Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-19
LIVESTOCK PRICES
CONTINUE UPWARD
Small Supply Results in Ad-
vance-Weighty Steers
in Demand.
BY FRANK 1. WELLER,

The cattle market seems to depend
for the time being on the activity Of
order buyers.
It is a more or less rule of thumb
situation. Not in years has the proper
ton Of strictly granted steers and
yearlings been so small. They repre-
sent the beef shippers with Eastern con-
nect.ons want. Naturally, the grades
competed for are inclined to advance
and as they go up the kinds substituted
when buyers have to dig deeper into the
list share in the upturn.
Chicago had to substitute as far down
in the crop as $3.50 stock to fill orders
which would have taken 1915 to $40
animals.
Yearlings' Price Increased.
The result was a 50-cent increase In
the price of good and choice long year.
lings while toward the close of the week
buyers were out after the grassers and
short-feds paying prices fully steady
with late last week and in instances 10
to 25 cents higher. Common and me-
dunn offerings advanced % centS-fur-
ther evidence that lower grades seem to
gain most of their strength from the
lIldL IIleTc are no cUOuSll lOppy
cattle to go around.
Weighty steers, the pacemakers for
weeks, are still out in front. But the
spread between a choice load Of long
yearlings and a choice load of heavies
has narrowed considerably, even if the
bullocks did advance 25 cents in most
cases.
Good fed cattle and the better grass
ers held their own at Kansas City, but
the average Western killing steer lost 25
TO so cents under increased receipts. In
general way that was about the trend
of affairs at Omaha and East st. Louis.
Mixed trends developed in the hog
market, as receipts increased $4,000
head over last week around the circuit
Most markets experienced advances
for the first three days, but closed any
where from Is to 35 cents lower than
week ago, with the possible excep-
ton of 100 to 280 pound weights at
Chicago. At one time light lights
gained 10 to 25 cents on the same
market and pigs advanced so to IS
cents.
The outcropping of number of
potent factors make it difficult to
evaluate the week. performance. Re-
duced marketing and increased demand
for underWeights after the severe drub-
hing of a week earlier had considerable
influence on the sharp advance in that
division. Heavy butchers and packing
sows continue TO arrive in meager num-
bers and. since lard prices are working
higher, there is reason to believe such
weights may improve.
Pork Provisions.
Despite the strength in lard. other
pork provisions did not change ma
terially. The fresh pork market
strengthened some at Chicago, but
prices at most of the Eastern centers.
which were relatively high week ago,
were reduced.
Fat lambs bobbed back into line with
the sensational level of two weeks ago.
It may have been because of last weeks
almost perpendicular drop from that
level that the country closed down on
we'll finished lambs. Receipts were
curtailed TO a greater extent than buy
ers anticipated and prices made gains
ranging from so cents to SIPS, with
the market highest at the close OF the
week
The scramble for business when ship
peIs returned to the market with
urgent orders created a condition
almost unheard of during recent
months. Its ability to recover losses
seems the most noteworthy feature OF
the sheep and lamb market. For a
time it looked like an So market on
strictly choice, but a concerted effort
by big killers stopped the advance at
800 on load of fine Colorados.