Evening star., 1930-12-12
INCREASE IN FARM F..
PRICES IS LIKELY
Many Vegetables Are Now
Selling Higher Than in
Mid-November.

Farmers who held part Of their prod
uce for the Christmas market may aver
age somewhat higher prices, says the
United States Department Of Agricul-
ture, Bureau Of Agricultural Economies,
market news service. Roast meats are
likely to cost about the same, since live
stock prices have not changed much,
although cattle and lambs sell a little
higher now. Chickens are about the
| same in price as before the Thanks
giving market and fowls are a little
lower. Butter and eggs have gone down
also because of increasing supplies and
competition with cold storage holdings.
Fruit prices are nearly unchanged. but
many vegetables are selling higher than
In mid-November.
Oranges Compete With Apples.
People who like oranges about as well
as apples will be able to find enough OF
each kind, also plenty of grapefruit. It
looks like a big season coming for the
yellow fruits. Orange shipments the
first two months Of the season were so
per cent larger than in 1929. There
were three times as many tangerines on
the market and grape receipts have
been 10 per cent larger this season.
These fruits run somewhat to small
SeeSv SlseS, as usually happens IN years Of
will be carload Of oranges or grape
fruit shipped for every car of apples
this season. These fruits are lower in
price this season. During two days
early in the month about / 900 carloads
OF oranges left Florida shipping points.
Holdings at Potomac Yards, diversion
point near Washington, were also very
heavy. During the first week of De-
cember 470 cars of Florida oranges sold
for an average Of $3.50 on the Northern
auction markets, compared with S3O5
two years ago, which was also a season
Of heavy production. Grapefruit sold at
$275, compared with $325 two years ago.
There Is some room for argument re-
garding the extent of competition be-
tween apples and the citrus fruit, but
apple growers are disposed to expect
some slackening of demand when there
are plenty Of low-priced oranges on the
market. Apples are q medium crop and
the price tendency seems to be slightly
upward, the demand having been
helped little perhaps by the selling
activities of the unemployed" street
peddlers, and the juice factories will
dispose OF many OF the oranges, but the
market supply is likely to continue lib
eral.
The strength of the Eastern apple
market consists in the lighter prodllc-
ton of Eastern fruit. Total shipments
OF apples have been a little heavier than
last season, but Eastern apples have de-
creased nearly one-third, while the
Northwest has increased its shipments
in about the same proportion Eastern
apples are good this season, sweet and
well favored, but perhaps a little below
the usual average size on account of
dry weather. Virginia and West Vir-
ginia are still shipping about 200 cars
weekly and New York about twice that
number. Other apple sections are mov-
ing comparatively small quantities. Ex-
port demand Is falling of somewhat,
but prices Of apples packed for export
are holding UP wen In Northeastern
shipping sections at $450a$4.75 per
barrel for No. / Ben Davis and S4.75a
S5 for Baldwins, with GreeninRs mostly
R4.75 at country shipping points. Ship
ments from New York are about double
those OF last season. BuShel packs Of
Baldwins from cold storage range 81. .50a
$1.55 toward the middle Of December
and common storage fruit $1.40. Ship
menJS are being made from about 20
States at the daily rate of q little more
than 800 cars. Most Of the city mar
ketS report supply moderate and de-
mand slow to fairly active. Prices of
Eastern Greetings ranged $1.25a$i so
per bushel in Eastern cities; Kings,
$1a$1.65; Winesaps, $1.75a$2.00; Bald
wins, $1.25a$1 so; Staymans and Jona-
thans, $1.25a$1.75.
Potatoes Hold Advance.
The potato markets of the East have
kept the price advance reached early In
the month, while Midwestern potatoes
Sagged back under the pressure of lib
eral supplies from the Rocky Mountain
regions. Eastern markets quoted Maine,
New York and Pennsylvania stock about
Is cents per 100 pounds higher than
the lowest point of last month. Maine
Green Mountains sell In consuming CEN
terS at 81 l80a$2 per 100 pounds. Penn
sylvania Round White varieties bring
S1.75 in Baltimore. Many carloads OF
New York potatoes have gone to South
ern markets this season. They are
quoted at $2a$2.45 in that part Of the
Unsettled market conditions prevailed
Ii Northern Maine the second week of
December and prices dropped back about
cents. Similar conditions prevailed In
western New York, with slow trading
and prices slightly lower. Potato ship
ments from all sources are lighter this
week compared with last week and with
year ago, partly because Of weather.
conditions and because some growers
are not selling freely at prevailing prices.
Win the crop about the same this year
they argue that the price ought not to
be about rs per cent lower.
Moderate supplies of sweet potatoes
are reported at nearly all the Eastern
markets. Demand is slow to moderate,
tennessee Nancy Halls sell at $I.25a
$l.50 per bushel. Virginia yellow stocE
brings $3.25a$3.50 per barrel in Balti-
more. North Carolina sweets sell at
$2.5Oa$3 at Washington and at Al .15a
81 40 per bushel in Baltimore and Pitts
burgh. few lots from South Carolina
brought 81 so in Boston. Delaware and
Maryland yellow varieties declined a
little in some markets the second week
oi november, but prevailing range con-
Cnueo at $1.25a$1.50. Steady prices
prevailed for New Jersey sweet notatoes
az $A6Oa$l.75 in the East and S2.25a
$2.75 in the Middle West.