Evening star., 1931-12-09
PRODUCE MARKETS
IN UNEVEN TREND
Losses in Some Commodities
Are Offset by Gains
in Others.

The combined production of an ALL
around farm might show little change
| IN market value so far this month. the
price gains and losses being about equas
IA NUMBER and Importance saws tho
onlted states Department of Arricul-
ture. Bureau Of Agricultural Economics.
| MARKET News Service. Supplies of some
iarm products were too liberal for the
SLOW demand prevailing the first week
pn december. There were price de-
| cnnes In live stock, meats, eggs and corn.
The wheat and rye market made strong
recovery under favorable .lews develop
menus. Cotton prices held and dairy
products were fairly steady. Eggs sold
considerably lower and poultry markets
nave tended slightly downward since
| Thanksgiving. Potatoes and cabbage
nold recent gains and the onion market
SHOWS a sharp upward trend.
Potato Markets Unsettled.
Many city potato markets continued
the upward trend of the month before.
Prices held steady in western New
YORK at 70 to rs cents per 100 pounds
| OF Round Whites, but the northern
Maine market was weaker on Green
Mountains at 43 to 48 cents, and the
North Central region was weaker around
90 cents. A stronger market prevailed
Tor Virginia and Louisiana sweet DO
| tatoes, but practically al other receipts
were steady to weaker.
Rising Onion Market.
Advances were the rule the first week
OF December at the important onion
shipping points and In nearly all con-
suming centers. Western New York
yellows returned shippers 81 20 to $1.85
per 50-pound sack, and the fob. price
] In southwestern Michigan was $3.50.
Cabbage shippers In western New York
quoted higher range of $14 to SIS per
ton OF bulk stock, while sacked stock
Wisconsin market was higher at SIS to
$l8 bulk. Western lettuce and Big
Boston from Florida sold lower.
Unsettled apple market still prevailed
In the Potomac Valley area. Yorks
from common storage were bringing
$2.25 per barrel; Grimes, So; Black
Twigs, S2,75, and Staymans at S2.90.
Cold-storage Winesaps ruled $3.50.
Butter Production Watched.
In the absence of any special change
in prices, the butter dealers follow pro-
duction reports quite closely because OF
the important influence that production
exerts over markets which are as ner-
vous as the butter markets have been
| during the past few weeks. Reports
show decreases from the previous week
but increases over the corresponding
week q year ago; November milk reports
show production about per cent great
er than during the same time last year.
|, Cheese markets at centers Of dissri-
button held generally unchanged from
the previous month, except for frac-
honal price shifting at New York and
Chicago. Trading resulted IN only q
moderate volume of goods moved. Cana
dian quotations were sharply lower in
Montreal at TIC to 7.29 cents, appar-
emily in sympathy with sharply lower
quotations on Canadian cheese IN
| London.
Poultry Supply Increasing.
Market receipts of chickens. which
during late October and early November
! had fallen considerably below the cor
responding receipts of 1880, showed q
marked increase after the THANKSGIVING
holiday. In the face of a quiet demand.
some shading of prices occurred in the
EFFORT OF receivers to keep stocks moving
freely into trade channels. The demand
for turkeys continues quiet. Receipts
| are fairly liberal, but most of the stock
Is going into storage for the Christmas
trade.
/ Egg Market SlampS.
Declines OF to 10 cents featured the
early December market on fresh eggs.
Dealers are finding 1t more difficult to
keep the increasing receipts closely
cleared. The market on refrigerator
eggs remains weak and unsettled. In
the future markets considerable heavy
selling on contracts for December and
January delivery caused a decrease Of
cent on these contracts.
Livestock Lower.
Under excessive receipts, as meas
ured by the corresponding periods a
week and q year earlier, and by cur
rent trade requirements, most classes
and grades OF livestock broke through
during the opening week Of December
to new low levels for the current year.
Practically everything sold lower than
IN late November. Declines on the lower
grades OF cattle and yearlings of all
grades were severe. Receipts for the
week at 10 important primary markets
increased approximately $4,000 cattle,
10000 calves, $4,000 hogs and $4,000
sheep, compared with the preceding
week when holiday influences prompted
some curtailment in supplies
The early December wool market
showed less activity than prevailed dur
ing the preceding month, but this dull
ness apparently did not affect the more
conndent feeling that has persisted
since early November.
Feed Supply Increased. t.
The recent sharp upward trend in
ncur mill activity In the Northwest and
Southwest increased offerings of wheat
1eeds, which, together with occasional
weakness IN grain markets and con-
tlnued SLOW demand from feeders, again
forced prices of bran and middlings to
lower levels after the first of the
month. Cottonseed meal prices aver
aged lower and linseed meal prices
also showed slight downward revisions.
Prices of gluten feed and meal were
mostly unchanged, but hominy feed
tended lower.
Wheat Markets Strengthen.
Domestic wheat markets strength
ened materially In early December, de-
spite the unsettled conditions in for
eign markets Reduced offerings. to-
gether with a coed mill demand, were
principally responsible for the flrner
tope. Corn, on the other hand, was
weak as result of continued slow
market demand. Receipts were unusu-
ally light, but easily sufficient for cur
rent trade requirements. Rye, oats and
barley were firmer with wheat and
prices OF these grains advanced to q
cents per bushel. Flax markets
strengthened, principally as result Of
light supplies.