Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-26
SPUD PRICES
TAKE TUMBLE
Rapid Recovery Indicated
BY Curtailed Shipments
From Producing Area
Especial to The Herald.)

FORT WORTH, July 26.-Potato
prices declined sharply last week
due to heavy supplies in terminal
markets, but a rapid recovery is in
dlcated by greatly curtailed ship
ments from producing centers, says
M. G. Gregory, local representative
OF the market news service, United
States department of agriculture, in
his weekly review of fruits and veg
enables.
Nroduce markets we're in a some
what confused position the third
week Of July" he says, and explains:
Shipments of many products re-
Gently have been quite heavy, and
the liberal supply in terminal mar
kets made it difficult for prices to
rebound and rise again under the
lighter shipments of last week. Po-
tatoes from eastern producing sec
tionS dropped fully S1.00 per bar
rel at shipping points and in some
consuming centerS, with correSond-
ing declines on midWestern stock.
But the sudden decrease Of about
40 per cent in carlot shipments CT
potatoes during the past week
O41OQ40 dAO O11C P44NS OAO0hHAOA W.
siderably. Supplies of watermelons,
lettuce and tomatoes also decreased
rather sharply, so that the com
bined movement Of twenty-nlne
fruits and vegetables was only 49,
$50 cars, compared with 1880 the
preceding week and 29,400 during
the same period last year.
Markets we're unsettled for can
taloupes, Watermelons and tomatoes,
but good peaches, onions and le5-
tuce held rather firmly in most dis
tribution centers. Lettuce was lower
at California shipping points, be-
cause of inferior quality. Watermel-
ons tended upward in producing dis
tricts."
Potatoes Declined Sharply
Apparently the terminal markets
are temporarily over-supplied with
potatoes. Buyers were holding off at
eastern shipping points, and the
fob. price Of the best Cobblers on
the Eastern Shore declined rapidly
last week to $500 per barrel. High
est level Of the season was reached
on Monday, July Is, when the lob.
market on barrels vas $5.15-S5-25,
and on 100 ID. sacks $3.50. However,
with the sudden decrease in ship
ments Of new potatoes and the scar
city of old stock a recovery OF prices
would not be unexpected. Eastern
shore of Virginia shipments dropped
to 1865 cars for the week and Mary
land decreased slightly to 555. Nor
folk section shipped only 125 cars.
Kansas increased to 685, Kentucky
to $50, and Missouri to IS cars. Cal
ifornia, also, was making somewhat
heavier shipments. The potato sea-
son opened in such important sec
tons as New Jersey, Long Island,
West Virginia, Minnesota, North Da-
kota and Nebraska. Total output
last week was 3,610 cars, compared
with about $500 the preceding week.
Colorado expects to ship about 1000
cars between now and September.
Tomato Spplies Decrease
Tennessee was still the leading
source Of carlot supplies for toma-
toes, though the season IN the west
ern part of that state is now nearly
finished. Homegrown tomatoes Will
soon be adequate for local needs IN
uRany markets. Carlot movement
Izs6 week decreased to $50 cars, OF
which Tennessee was credited with
$40, ArkassaS with 40 and Virginia
with 80. Movement from Maryland
increased to ITO, and from Ohio TO
IS cars. California shipment only
about 70. Chicago wholesalers were
getting $1.C0-01.25 per four-baSKet
crate of Tennessee stock, and lug
boxes from Tennessee and Arkansas
were iobbing in several markets at
S1.75-S2.75 Illinois tours brought SOC
to 81. 90 in Chicago. Pittsburgh deal
ers quoted 12-quart climax baskets
of best Ohio tomatoes at $1.35-Sl.5O.
MARYLAND and Virginia siX-baSket
crates sold generally at S1.00-sl.75
in eastern cities, while the 20-quarJ
boxes from New Jersey ranged Sl.9O
to $500. Carlot shipments began IN
New Jersey and Indiana.
Onion Prices Holding Well
Movement Of onions was slowly
gaining. as shipments became more
active in Walla Wal!a district Of
washington and rs the season
opened with a large number OF cars
from Iowa, Massachusetts, PennSyl-
yania and Illinois. Washington
shipped 2O5 cars, California held
steady with 100 for the week; New
Jersey originated IS but Virginia
dropped to IS. Combined output
was about 600 cars, or $50 mere
than during the same period last
summer. About 20 additional car
loads arrived from Spain and this
imported stocked jobbed in several
markets at $2.00-S2.40 per crate.
Domestic onions ruled generally
firm to higher. Washington yellow
varieties were jobbing az S3.00-S5.50
sacked per 100 lbs. just about the
same as arrivals from the Stockton
district of California, Kentuck stock
of variable quality, ruled S2.25-3.75
but early shipments from MaSSachu-
sets sold at $3.00-$3.25 in eastern
cities. California white onions,
hacked in crates were bringing
mostly $500 on the Chicago market
while 10O-Ib. sacks sold IN other
consuming centers at S4.75-S5.OO.
White onions from New Jersey were
firm in New York City at 1925
sacked per 100 lbs, compared with
bushel hampers Of yellow stock at
Sf65-S2.OO. Virginia yellows brought
only 81. 50-$1.60 per bushel.
Lettuce Acreage Increased
Reports on the intended acreage
of fail lettuce point to a is per cent
increase over paintings Of last year.
california which grows nine-tenths
of the fall acreage, shows an intend
ed increase of II per cent this sea-
rnn That state nrnhahlY will have