Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-09

have arrived at Chicago this week
than any other time this season.
To the satisfac tion and more or less
to the surprise of the selling side, buy
ers displayed q need for the offerings
and made but feeble attempts to buy
packers have made this week and last
about the "wretched condition Of east
ern dressed mutton markets" they APP
peared to have need for everything OF
really decent killing class available.
their actions reminding one OF the
story Of the Hebrew who. when asked
how he could afford to continue selling
1t would indeed be impossible. except
ing for the vast volume Of business he
was doing.
Eastern Cattle Market.
Light receipts and active packer
buying on the prospect of improved
dressed market conditions east next
week, together with some real urgency
to demand for the best lambs, have
been joint factors In carrying prices up
for strong advances this week. Every
thing on the list Is higher than week
ago. desirable grades Of dry-fed lambs
showing 35@50c advances, native ewes
being up as much, with the good heavy
kinds, such mean sellers late last week,
showing most gain, and spring lambs
being largely Csc higher. The few odd
loads of dry-fed sheep coming have
probably not shown more than 15c gain
,, over week ago, as they sold last week,
as we'll as this. out Of proportion to
everything else on the market.
The advance has carried lamb prices
to the second highest June basis In
| market history. June 1909, having de-
veloped $3.50 top on wooded Colorado
fed lambs and a 50 shorn lamb top. 1t
has given the trade an undeniably
top heavy appearance and near future
! trade conditions will hinge on supply
figures.
1t Is hardly reasonable to suppose
that spring lambs can long retain their
present price levels. Ohio river stuff Is
now moving freely out Of both Tonnes
see and Kentucky and Missouri springs
are beginning to run freely. A known
material shortage in the native and
to keep June receipts considerably be-
low normal volume and the fact that
Virginia lambs are both late and short
is keeping the Jersey City hopper open
for stuff Of western slaughter. Very
few range lambs Of the new crop have
yet been moved from any source and
packers are promised little relief from
that source this side OF July.
The fact that dry-fed western sheep
several weeks earlier than last year
makes the June supply prospect all the
! less satisfactory to killers. Colorado
will probably not have another load of
fed lambs on the Chicago market this
year and the big feeding stations
around Chicago are now bare Of bovine
life. There Is, OF course, little fed
stuff left in the corn belt, but not much.
Southwest Texas grass sheep are
pretty well run. very few fed westerns
are back" and its too early to expect
much Of anything from the northwest
range country which promises to re-
veal startling scarcity Of aged NUT
tons this summer and fall. It is up to
the corn belt and southeast to supply
most of the sheep needed during the
next few weeks. and although few will
be needed in hot weather on killing ac-
count, demand for stock ewes that is
likely to become intense little later
If grazing conditions continue favor
able, Is developing.
In view of such conditions 1t Is hard
to figure anything other than high
market all month, though present val
ues, particularly on spring lambs. look
insecure.
Total Of sheep for Chicago this week,
with today's receipts estimated, will
figure $1,000 against $4,000 expected to
arrive and compared with 96,713 for
the corresponding period a year ago.
The top for lambs at 1856 this week is
$1.15 over that of year ago; sheep at
$685. is an even dollar higher than a
year ago.