Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-03-03
Weeks ESTIMATES
ARE NOT BORNE OUT
TOTAL RUN OF HOGS FALLS FAR
SHORT OF THE FIGURE PRE-
picTEp ~ EXPERTS.
SHEEP ARE PLENTIFUL
Arrivals Greatly Exceed ExpeetatIIns;
Price Changes Are Not In
the Least Sensa-
ttonal.


the Least Sensa-
;, tional.
Nothing sensational in the way o
price changes has occurred in eithe
branch of the Union Stock Yards THU
week. From q viewpoint of what wa
expected" the movement Of hogs seem:
to have fooled them all as the total run
falls short $4,000 of the estimate Iol
the week while in sheep some 27,oO'
more were received than looked for.
In the fancy prime beef class another
boost of ten cents was added on I'M:
week making the extreme top at $91t
the best for February and since last
November, international show prices
excepted. Strictly good grades show
a material appreciation in value anc
are figured 15@25c better than last
week, with Wednesdays market the
best. The lower priced grades are oo"r
to q basis no better than last week.
In spite Of decided curtailment In
the arrivals OF porkers there has been
no exciting change in prices, the adj
vance for the week being about dime
on those grades mostly in demand while
others are unchanged with the close
last Saturday.
Sheep and lambs started the week In
a lively fashion with some further ad-
vances being scored over last week.
The closing days show a weak and neg
lected market Price differences are in
favor Of the seller to the extent OF
about 10000 with best grade up the
most.
Weight Making Profitable.
The trend Of the cattle market dem
onstrates that sacrificing habitat cattle
During l.
airy and February large proportion of
the supply has been of little better than
decent feeder quality and had half OF
these cattle been kept out the whole
market would have been in much better
condition, while every pound Of weight
put on the delayed delegation could
have been sold to advantage. The drop
profitable this winter, although feed
ers are abnormally skeptical on that
subject ..
Failure of the common to decent
warmed up steers to make material
price gains at any period this week In
face Of the upturn for finished grades
we'll evidences the attitude Of killers
ard clippers toward the respective
quality kinds at this time. It is easy to
cash the best beef carcasses. slaushters
claim, while everything else Is moving
in mean shape and as long as this stu
etion continues the trade will look for
small price betterment for cattle off
warming up Of corn.
That these classes continue to come
freely In face Of strengthening values
for the well-finishcd grades evidences
small desire on part Of many owners to
feed out their cattle, even though corn
is on a. moderate cost basis. This policy
OF cashing the palmer stuff only makes
1t easier for killers to hold the lid down
on the market, and later in the season,
when present-day sellers Of unfinished
stun will want to replace them in feed
yards, they will doubtless face buying
cost for thin steers practically as high
ELS current rates for the warmed up cat
tie.
Eastern reports were to the effect
that recent upshoot in steer costs had
put a damper en- beef call, <though the
trade Is placing little credence in bear
lei, beef market claims at this time.
cince up to Wednesday it was a keen
killer and shipper demand for every
thing fat during the past ten days, de-
spite the generous New York receipts
Of chilled and frozen beef from South
America. That the reaction in trade
VIII be continued If the run proves
moderate next week is/not believed,
since there is reasonably broad demand
TO-. beef both locally and in the east, in
view or the abstinence from meat Qled
on part Of observers of lent.
The February series Of storms, which
furnished about the first real admoni-
ton Of the present of winter undOubt-
eddy drove a lot of half-fat stuff to
market, although crippled railroad serv-
ice this week has had the effect OF cur
failing the movement. AS the grass per-
Tod draws near there will probably be
less disposition to unload habitat
steers.
In Iowa conditions have been better
and practically oil the live stock intend
ed for this weeks market has arrived,
subject, however. to delays natural I'M
der such conditions.
Heavy cattle from q Nebraska feed
lot sold at 1915 per cwt on the Chicago
market this week. emphasizing the fact
that such bullocks are scarce. Less than
three months ago they We're q drug on
the market, but disappearance OF the
big crop Of heavy bulloclis made on
1912 corn has caused a steady advance
since the low spot early in December
until 14O0 and 1700-lb cattle are now
worth 81 per cwt more than at that
time, and the period is not fair distant
when SO per cwt may be paid for bull
locks of kosher weight and quality A
year ago the country had confidence In
the future of the cattle market and was
in a mood to convert corn into beef, but
skepticism is now the rule, and rs per
cent of the steers reaching the Stock
Yards are in need Of a corncrib cross.
While here may be enough cheap and
half fat steers to go around during the !
spring and summer months beef con-
sumption being slack. owing to high !
retail prices and a depressed industrial i
such specialties as now sell !
above 5000 per cwt will grow scarce
and earn more money as the season
advances. While it is improbable that a
advance will be maintained, .
even on good cattle trade expectancy ,
u for q wider gap and still higher !