Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-10
SHEEP AND LAMB FALL OFF IN PRICE
DURING WEEK WHILE PORKERS CLIMB

ened affair in which packers would not
buy unless they could get their pur-
| chases down to lower basis of We'd
| nesday. This situation applied even to
some strictly good heavy cattle that
took $3.50, they appearing as classy as
some steers that made $S.95@9.00 early
Wednesday. A load of choice heavies
went at $9.15, top of the Thursday deal
and they looked steady. 1t was scant
crop of quality to beat $3.50 and bulk
Of the mediocre as we'll as pretty good
steers and also the warmed up light
stuff remained in the pens some hours
before cushing at the decline
All Demands are Narrow.
This situation, in fact Of a consider
able shrink in receipts this week, plain
ly indicates no Improvement in the beef
situation. despite turn to colder
weather. Surely, If there were any very
liberal demands for beef a good mar
ket would have been had throughout
the current week, since it has been a
quite light steer supply. both here and
in the west. *
Eastward 1t has been moderate crop
at markets, though eastern RS have
bought considerable crop Jrt fed
steers in Pennsylvania re, :, and
these purchases have shut off olders or
dinarily executed in the local market.
One buyer who shipped twenty loads
of medium cattle to Pennsylvania last
week, has sent out less than ten the
current week, and some other equally
as severe shrnkages in shipper demand
have been noted. Warm weather at
seaboard and lot of beef in coolers
there is the chief reason for short de-
mands from that quarter, while expect
ed arrival Of Il literal crop of chilled
and frozen carcasses from South Amer
lea within the next ten days is natural
ly not having any buoyant effect on
the demand situation locally.
. Prime Alone Holds Up. 4
Specially kinds hold their own, as
they did a week ago, alone for reason Of
scarcity. They are coming only in vol
ume needed, and this applies as we'll to
yearlings and the heavies. Prime big
steers at $3.50 this week we'll attest a
keen call for them. since they are hold
ing steady with the high spot in Janu-
airy, as are prime yearlings, which sold
Wednesday at $40, but 25@5Oc gen.
eral decline for rank and file of steers
from top point three weeks ago plainly
evidences a reversal Of form in the beef
situation which carries with it a lot Of
admonition to the country to hold
down beef supplies for trade in the i'm
mediate future.
This weeks run has carried too heavy
a quota Of warmed up and short fed
light apd medium weight steers, kinds
that should have done we'll enough in
a weight gain way to warrant their re-
tention in feed yards since corn has
worked lower. and in view of the mar
row beef trade demands, but it is evil
dent that a lot of owners are DESTROYS Of
cashing in this stuff, possibly by rea-
son of lost confidence in the ability Of
the market to again hit a strong stride
within the next few weeks, The one
re.ardent feature in this respect is of
course plentitude Of supplies, hitting
market when there is need for a short
beef crop.
Given prolonged spell of cold wealth
er, however, beef demand must neces-
sarily grow and cooler holdings now
called burdenSOme, would then likely
be found far inadequate to meet ex-
banding demands from meat shops. For
weeks past butchers over the country
have carried low stocks by reason of
warm weather and slack demand for
them, but this situation is unusual for
the period and must be reversed once
demand conditions assume normal.
Big One of the worst acting markets in
the butcher cattle trade Of the season
was had this week. Spectators bought
up a few early on about steady basis,
but packer demand was both limited
and particular Buyers had orders for
only a very few and picked around for
these in a fashion that indicated in
difference as to whether or not they
got them. All the bloom that appeared
in the midweek session faded, and
barring a few sales here and there of
something that just suited buyers
needs, the general market was back to
Tuesdays bad basis and from 10 to Csc
lower on most Of the supply than the
close last week. full 10 to 15c declines
from last weeks finish being most gen.
eral The decline is rather more pro-
nounced on the plain to good butcher
cows SELLING between $4.S5 and IS and
on the medium to good heifers of $3.50
M7.25 grade than on other classes. Cut
ter COWS selling around $435M4.70 got
relatively good action, but Gamer trade
was slow and this branch of the market
weak to 10c lower than Monday or a
week ago. Only the occasional bunch of
strictly choice grain finished beef cows
and top notch heifers sell well and
there was narrow demand even for
such grades here. 49,
A top Of sS.25 was again recorded this