Milford chronicle., 1931-02-27
WEEKLY PRODUCE
MARKET NOTES

The standard vegetables are still
selling close to lowest points of the
recent slow downward price move
ment which has been in force since
the first OF the year. Onion market
conditions have not changed much
since the middle of the month. Cab
bage is so cheap in southern prOduc-
ing sections that the producers find
it scarcely worth harvesting. Potato
markets have been holding fairly
well lately but most of the price
changes were slightly downward af-
ter the middle of February. Heavy
shipments of miscellaneous southern
produce, including heavy supplies of
oranges and grapefruit. bring the
daily average OF carlOt shipments to
higher figures than year ago. The
general price tendency is downward
but Il few lines affected by weather
conditions at shipping points have
been selling a little higher. There
is little change in the fruit mar
ket.
Potato Markets Dull.
Conditions in potato shipping sec
tions continue unsatisfactory to
growers. The market is dull and
prices seem unable to make any sus-
tanned recovery. The bright feature
is the apparent ability of the con-
suming market to absorb the heavy
shipments, sometimes amounting to
1000 cars daily, without much price
disturbance. Western New York is
one of the higher-priced producing
sections, but growers have been re-
ceiving as low as so cents per bush
el at some points the third week of
February. Most stations in Stuben
county are paying 65 cents in bulk.
CARROTS at shipping points were sold
by dealers at $2.05 to $2.10 per $50
pound sack for standard round white
varieties. Maine growers at the
same time were receiving Sligo to
$1.75 per barrell measure.
The hard times in the great CEN
ters of population had some effect
upon the potato market in the form
of increased demand for No. stock
used in large quantities in the free
soup kitchens for the unemployed.
These potatoes sold at slightly more
than half the price of No. l grades.
There is also some demand for No.
2'S for export.
Seed stock has been moving ac-
lively from Maine and Michigan.
Maine Cobblers advanced slightly
after the middle of February with
selected but not certified CObblers
selling at $40 to $1.75 per sack of
ten pecks. Supplies of certified Cob
blers seem to be light in producing
sections. The demand for seed tends
to support the estimates of probable
increase in planting.
Large eastern cities report mod
crate supplies of carlOt potatoes and
rather limited demand. Canadian
stock continues fairly prominent in
New York, Boston, and Philadelphia
markets and the best of it sells
slightly higher than Maine potatoes.
Prices of new southern potatoes have
been fully maintained at SIZE to
$2.25 per bushel Only a few cars
daily are being, shipped as yet.
Sweet Potatoes Firm.
One of the few lines of vegetables
which show strong market action
this month is sweet potatoes. Mary
land and Delaware stock showed
slight gains i'll price at New York,
Pittsburgh and Chicago and general
average of eastern and midwestern
jnbbng prices is higher than in late
February a year ago. Most Of the
large markets report light or mod
crate supplies and demand slow to
fairly good. Delaware and Maryland
sweet potatoes sell in eastern mar
kets at $l.75 to 1925 per bushcl.
Louisiana Porto Ricans average
about 81 per hundred pounds. Some
choice New Jersey stock sold as high
as So per bushel in New York. North
Carolina and South Carolina Porto
Ricans were quoted at $l.25 to $3.50
in New York, Boston, Pittsburgh,
and Washington. A few Virginia
White Yams from the eastern shore
brought $3.50 TO $4 per barrel in Bal
timOre. Tennessee Nancy Halls fol-
lowed steady trend of SIPS to
$l.65 in a dozen eastern and mid
western cities.
Onions Selling Slowly.
Demand for onions was very slow
in producing sections in February.
Shippers were becoming uneasy re-
garding final disposal of all holdings |
before approaching end of the active |
shipping season for northern stock. |
There was temporary improvement |
in prices soon after the middle of the |
month but the gain was soon lost. /
Most sales in western New York |
were around 65 cents per hundred |
pounds. Steady markets prevailed
in western Michigan at go to 65 |
cents. Slow. dull markets were re-
ported from producing sections in
the Rocky Mountain region. Not |
many yellow onions sold in eastern |
markets higher than 81 per hundred
pounds and general jobbing range
was 80 cents to $1.10. Most large
cities reported supplies moderate to
liberal and demand slow. Carlot
continue to exceed 100
cars per week day.
Low Prices On Cabbage.
Cabbage markets continue dull
everywhere in line with the condition
existing for several weeks past. Still !
lower prices were quoted from Wis
cOnsin producing sections of $4 to
SIS per ton bulk, which is about the
price paid to growers of early cab
bage in Texas. The Texas growers
often find such prices scarcely high
enough to justify hiring labor to
ha arveef the crOn D1lk cabbage has |