Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-07-11
$@AsA -%-.t - - 1890
DAILY MARKETS

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Furnished ~ The r. W.4slVasner ;een
NY, Fort Dodge, H. M SHARPE
nsnager, Phone 500. Webster Cit
exchange. sa.sf. III pfi7.,s -5::,l-s,s q. !.
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Cattle: The cattle market is work
ing to a two-sided basis as is invar
\ iably the case when grass becomes
factor. Indications are that dir,
cattle win be scarce u few weeks henc
although there will be u steadily in
crcasihg proportion Of steers that hav
been corned on grass. The beef mar
ket is seriously depressed in conse
quence OF industrial inactivity, no
weather and other adverse influences
A peculiar situation is instability O
fOre-quarter beef, which can only b,
attributed to lack of employment a.
it Isl the cheap cuts that go to wage
earners and their families. Exporters
are still taking a few cornfed cattle
but the London and Liverpool mar
kets have had a sharp slump and that
business IS less promising than recent
~. BY the middle Of the month Penn.
sylvania cattle will be out forcing
Eastern, killers to come to Chicago for
their good beef. VT f
1t Is probable that July and August
will develop free movement of South
western grass cattle. The Kansas and
Oklahoma farm crop will move early
followed closely by. grassers from Flint
Hills pastures. Money is tight every
where and deposits are diminishing,
consequently there will be incentive to
gather beef early, creating POSSIBLE
ity that the Southwest will be in ut a
time when the movement from that
quarter is usually at flood tide, elm
mating In measure the usual glut
later on when the Northwest becomes
a supply factor.
The yardstick Of cattle values is the
ability Of the wage earners Of. this
country to buy, beef and existing con.
ditiOns reflect serious contraction of
that purchasing power. Capital is re-
luctant to put money into new enter
prises, liquidation in mercantile and
financial circles is still running its
course and although the labor situa-
ton is more favorable than recently
readjustment is still far from CON-
plete. A railroad strike is now ex-
tremely improbable, but In all spheres
of industry production is ut low ebb,
and no more accurate barometer of
this is needed than demand for fore
quarter beef.
Hogs: The hog market has been
equal to creditable performance.
Under liberal receipts the market has
shown healthy undertone advancing
under spirited competition
from all buying sources. Killers who
laid out of the market last month in
expectation Of the usual June break
were disappointed. Late in the month,
their error, they resumed
buying sending the top price above
$3.50, and establishing the highest
level Of war prices since the middle Of
April. Demand for fat sows has been
good considering the
heavy stock of lard which ut the begin
hing Of this month was III, $4,000
pounds. Mt Chicago alone. Exports of
ard are on an enormous scale, how
.ver,, aggregating GO million pounds
'er month for five months past, Ger
many having been heavy purchaser
'ecently. The stock OF dry salt and
'ickled meats is not heavy; however,
Domestic consumption Is healthy and
IS the big packers own practically the /,
ntfre accumulation Of product they ,
will naturally he interested in main
aiming the value Of their own prop :
rty which cannot be accomplished by j.,
depressing hog values.
A free movement Of sOws that have
geNaed pigs may be expected during i,
he next 60 days rs they are one of the
ew liquid assets the country has in this !,
consequently they will come =
s fast as they are decently ready the
novement starting earlier than usual. :.
t will be logical to expect wider
pread as the season works along and
he proportion Of cornfed light and i,
utcher weight hogs dwindles. The 4
ncouraging phases Of the situation ati
resent are the broad export demand :,
Or lard and healthy domestic con-
lmption Of hams and bacon. Hams !,
ave advanced and cents per pound
uring the past ten days and while
heaper cuts are not in such urgent r
Ill they are moving. An advance of :,
cents per pound in butter has slim :,
lated domestic consumption OF lard
nd improved the technical condition y
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