Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-16
BOVINE MARKETS
ARE IRREGULAR
CATTLE SALES CLOSE THE WEEK
WITH PRIME GRADES IN
DEMAND; OTHERS LOWER
SHEEP PRICES STEADY
Ovine Division Of Yards Has Lost the
Strength Prevailing First Three
Days; Many Shipments
Come Direct.

Action Of the live stock market at
Chicago this week has not been SO
favorable to producers as week ago.
All three divisions started lower on
Monday. In cattle & rejuvenated de-
n1and for beef steers on THURSDAY
helped that particular class In recov-
ering some of it's weakness whiie
shows a loss. =.
Spectators have again proved q
strong factor in checking decline IN
hogs the FIRST three days Of the week.
Since Wednesday markets sentiment
appears to have changed for the bet
ter temporarily at least, the market
having recovered about $50 zoe from
Wednesdays low point
A marked feature in the sheep and
lambs market this week is the large
number shipped direct to packers. this
to an extent leaving little to fight over
and force declines. Closing prices,
while off from the high point of the
week, are about on level with week
ago.
Quality Of Run Poor.
The cattle run this week has car
ried lot Of habitat and grassy stuff
while the proportion of choice cattle
Prime beeves topped this week at
$3.50 a nickel last week and the de-
mand for this grade on the close for
the week Is strong. Between this and
$S.75 stock, some buyers were claim
ing an advance Of q full quarter. Even
lower quality steers down to $8.25 were
in better demand and moving more
freely than usual this week.
Wednesday, when sellers found a
big run Of dry weather" immature
steers at hand, as well as a lot Of
stocker and feeder stuff, and COM
paratively short crop Of good beeves,
they simply frightened up on their grip
and demanded better general prices.
Buyers fought the advance for hours,
while waiting for the big fill to shrink
out and later were forced to settle at
sellers terms.
Supplies Suit Buyers.
In butcher stock packers have found
the light supplies fully up to their re-
quirements. Good cows and heifers
are holding steady while the grassy
stuff is a weak-toned trade. gen
eral break in the latter compared with
a week ago Is fully 15@25c. On the
other hand there have been very few
strictly prime heavy beef cows on the
market above S725 or Of ripe yearlings
and the market for such has been
fairly we'll supported, the spread in
prices having widened out materially.
The few cows selling, however, at
$7.25 and above and the little dry fed
heifeY stuff that has class enough to
sell above $8.25 Is not a criterion Of
the general market, choice heavy
grade of fed cows selling now around
than a week ago, while the good
butcher grades selling between $6.15@
$50 have been hit for as much or more
declines, and good grassy kind avail
able now around $8-a wide break in
prices. Killers are getting lot Of
decent killing grassy cows down to
$3.50 and securing many of the low
bred kinds, mostly Of dairy breeding,
down to $5.@5.35.
Conditions in the stock and feed
ing cattle trade are adverse to a good
market. A swelling supply Of dry
weather cattle in light flesh coming
out Of sections Of Missouri, southern
Illinois and southern Iowa. well indi-
cate the need Of moisture in those sec
tons and has instilled some fear Of
further increase in supplies unless
rains come In the near future. Such
classes are going bad and having in
different call at prices 16025c decline.
Good to choice breezy kinds are find
ing more ready outlet than lees de-
sirable grades but they are weak to
lower.
Without general rains within the
near future over the drought affected
area, the trade Is facing o more free
marketing of thin young cattle and the
immediate future prospects are not
suggestive of improvement, though
sharp declines from high prices re-
Gently prevailing would naturally be
effective in bringing out better
country demand from sections where
ma stures are good and rains would
quickly curtail marketings from pres
ent dry districts
Stock cows and heifers are meeting