The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-28

I mentS and additions to equipment Pig Iron is moving and prices show an inclination to advance although the advance is slight as yet
 Coke prices are 9 little harder, while
 the coal trade. particularly bitumin-
 ous. is exceedingly quiet.
 Copper production for January showed a further decline, the output
 being the same as in August and Sep tenlber of 1913. The visible supply. both for the United States and the lFwhole world, declined during the month.
 The output of gold from the Rand I mines in January was less than any previous month since February, 191l- Commodity prices for January reach 1 ed the lowest point since October, 1911- During this month. however. comm odities show twelve prices ad- vancing to seven declining, indicating 1 an increase in commodity prices, which, in the natural course. should continue for some weeks.
 l The total number of shares handled | on the New York Stock Exchange
 during January was greater than for l any month last year. Bond sales were heavier than for any month for 1 two years, doubling the sales of De-
 cember and tripling the sales Of No- vember, 1913. The average price of 1 60 stocks selected as an index is 92. 5S compared with 97-33 a year ago and conpafed with S7.73 in December.
 This records liberal average ad- vance since December, although prices
 at present are only half way back t5 the quotations of year ago. The average price of a selected list of bonds shown an increase of 2 points over last month and nearly 4 points over December, present quotations be- ing more than a point below prices of 8 year ago.
 Dividend and interest disburse-
 bursements for February are 9s mill lion dollars, made up of 4 nillion dol lars in bond interest and A million
 dollars in dividend, 26 millions of this
 dividend item being paid by the rail-
 trial companies Disbursements for February Of last year were 12 mill lion dollars less, totaling only S6 niI- lion dollars, interest payments being
 49 millions compared with 54 millions this year and dividends 39 millions
 compared with A millions this year A preliminary estimate of disburse- | ments for March indicates dividend payments of approximately 64 million dollars and interest payments of 58 millions. These should be compared with disbursements for March, 1918, lsof 66 millions in dividends and AT millions in interest. The decrease 1 in dividend payments is almost eduaIr Iy apportioned between the railroads and the industrial corporations Tie increase in interest payments is large I Iy attributable to the incr ease In out standing securities of states and mu- nicipaEties.
 It is easy to say that the business
 for the later months of this year will l depend largely upon crop conditions i because we all know that this must be true. This year. however, even more depends upon the crops than is usually
 the case. Business is slowly, but
 surely, improving and easier money is T1> <--< -.~--S P-4T4 IYolume of business which will be I shown on the last day Of this year to have been transacted during the 12
 months will be largely affecteds by farm production. Present reports in
 dicate good soil and plant conditions over practically the entire winter
 wheat, rye and oats area. There are a. few million acres which were l planted to provide early spring pas turage, and it is not expected that we will harvest much more than 32 mil lion acres of wheat and two and one half million acres of rye. Allowing for the deterioration which we have | had on the average for the past ten years from this date until the date of harvest, we should have winter wheat crop of between 525 ana $50 million bushels. At this date there 1 is every reason to believe, barring un-
 usual happenings. that the 1914 win I ter wheat crop will set a new high rec ord The Government will report the condition of the crop on the 7th day of March
 The number of unemployed has l been steadily reducing for the past thirty days. Principal anthracite col 1ieries have resumed operation, so that practically all the anthracite coal min CTS will be employed during February. Business is most active and sales are best in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa I and Georgia and collections are most satisfactory in these States The poorest conditions are in the South I Central and South Western States, nor
 including Texas, where business is get ! ting into fine shape