Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-05-20
PACKERS KEEP OUI
0F HOG MARKET
REFRAIN FROM BIDDING AND
PRICES SUFFER IN CON.
SEQUENCE.
CATTLE BUYERS HOLD
OFF TO GAIN CONCESSIONS
Demand Lower Prices to Offset In
creased Weight Due to Heavy Drink
ina Because Of Warm Weather-Im
possible to Move Lambs Except at
Lower Priess-shesp Sell Readily.

| Chicago May 20.-Inactivity OF pack
| ers let hog prices today suffer fall.
Combined receipts at eleven markets
| first TWO days of this week were 24,0Oo
smaller that a week ago and 5000
smaller than a year ago. Chicago alone
1 getting 10000 less than week ago and
$4,000 less than year ago.
| The proportion of pigs here Tuesday
was smaller than usual for Tuesday
! and they sold sal cents higher for
! suitable offerings. Stays also advanced
little more selling al $3.50 than any
i other price.
There is considerable speculation as
to future receipts of hogs az Chicago
and all outside markets. with traders
generally looking for comparatively
small receipts for some time to come
Combined receipts of all markets for
1914 to date are smallest since 1910,
and in the twelve months OF that year
Chicago received only 5,5s6.S5S. the
smallest total here in twenty-five years
and 3.230.25s below the record year of
1898, when s,s17,114 arrived.
Cattle.
Cattle buyers held off in an attempt
to obtain concessions that would eff
feet increased cattle weight due to
heavy drinking. the result OF warm
weather
The demand is still showing lot Of
favor for handy and light finished
steers. but unfinished yearIings and
! middle weights are about as mean sell
lers a. the plain heavies. Only right
prime big steers are acting Well ana
these have gone down In prices 10
levels of late which should make them
figure relatively cheap in the beef COM
pared with the medium to good steers,
tops Monday for prime beeves dropping
to $3.50. and they were kind fully as
choice as s94569.5O steers OF week
previous.
A general basis 25 cents lower than
Monday Of last week is now shown
for big end of the $500 900 and
higher steers. but the feeder competi
ton is still holding UP the short end
OF the market in fair shape, and kill
| lers assert that 10, OF Monday pur-
c.ases at ss0oaS. were very little
differen. figures in the beef than those
| Of week before since they carried
some strong water fills the latter ses-
sion.
This is the period when cattle that
have been fed thru the winter must
/
and present prospects do not warrant
grazing cattle that have attained
weight BY the first OF June the change
will have been made and liquidation
promises to be on a free scale, mean
while such cattle as can be probably
srazed and finished on corn are being
put on grass but the big stuff is going
! TO market This accounts for the large
! proportion Of 1900 to 1850 pound
steers as feeders do not desire TO go
along with them any further. The
i market has been a bad actor on heavy
cattle and does NOT give an encour-
aging promise.
| Many bearish factors are present
Eastern cattle are moving freely and
! as packers have contracted large num-
| bers Of them they do not show up in
] market statistics altho they make beef.
| The run here is largely a steer aggre-
/ CATION. the proportion Of feeders and
! butcher cattle being very light. and
/ while in a numerical sense 1t is not
! burdensome. lot OF beef is being hung
I, on the hooks. The industrial situation
! is still bad and favorable influences are
I wholly lacking.
| It ieemed Impossible to move lambs
except at lower prices. Sheep found
a more ready outlet.
Discrimination against lambs OF
doubtful or known low dressing class
came as no surprise to the selling side.
While a considerable spread has exist
ed of late between shorn lambs Of top
notch grade and the aaIf-fat and med
iunl kinds, when the fact Is considered
that many of the latter are dressing
out only ~ per cent and proving dear
er on the hookks al a cost Of sI.501s 90
than are the high dressers that COM
mand top quotations. the reason for
buyers preference of top classes be-
comes more evident. especially as the
proportion Of the poorer killing sorts
is becoming larger as the flag end OF
the dry feeding season draws near
Some lambs that have been selling
here of late up ak high as *7so6s.o0
shared in the discrimination and many
of them had to sell weak to Is cents
lower after getting unevenly but
sharply lower bids from some quar-
ters at the start. The trade, however
was uneven, some such looking steady