Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-24
LIVE STOCK PRICES
IN SLIGHT DECLINE
YearIings and Heavy Steers
Advance, but Other Classes
Are Easy.
Associated Press Farm Editor.
BY FRANK /. WELLER,

The ascent downturn on plain. ordi-
nary beef cattle shows that the market
got just a little bit too good
For two months the scramble for
choice carcasses, almost a thing Of the
past, carried lower grades of cattle no
the ladder with strictly grainfeds. In
the dressed market, however, the In
ferior beef failed to sell on anything
like the parity with choice stuff in the
hoof market and all grassers and short
feds-now by far the bulk OF receipts
had to take q cut in price.
Advance I'm YearIines.
Buyers have everything except strict
ly granted kinds with quality under
pressure, which means that they not
only are attempting to widen the price
range between grassers and si1ortfeds
but also between merely good granted
steers and toppy offerings
Whereas strictly choice yearlings adj
vanced IS cents and heavies worked rs
to so cents higher under exceedingly
light supplies, all other classes were un-
evenly easy to so cents lower. The
race for that small proportion Of the
steer crop grading choice and prime
shot the top on yearlings to $10.25 and
the top on heavies to $685.. Western
grassers, however, sold IS low as $3.50
to $3.50.
Last weeks increase of approximately
40. 900 head at the II large markets as
sisted the buying side in its determina
ticn to purchase cattle more on beef
merit.
Western grass cattle look compara-
lively cheap against shortfed natives,
but the latter have been rather artifi-
cially lifted by more or less runaway
market on strictly granted steers and
now are on the decline. The Western
grass run of 1000 head at Chicago was
by far the largest Of the season.
From now until october there will
be q heavy run Of grass cattle and fed
stock viii decrease in numbers. It may
be possible to elevate the latter an
other so cents, but they already have
advanced 50 since the low time IN May
and considering the condition Of con-
sumptive power II likely viii be hard
to move beef at higher prices
The better grade Of steer meat was
so cents higher in New York last week,
prices going into the best brackets for
several months.
Replacement cattle continue rela-
lively scarce and prices have advanced
more higher than the seasons low time
and the country acts as If It does not
want to buy on that basis
The hog situation Is not SO good.
After declining last week, prices broke
rather sharply from an early advance
and closed Is to IS. cents lower The
average quality of the supply Is quite
plain. in view OF the liberal marketing
of unfinished Spring crop hogs. Feed
ers seem to have no particular conf
dence IN the market
Bearish Factors.
There Is q set Of three distinctly
bearish factors; the heavy storage
stocks, the poor foreign trade and the
low domestic buying power
Cooler weather, however. always Is n
help in the pork market Loins, which
represent per cent of the hog carcass,
sold the highest of the year in New
York last week.
While pork loins were up 50 and the
better grades of steer beef so cents,
veal, calf and lamb meat lost 81 to So.
Fat lambs were SO to rs cents lower
and sheep so cents lower under the
largest supply Of the season--400 900
head compared with 3e4 900 last week.
The heavy receipts developed one Of
the big trade issues Of the season.
Packers tried to institute system of
buying which gave their own sorters
the power 10 determine the number Of
lambs eligible to specific grades. The
plan was bitterly opposed by connmis-
sion men and rejected, but 1t all sifted
down to unusually heavy sorting In the
fore part OF the week.
Killers again competed strongly with
countrymen for thin range lambs dur
ing late sessions. Recent dressed ac-
cumulations apparently had been work.
ed on. Prices rebounded and the bulk
OF feeding lambs went out at IS TO
$5.75.