Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-21
VEGETABLE SUPPLY
CONTINUES LIGHT
Shipments Reported in Sea-
SonaI DecIine-Price
Trend Firmer.

"a A1OSb AAANAo VA
fresh produce show q strong tendency
to decrease at this time of year, al
though Southern vegetables are begin
ming to take a prominent place In the
market. says the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture, Bureau Of Agricul-
turaI Economics Market News Service.
Supplies of fruits and vegetables this
season have reached q total of about
1000 CARROTS under those Of last season.
Carlot movement was fairly active the
third week in November, owing to the
requirements Of the holiday trade. Spe-
cial demand from this source was partly
responsible for upswings on sweet
potatoes, cabbage and onions and
firner tone on some varieties and classes
of apples. lettuce and celery. On the
whole. the trend Of the produce market
shows more firmness than earlier In
the month. The potato market has not
shown any pronounced tendency 70 re-
cover from the low prices that have
prevailed this season, despite rather
moderate production. Most OF the fruits
and vegetables are heavier crops In the
East than in the West this year and
Eastern markets are relatively weaker
than those in the Middle West. Three
leading market crops, potatoes, sweet
potatoes and apples, bring one-hah to
two-thirds the prices Of a year ago.
Onions and celery are less important,
but growers are encouraged by price
levels about double those Of last season.
Potato Market Unsettled.
AS for some weeks past, the potato
market seems to be in q waiting posi-
ton without much change in the supply
or demand, although shipments are
unusually light for the time OF year.
Prices show little change, except the
usual slight variations between the
different markets. Several western and
Middle Western shipping points report
f1rmnesS and recent gains OF cents
per 100 pounds in prices paid producers,
but Eastern producing sections are no
more than steady and demand Is quiet.
The holders appear unsatiSf1ed with
the present situation and are shipping
ct a much lighter rate than last season.
Potato production sums up IL per
cent greater than 1t was last year put
shipments have been % per cent less,
which means that most Of the crop this
season is still in country storage await
ing stronger markets. The larger
share of the crop accordingly remains
to be shipped during the Winter, when
weather conditions often cause inter-
ruptiosss in the supply and sharp
changes in the price. The crop m
cludes a great deal Of cheap No.
stock, which tends to keep the potato
market down. The East and the Md
die west have 40, 000, 900 bushels of po-
tatoes more than last season, about
equally divided between the two re-
gions, but the western shipping STATES
have 100000 bushels less TINS
season. For that reason, signs OF oc-
casional firmneSs appear in markets
slIpplied partly with Western potatoes. |
Rather steady conditions are report |
ed from nearly all producing sections.
rawlings are light to moderate and de-
Y1and only fair. Trading Is slow IN
western New York and prices are wen
sustained. The recent advance 70 81
cents per bushel paid growers sageed
back to rs cents IN some instances IS
cents per 100 pounds for sacked stock.
About the lowest priced potatoes IN
country markets are in Northern
Maine, where the dealers get 40 cents
About the lowest-priced potatoes IN
per 100 pounds sacked, as compared
with so cents to IS cents In most Eastern
and Midwesterf sections. Steady, oull
markets. are reported at central Western
shipping points. Local estimates o!
Maine Shipments for the season ranged
from 10000 to $4,000 cars. Lower
estimates are based on poSSlplntleS tnat
an unusually large percentage OF the
stock will not be shipped this season II
prices are too low.
Supplies are moderate In Eastern
markets and track noloings $50, cO"p frO1c
slow to moderate and prices show Ut
tie change. Jobbing sales OF Maine
stock range IS cents to $1.lO, mostly
with tops above 81 10 in washington,
Detroit. Cleveland and Southern mar
kets. Long Island potatoes brought
steady prices. New York round wnlte
stock sold around 81 and Pennsyi-
yania round whites at IS cents to 81
THE Chicago car-lot market Is about
steady, but sales for future deliveries
showed a slight upward trend.
Sweet potatoes are in moderate sup
oIv and rather slow demand. Prices
in general continue low without much
change. but Virginia stock advanced IN
New York to a range OF 81 70 &.iZ
Der barrel A few MidweStern markets
quoted slightly higher on some lines OF
sweet potatoes but in general, the zone
was irregular. Tennessee Nancy Hans
showed some price gains of SC in MID
western markets. North Carolina, VIZ
Vinia and Maryland Porto Ricans solo
at 75c per bushel in washington ana
81 per barrel in New York.
Celery Fairly Steady.
The holiday celery market seems to
nave called for rather liberal supplies.
Shipments have been increased from
the far west, but the output from New
york producing sections has been moo"
crate and the prices of good STOCK
have been much higher than they were
last season. The tendency was toward
lower prices the third week OF NoVem-
Der with declines Of loo TO !oc per
Fwo-thirds crate in the Rochester dis
srict THE weakness was not reflected
in the CITY markets, New York having
advanced about Csc and others were
arm at s2.25 to 49, Western celery
sold at generally steady prices: Inc
weak feature in Western New York Is
the large quantity of celery only fair
IN ordinary in quality. Cold storage
holdings in that section had been re-
Ciuced 46S, 900 crates by the middle OF
the month.
Cabbage Higher.
The advancing trend of Western cab
hape markets this month was rejected
10 some extent in Eastern producing
sections, but the rise lacked vigor and
has not been holding very well, partly
because growers are anxious to clear
.up the rest of the crop in the fields
before the arrival of severe Winter.
Some of it is not good enough to go
into storage. With the winding up OF
the Wisconsin crop, the MiddleweStern
and Mississippi markets are oftering
a better opening for distribution OF
New York cabbage. Prices PAID 70
growers were mostly 81 per ton In bulk
and some sales were as high as So.
Some dealers expressed the opinion that
canraoe holdin0S would be lighter this