The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-09

III you nave Uctn dtlcnuIhS ioi III
sales, or have been reading our re-
ports of them, you will have observed
that there is better feeling in farm
circles; that bidding has been more
active, of late, and that prices on
corn, oats, hay and on all classes OF
live stock have been gradually climb
ing up.
This is an encouraging omen. IL
shows confidence on the part of the
farmers and the feeling that the bot
tom has been reached; also that the
trend of prices is now upward. Not
that there is boom in sight, for con-
ditions are against that sort of tidal
wave in values.
The continuous creeping up OF hog
prices has surprised both feeders and
packers. The advance from SO to bet
ter than $40 for hogs at western
points, came as surprise to many OF
the best informed feeders and men in
the trade. Order buyers and specu-
lators have been partly responsible for
this. On several occasions when the
big packers at Chicago sulked in their
tents, refusing to buy hog, these men
have rallied to the support of the mar
ket, helped out by the smaller pack
ing concerns, and in the face of heavy
receipts have often held the market
steady, or even boosted prices. The
fact that these order buyers and spec
ulative shippers had eastern outlets.
and were able to dispose of their hogs
at a profit, proved that there were
holes to be filled and that all markets
were not stopping over.
indianapolis Touches $10.35
The widely advertised SO hog ar
| rived at Chicago on Tuesday, and was
| hailed by the shippers who paid that
| price for several carloads. This was
| the top price since last August. Hogs
also sold at $40 at indianapolis Tues
day and still higher Wednesday, touch,
| ing $10.35.
| Now, then, when hogs were in the
dumps, lower prices were freely pre-
dicted Now that they are materially
higher, in fact So higher than on the
low day last December, at Chicago,
predictions are made that the present
| top has not been reached. Farmers
have frequently asked: what is keep
ing hogs up, with corn so low" The
present answer is: Corn and wheat
also have advanced, also there has
been an increasing foreign demand for
pork and lard, for some weeks"
1t seems to us that in many locali-
ties hogs must be pretty well cleaned
out. 1t is a fact that at one time
| feeders sacrificed their brood sows
but not of late. More gifts have been
kept and bred and the crop of spring
pigs will, in most instances, be about
normal. Still, spring pigs are not
I +oI~ Go
ket, but will show in the car lots next
| fall and winter.
In the meanwhile, it is the unex
pected which happens. We lay nc
claim to the spirit of prophesy.
| May Wheat Up % Cents
When May wheat sold at $1.31 or
Wednesday it was up just % cents
| from the low spot in November, and
was at the highest figure since Sep
TENDER "a. July wheat which sold
below 81 for a time, closed at 1163s
which looks better to growers of the
coming crop.
Wheat is becoming a "big" market
and speculation is more active than
in a long time, big concerns fighting
on both sides the deal 1t would thus
appear that spectators have not beer
put out of business, so far as straight
''options" are concerned, regardless
of the big fight by the Illinois legis
lature, which couldn't make their bills
stick, or because of restrictive action
at Washington. Cash wheat premiums
failed to follow future prices all the
way up, millers Withdrawing for 6
time from the market
i A Crop Scare Feared
Reports from Kansas are unsatis
factory as to the growing crop Lacl
of moisture and winter freezing ar,
likely to lead to the abandonment o
a large acreage. it is feared. 1t will
take spring weather to determine tn,
amount of injury, but traders are fear
full of crop scare which would SEM
prices kiting, even if but Temporal
lily.
In the meanwhile, Argentine has ad
vanced its export price of wheat lib
orally of late, and Manitobas are ship
ping abroad on a higher basis. Farm
ers over great part of the corn bel
seem both able and inclined to holt
corn to See what happens later. Il
the meantime the talk of cutting dow
corn acreages next spring is less in
, sistent. 1t is recognized, however
! that a lot of extra corn ground shout,
now go back to legumes for the regu
7 lar period.
, A rather broad survey of the trit
utary on Wednesday afternoon Shove,