Evening star., 1927-09-24
BUSINESS IS BRISK
IN CENTER MARKET
Fowls Are in Demand-Sea
Food Supplies Are Good.
Butter Goes Higher.

F000 SupplleS are UUou.
Butter Goes Higher.
Surprisingly large shipments Of both
hard and soft crabs the past few DAYS
came as = surprise TO dealers at Mu-
nicinal Fish Market. Big, fat soft
crabs. about as attractive as any
received during the Summer months
reached the local market in good con
.Iition, cooler weather preventing
heavy losses in shipment.
Big hard crabs also came in better
condition than during the heated
period. very few Of them being lost
in transit. Both hard and soft crabs
came from various points on the
Chesapeake Bay and tributaries many
from the Potomac, but The demand
for them was not great.
II is believed the increased receipts
resulted partly from the hot weather
several DAYS ago and partly for the
reason that 4 dun fishing season was
a means Of many crahhers returning
10 work.
Dealers the past few days quoted
a price rs low as 60 cents dozen for
Et4Oltp
at 81 and S12a dozen. The hard
crabs reached The lowest price Of the
season, S. a barrel
Crabmeat Also Plentiful.
Crabncat also has been plentiful the
past few days. Cooler weather also
assisted dealers in getting the meat
in the hest possible condition, although
icing was necessary. Splendid white
meat was offered as low as so cents
round. 80 cents being the price of the
meat used for deVlled crabs.
Oysters also have been plentiful
this week. They are in much better
condition than oysters usually are
found so early in the season. according
20 dealers. and the demand for them
has been greater.
Dealers are receiving oysters from
various points on the Chesapeake Bay
end tributaries. Hampton Bars and
York Rivers being among them. 20
tomac River oystermen and those en-
gagged in the business in the vicinity
OF Solomons Island are contributing to
the city's supply.
Selects were quoted at $c25 this
morasng, while standards sold at a
fiat YIrice of So. Shell stock from
varicus points also were offered, prices
bushels of shell stock from the lower
Potomac reach Municipal Fish Mar
ket each day, some being sold i'll bulk
to wholesalers and others sold to con-
sumers in small quantities.
Some Fish Are Scarce.
Several varieties of fish were re-
ported scarce the past few days. rock
fish being particularly scarce and high,
selling at 35 cents a pound. Fairly
large shipments Of jumping mullets
from North Carolina waters reached
here this week. Dealers say the quail
ity of the mullets is on a par with that
of rockf1sh, although they bring noth
ing like the high prices paid for rock.
Today a price of Il cents was quoted
for the North Carolina fish.
Halibut, the cheapest fish offered
this week, sold at cents, filet of had
dock, always in demand, selling at Is
cents. Halibut and bluefish brought
25 cents pound, the price asked for
salmon. Fairly large shipments OF
trout, very few Of them large, brought
10 cents, as did Norfolk spots and
croakers.
Green shrimp was in demand for
bait and food purposes at 90 cents a
pound, the cooked shrimp bringing so
cents. Scallops were plentiful at $3.50
a gallon, and CLAIMS found ready sale
at $1.25 hundred. Tile, an attractive
steak fish, was Is cents a pound
Dealers say the season for picking
and preserving is on. Sales of fruits
and vegetables used for such purposes
are not brisk, however, housewives
either abandoning the practice or put
ting off the work until the last minute.
To,,,oSo1~ F.I.oz
1t is said by dealers that tomatoes
for catsup and relishes of various
kinds are about as cheap as con-
sumers may expect to find them this
season.
Tomatoes were to be had yesterday
for a song" remarked a wholesaler.
"They sold at 25 and SO cents a bas-
ket, so cents being the top price for
best stock, although some of the best
stock went at the lower price, and
haulers were so anxious to get rid of
their supplies that they threw in the
baskets at that price, making the
price Of 2 pecks of the vegetable II
cents"
1t is reported that prices at some
of the Maryland and Virginia canning
factories dropped to cents.
A decided drop in the price of sugar
.,
corn that sold at so and rs cents
dozen earlier in the season bringing
as low as 10 cents, inferior stock sell
ing at even lower prices.
Dealers offered whole buShel of
string beans for so cents. the vege-
table finding slow sale. Cabbage,
kale and spinach have been particu-
larly plentiful and cheap, today's
price being SO cents a bushel basket,
some cabbage selling as low as 40
cents. Dealers glady accepted Is
cents and 81 a barrel for cabbage.
Elephants in Supply.
Plentiful supplies of eggplants also
were reported, bushel baskets selling
at so and rs cents. Lima beans also
sold at reduced prices the past few
days, quart boxes bringing Is and
were quoted at 81 and S1.25 a
bushel.
White cymblings have not been so
plentiful the past few days, dealers
reported and higher prices prevailed.
The vegetable found quick sale at so
cents n 2-peck basket.
White potato prices continued to
hold their own, according to reports
of dealers. selling at $3.50 a barrel,
or $3.50 a bushel Sweet potatoes,
not quite so plentiful, brought higher
prices than the white stock, selling
as high as $1.75 bushel for Nancy
Halls. Ordinary varieties sold at
81 and $1.25 a bushel.
Nearby growers are supplying local
dealers large quantities of pumpkins.
The vegetable is not much in de-
mand, however, the first heavy de-
mand usually coming about the