Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-27
LIVE STOCK REVIEW
OF THE PAST WEEK

The feature of the live stock market
this week at the Union Stock faros -
found in the continued strength ana
advance Of stockcrs and feeders or the
steer class. The advance for the week
amounts to 25G35c for the select srau"s
and a full quarter for those OF less
weight and quality. new top or $h''.''
was established this VICE.; for pest Sc
lected which is tho lIi~hc&t in sever,
months. The butcher ;r&NH N gem IA )
OF a better tone to a 1CC "b"Nc ~ O.,
ago although the space las Si"' x h"'
on the closing days. Nothing sensation =
al has occurred in the prime he"i a.
vision, the top for the week being AT
$3.50.
Hogs, while starting with consider
able activity on Monday seem to nave
lost all their bloom and the close is /"
shade under last week end from 10 10
zoe under the weeks best prices. Tire
receipts have exceeded the estimates
for week by some 1000 head the to,ui
unofficially being 1918 compared WITT
17O,454 last week and 1872 tor tn"
same period in 1913
Sheep and lambs have held steady TO
lower most all week, being Influenced
chiefly by eastern trade conditions. me
receipts are within the estimates for
$4,000 head, compared with 1888 last
week and 95,951 a year ago. Lamp
prices are hardest hit. measuring 80
10c and about 10c on sheep While tat
ewes and yearlings are steady to hl%A-
or than last week.
Buyers of beef claim to have been
pretty we'll filled up this week and were
doing considerable talking about the
moderate imports Of South American
frozen and chilled meat. cargo Of
Argentina beef arrived this week that
averaged 500 lbs. to the carcass
The writer of these columns has been
somewhat doubtful about the many re-
ports coming in as to the scarcity or
corn and the small volume of stock he
ing fed in the corn belt Of Illinois ana
south. A few days trip in that locality
Is sufficient to convince the doubtful
ones that conditions are fully os had as
reported. Mile after mile of farming
country was passed and not crib or
corn, that year ago had a surplus. In
one stretch Of 116 miles. nine head Of
steers were counted in the field, filling
up ontfodder
= Corn Scarcity no Joke.
Numerous farmers We're consulted on
the trip and all COMPLIANCE severely as
to the; shortage of the corn crop the
past season and their Inability to pur-
chase within a reasonable price for
feeding One elevator man III partir,l~
lar tn$Morgan county stated that lis
usual share of corn to be shipped out,
which was tdivided among three Gle
vator concerns, ran about 100 cars a
season and that not a bushel had he
bought in that territory this year. lie
was buying corn in Chicago and st.
Louis for feeders but not very much Of
that. He had also had carload Of Ar
gentina corn at only cent under the
price for domestic corn and the quality
was far from equal to the local pr0dtlct.
When asked to give bis opinion as to
the quality Of the South American Ger
cal he stated: II would just as soon
feed a lot of dry bones
The scarcity of corn and the limited
supply Of feeding cattle should war
rant higher prices but it is apparent
that packers are awaiting further de-
velopments in the southern countries.
Imports Of fresh beef from abroad at
the port Of New York during the past
week were light totaling but 1855
quarters of chilled beef, all OF which
came from Argentina via Liverpool!
This makes but 5000 quarters of beef
brought in in two weeks. against some
$4,000 quarters imported three weeks
ago.
AS the National Provisioner says:
Beef channels are so bare that such
small import supplies are absorbed
without any effect whatever on the
market.
Frozen beef from abroad is not &C
ceptable to the shop trade, and must
be turned entirely into contract chan
nels. Only chilled beef imports are
available for general retail purposes.
and the few thousand quarters per
week that come on our markets are not
enough to impart the slightest tone Of,
heaviness to the market Newspaper
agitation continues concerning heavy
importations' and their lack of effect on
prices, but such comment is in no case
based on a study Of the figures"
Top native beef cattle sold year ago
this week at s9.15 or 35c lower than high
point the week before. Prices a year
ago this week declined 2o@33c, making
q general decline Of 45G65c for the two
weeks ending January 25, 1918. Sales Of
native beef steers a year ago this week
ranged at $6@9.15. bulk s7.25pS.5O. |
During the week only half a dozen
loads sold above $3.50, the s9.05M9.15
lots averaging 1881 to 1922 lbs. Heavy |
beeves outsold the yearlings, as best
'baby' steers sold at $3.50. Two years !
ago this week with the largest run dur
ing the first eleven months of 1872
IS 97o-prices declined 15@35c, best I
selling at $3.50, with the bulk at $3.50 |
IT'S and the average at $6.75.
The veal calf trade this week has had !
a severe blow due to poorer quality and |
a more liberal movement. Heavy calves |
continue bad sellers. The decline for |
the week will reach fully soc.
That scarcity Of meat producing ami
mails in the United States has reached
a very acute stage, especially as con- !
Germs cattle and sheep, is shown by a
report giving the number Of animals in |