Evening star., 1930-12-02
GRAIN PRICES HOLD
AT HIGHER LEVELS
Live Stock Also Maintains
Recent Gains-FruitS and
Vegetables Steady.

The position of dairymen, stock feed
ers and poultry keepers was a shade
less favorable in early December, says
the Market News Service of the Bureau
of Agricultural Economics, United States
Department of Agriculture. Food prices
were tending higher and such products
as butter, cheese, eggs and dressed
poultry were moving slowly in rather
weak and unsettled markets. But live
stock has been selling better, with cattle
near recent high points and with hogs
and market lambs well above the lowest
of mid-November. Live stock and grain
are the bright spots of the market.
Fruits and vegetables at least fully hold
their own as a group. Cabbage and
sweet potatoes advanced and even the
onion market is doing little better.
Potatoes are selling higher in most
markets.
Advances in potato prices near the
1st of December ranged from to 90
cents per 100 pounds at shipping points,
compared with recent low points. The
Western New York +. o. b. market on
sacked round whites was slightly higher
at S1.45 per 100 pounds, sacked, with
shippers of Green Mountains in North
ern Maine getting $l.30 to $1.35.
Celery Prices.
Celery advanced at Western New York
points to a range of SITS to 81 190 per
two-thirds crate and city markets were
firm. Cold storage Baldwin apples were
firm in Western New York at $l.45 per
buShel. Lettuce, also, was firm to high
er In terminal markets. Onions followed
the upward trend of other vegetables
and held a stronger market position.
Cabbage advanced in Western New York
to SIS per ton bulk, or SIT to $18 sacked,
representing a rise OF 81 to $5 over
prices of midNovember. Florida and
Southern Texas have started shipping
cabbage. Best yellow sweet potatoes
from Virginia advanced to $3.50 to 81
per barrel in city markets and Tennessee
Nancy Halls brought $l.40 to $1.65 a
bushel.
Bean markets were slightly irregular
in late November, although fluctuations
were not great. The Chicago market
showed even greater dullnesS than re-
Gently. Jobbers were quoting choice
hand-picked pea beans at that market
at $5.40 per 100 pounds.
Interest in the butter market is prin-
cipally for the top grades, which find
a fairly satisfactory demand. Medium
and lower grades are in plentiful sup
comparatively easy to satisfy their re-
quirements for this class of goods. The
smaller plants in the intensive dairy
sections are expected to show slight
increases in production during Decem-
Der. The sweet cream supply at the
larger consuming centers is ample and
many Western shippers Of cream are
churning butter.
Cheese and Egg Markets.
Cheese production, based on Wiscor-
sin warehouse receipts, is now running
ahead of last year, the out-of-storage
movement is lighter than year ago,
and consumption is barely on the same
level with that Of year ago, factors
that have continued depressing effect
on the market. Trading in fresh
cheese at Eastern markets again was
light, as is usual at this season of tile
year. The out-of-storage movement of
cheese would indicate reduction OF
the surplus in the country as a whole.
Egg markets, near the 1St OF Decem-
Der, were mostly weak, with supplies
plentiful and demand moderate. Large
white fresh eggs from both nearby areas
and the Pacific Coast were especially
abundant, and, faced with the possibility
of accommodating stocks, dealers were in
clined to make generous concessions to
move them promptly. Offerings OF fresh
eggs from the Middle West were not
quite so liberal, but with the market
we'll supplied with eggs from other
sections, buyers were conservative In
their purchases of Middle Western
mixed colors. Unquestionably, some of
the increase in egg receipts was due
to an earlier lay Of the young stocf
this year. a
With the relative scarcity of hif
quality turkeys, dealers reported 70
difficulty experienced in clearing cl0ty
their stocks of such birds at firm pFes.
Some difficulty was encounterq u.
handling the large supplies OF thefo"et
quality stock, but with the grapng %
libsral concessions, practically SUI
stuff was moved prior to ThaaSslsiilIi z
day, SO that only a relatiyS stiiai. ~
quantity was left over to Seh' W
the coolers. ,{Ls.us
The dressed beef markt 1aileo 10
keep up with late Novemhc aos@iIees
in i've cattle. leaving the 1aTKet IN
weak position Most conIerclai sseeIS rs
and yearlings brought $s2o 1an 10 SIS,oo
at Chicago. At the e16ol NoVehIpel.
hog prices, at ChicAY, showed NJ
gains of mostly is to Genus over Ill LII
lowest of the month t+C tne price leyel
still ranged about s. centS neiow tne
mOnJnS hgneSL.
Other Comyodity Prices.
The ton in the 1hicago lamb market
went to Sa a5 nef the end of Novem-
her, which was he highest since early |
IN the month. Dressed prices improved !
materially, ar packers stocks WerS
denIeted sine all interests have been |
onerating refntly on a handto mouth |
basis SinDiar advances in The live |
lamb trad in the. past always have
attracted larger receipts, and there is |
more orIsS speculation as to the effect |
of the current upturn. The Boston |
wool }rarket was largely unchanged |
arouaS the first of the month
What markets were unsettled in !
lat november, but steady demand for |
te moderate offerings of coarse grains !
aregthened the corn and oats mar
ks and prices for these grains tended !
s1ghtly upward.
Wheat bran, middlings and shorts |
we're in better demand and prices AL
7anced generally so cents to S1.50 per |
Ton in Middle Western and Eastern
markets. Supplies of cottonSeed IL. al
nave been generally light as the seed !
has been slow. Heavy move
nent is reported to the drought area,
the adverse financial condi-
ions were not permitting es heavy pur-
chaSeS as generally were expected. |
Linseed meal markets were barely |
steady. The gluten feed and meal sit
lation continues about unchanged with |
/ fair demand
Timothy hay markets were lightly |
supplied in early December but demand |
was limited and prices were generally |