Evening star., 1926-05-03
GRANTED STOCK
RAISING SPREADS
Better Quality but Higher
Prices Are F0reSeen in
New Trend.
BY j. c. ROYLE

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, May 3.-Announce'
ment by the Matador Land Il Cat
de Co. today on a change in its pollcy
of fitting stock for market gives pldln
indication of I; trend of food produc-
tion that may affect both quality and
price of products for the American
dining table This change marks the
real passing of the open ranges.
Heretofore, the Matador Land 4
Cattle Co., with huge ranches in Texas
and big acreage III Brazil, has ship
ped it's and 3 year cid steers
to the grazing lands of the United
States. where they were finished and
marketed as fat 4, and year
oldS. This custom has been followed
by Southernwestern stock growers
since the days of Buffalo Bill and
Bridger. and made the Chisholm trail
renowned in song and story.
This year. however, 63 carloads of
Matador 3-year- -ods were sold to Hud-
dleson Brothers of Pomona, kans..
. for approximately $125,000, and will
be pastured in Butler and Wabaunsee
Counties, kanS.
This policy means that more
grain finished cattle will come to
market that more grain than at
present will be Sold by growers in
the form of meat, and that the quail
tty of meat marketed will be higher
and the cost at times may be higher.
This last condition will not prevail
at all times, however as is shown
by the condition of the pork pro-
ducts market at the moment.
Farmers now are marketing hogs
that have been fed literally on corn.
Is result, the cuts of heavier
weight are more plentiful than light
cuts. The heavier cuts naturally are
wholesaling at lower levels than the
light. This condition offers a chance
for substantial savings by discrim
mating buyers, but there are fewer
discriminating buyers of food prod
ucts than in almost any other line.
In the case of bacon there is a
wide difference in price between
light and heavy pieces. Fancy bacon,
averaging 8 to - pounds in weight,
Is wholesaling 10 to Is per cent be-
low fancy bacon averaging 4 to 6
pounds Packers claim the con-
sumer can save on some fancy grades
as much as 80 per cent by wise buy
ing.
The huge catches of fish off the At
lantic coast and i'll the Eastern estu-
aries are reducing the prices of that
article of food, so far as the fresh
product Is CO1lCoI1leu, III tIilS SeClIOIl
More than half million pounds of
mackerel is expected to arrive here
before next Saturday and astonishing
catches are being made as far south
as Virginia. The Gloucester mackerel
feet is bringing heavy cargoes into
Boston and various coast points are
rushing fish to large market centers
in automobile trucks.
Salmon Are Scarce.
The run of shad in the Eastern
rivers also is heavy. On the other
hand, the salmon in some of the Pa
cific Northwest streams are SO scarce
as to command splendid prices for
the fresh fish, and these quotations
seem likely to be reflected in the cost
to consumers of the canned article,
which has come to be one of the
sta pie foods of the world.
The shipment of fresh vegetables
and fruits from the South and Call
fornia to Northern and Eastern mar
kets is now in full swing and is hav-
ing an effect on the potato situation.
Prices for tuberS are still very high,
owing to the short supply, but con-
sumers are turning To other vegeta.
bles as substitutes in increasing mum.
bers. Preceding plants are being
set up in a number of central Califor-
MIA points to make possible delivery
of fresh figs to distant markets in
good condition. Growers are planning
a big drive to populariZe the use OF
fresh figs this year.
q