong market. the bull move
| ment in hogs receivd it's setback An
other slice was taken off yesterday
when 10000 failed to sell on Thursdays
| market and the declines for the week
bring prices below last weeks level
amounting to o0m35c. after boost the
first three days of the week aggre-
eating 20 cents. Shippers have been
the main support this week to keep
prices up but when they hadd all they
wanted, packers appeared on the scene
only to force prices down. Quality OF
hogs throughout the week has been
good and while pigs We're scarce they
We're not spared in the raiding tactlt 8
Of the yard buyers.
Top for the week was resistert 4
at 1886, compared with 1915 last week
and $50 last Saturday, while yester
days best WAS at SS.67Is.
The market has been going the butts
way for long time and the reaction
this week was wholly unexpected Hogs
are working higher because there Is Il
wonderfully good fresh meat demand
and the supply situation is stron5;
bullish influence, because of the In
mense loss Of hogs through the count
by the ravages of cholera the
year
February ordinarily registers gene :
Gus hog supplies at market but 1t A.
pears this month is going to be- an, ex-,
ceDtion to, the rule The. market thus
far in February has had greater SUP.
ply than a gear ago, but the dema;td
likewise has been greater.
For ten days past the hog mar
has heen in that condition known
ripe for reaction" The turn uf the
tide has. in fact. heen overdone. Such
continuous upward price movements
are unusual and attest two facts. enc
being that hogs are by no means supe' ,
abundant. the other that the public is
eating pork. Prediction Of Il 9uei
market appears logical and il will nor
be mere flash in the pan affair. but
u thing of duration. -........
Total receipts this week. with Sat
urdaNs run estimated. sare 10000,
against $4,000 estimated for the week,
against 110.179 last week, and 149,4o0 a
year ago.
A better demand for sheep and YEAR
lings made 1t possible for sellers to get
more for many arrivals this week. Ship
pers We're in this end Of the market
more extensively than usual and city
butchers have been fairly good buyers.
Trade conditions in the east this week
have been adverse to those in Chicago
and Buffalo and eastern markets had
a freer movement than western points.
The demand there was anything but
urgent and locally this was ignored as
a factor. Thursdays market was the
best Of the week trade being active on
d steady to 10c higher basis than Wed
nesday and from 100000 higher than
week ago, sheep showing the, most
gain. Packers were short on their
weeks purchases and helped to give the
market healthy close for the week.
The total arrivals for the week are
some 5000 in excess Of estimates IS
sued last Saturday, the aggregate num-
Der being 10S,129 against 93,201 last
year, and SS,146 last week.
AS a result Of the severe winter and
the consequent greater consumption of
feed. the exodus Of northern Colorado
fed stock to the markets is starting
little earlier this year than usual. says
a Fort Collins message. and indica-
tions are, that nearly all Of the cattle
and sheep on feed in northern Colorado
will find their way to the slaughter
house from a month to six weeks e5
lier than normally. Such feeders az
have plenty Of hay and other feed wiz
hold their stock for higher prices which
prevail later in the spring.
The advance in sheep values during
the past three months makes imports
Of fresh mutton more logical. So far
but little frozen Australian or New
Zealand stuff has been imported, but
a cent domestic market for live~sheep
would radically change conditions.
Frozen mutton Is not q palatable article,
however and even in Great Britain is
useful only for supplying cheap trade.