Evening star., 1929-12-14
TURKEY SUPPLIES
REACHING MARKET
Question of Prices Arises as
Merchants Prepare for
Holiday Trade.


Thanksgiving holiday season. and were
anxious to avoid a repetition of that
experience, while those who had come
out ahead of the trading were again
making effdSts to play safe.
1t was generally admitted that prices
which will prevail probably will not be
! definitely determined until the latter
| part of next week, when chain stores
make their announcements, their an
nouncements having virtually determined
prices the past several holiday seasons.
Quoting a price of 80 cents pound
by chain stores just before the heavy
trading for the Thanksgiving holiday
season came to many local wholesalers
as a surprise, the latter not having
anticipated anything much under AZ
cents, and wholesalers this morning
! were counting on the Christmas prices
being every bit as low with possibility
of their going even lower.
Turkey Supplies.
Nearby turkey raisers this week con-
| tinued to send in supplies OF live turkeys
| to be handled by wholesalers, some few
shipments of dressed stock also being
received. Prices changed several times
during the course of the week, each time
to the advantage OF the consumer,
according to reports of dealers.
Christmas holiday season" commented
wholesaler this morning, cannot be
told at this time. Every bit OF informa :
ton thus far received is indicative OF
cheap market the next 10 days"
Farmers still are reluctant to sell
turkeys at prevailing prices" was stated
in a recent Government report from
San Antonio, Tex, "and deliveries o.
live birds are somewhat light"
1t was stated in the report that buy
ing, prices, deliveries made at dressing
plants, were about II and IL cents ior
No, l hens and toms. The demand for
dressed stock was active, the market
being firm and slightly higher Fort
Worth, Tex, reports told of prices sub
Stantially the same as reports from San
Antonio. Old toms were quoted at 10
and No. Is at 10 cents, delivered at
dressing plants.
Increased receipts of chickens the
past few days resulted in a weakening
of the market and lowering of prices
Dealers also reported receipts of in
creased quantities of ducks and keats,
prices for them not undergoing any
material change.
Receipts of most varieties Of foodstuffs
offered the trade this morning were
reported fairly heavy, dealers having
supplies of everything in the line OF
food to more than meet demands Of re-
tailerS at prices about the same as
prices quoted yesterday.
Todays Wholesale Prices-Jobbers'
Prices Slightly Higher.
Butter-One-pound prints, 401aa41l u;
tub, 3912 a4012 store packed, 30a32.
EggS-Hennery, 55a58; fresh selected,
53a54; current receipts, 48a50.
Poultry. alive-Turkeys, young hens
and toms, 28a30; old toms, 26a27;
Spring chickens, large, 24a25; medium,
23a24; broilers, 28a30; LeghornS, 22a23;
fowls, 25a26; roosters, 20; ducks, 15a20.
Dressed-Turkeys, young hens and
toms, 36a37; old toms, 33a34; Spring
chickens, large, 32a33; medium, 32a33;
broilerS, 35a36; Leghorns, 28a30; fowls
28a3O; ducks, 28a30; roosters, 23a25;
capons, 40a45; keats, 70aSO.
lamb, 24a27; pork loins, 22a25; fresh
hams, 20a22; fresh shoulders, 1922
smoked hams, 25a26; smoked shoulders
| 18a2O; bacon, 25a26; lard, in bulk, 13
in packages, IL.
Live stock - Calves, IS; lambs, 12h
! ala.
While practically every dealer abou
! the wholesale district this morning dis
played an interest in the turkey situa
IlOIl, I1uCn llGeTeSI dlSO was u1SpldyCu II
| the butter and egg market. A Sigh
drop in egg prices Thursday is taken t.
| indicate that the anticipated materia
drop before Christmas may yet ma
| terialiZe.
Butter prices also declined severa
cents the past two days, according to re
| ports of dealers, and still further de
clines are expected. Numerous changes
in butter prices have been reported b.
| local dealers the past month or more
Price of store packed butter also ha
decreased, but receipts of such butte
continue light.
Fruits and vegetables were in plenti
| full receipt this morning, displays at
| tracing the attention of retailers. Oh
| the farmers line were quantities of mos
of the vegetables grown in this section
| including both varieties of potatoes
cabbage, lettuce, onions, radishes, par
| ships, turnips, kale, spinach, beetS anC
! squash.
Wet weather the past few days inter
fered with the gathering of vegetable
in nearby Maryland, Virginia and tn,
! District, but receipts have continued
fairly heavy since the ice disappeared
Kale, spinach and cabbage prices wert
much cheaper this morning than during
the cold weather earlier in the week.
Apple Supplies.
| Dealers on the farmers line also hac
| quantities Of apples from Maryland
| and Virginia, few Windfalls being Offered
as low as $1.25 bushel basket. Bettel
| grades were offered around $l.50 ant
SITS a basket. Many of the windfall
| had been put through presses, and tht
cider offered in their stead. The eide
this morning sold at so and go cents {
| gallon.
On the north side of B street, op
| poSite the farmers line, commission
merchants had their usual attractive
supplies of both fruits and vegetables
both commodities expected to be in de-
mand for the approaching holiday sea.
! son.
| Extra large strawberries, product O.
Florida growers, led the fruit market
attracting unusual attention. They
came in such plentiful supplies tha
prices dropped several days ago, deal.
| erS this morning selling quart boXe.
! around rs cents and pint boxes arounC
| 40 cents. Grapes, pears and perSim
mons were among other fruits to claim
| attention of retailers
Moderate receipts of apples thi.
morning were reported. Virginia York.
were quoted at $3.50 and SIS barrel
| buShel baskets of other apples Sellins
| from $1.50 to $3.50. Box stock from
Washington sold around $375.
Bananas were reported plentiful anC
cheap, supplies not moving very fast
Dealers reported sales slow at ST rs fol
nine-hand punches. Oranges were re-
ported fairly plentiful and receipts OF
| grapefruit were heavy enough to meet
| demands.
Shipped-in vegetables offered by com.
| sion merchants included celery, onions
cabbage, caulif1ower, tomatoes, cucum.
bers, eggplant, squash, string beans
| peas, lima beans, potatoes of botf
varieties, beets, carrots, lettuce anc
| okra.
Marine Products.
Meat markers offered all variefiae M