Evening star., 1932-02-13

cultural economies, mdTkeL news SeTV.
ice. Price gains were fairly numerous
in leading lines Of fresh products and
there were few imprtant declines. Ship
ments and track holdings are not large
enough to exert any great pressure OF
supplies.
| Onions again led of with small but
fairly widespread advances. Potato
prices were slightly irregular, but gen.
erally well maintained. Some cabbage
markets recovered part Of recent losses
Sweet potatoes have followed fairly
steady course in most centers OF trade
Apples showed little further change, but
the trend has been slightly downward
since the first Of the year, at . time
when apple prices ought to be rising a
season.
When compared with year ago. the
market on fresh produce seems to have
done fairly we'll during period OF ex-
tremely severe declines in the commodity
| markets. Cabbage and carrots are
somewhat higher than they were year
ago and onions are selling at six times
the price of February, 1881. Southern
| lettuce and celery are close to last sea-
sons level Some Northern fruits and
vegetables, including apples. potatoes
and sweet potatoes, sell much lower this
season, although the larger yield partly
offsets the weaker price range for these
lines.
Potato Market Irregular.
There was little in the potato market
news during the first part OF February
| to move the price trend either way. 1t
| is the dull time OF year for this product
Holdings are fairly well known In late
| Winter. Shipments are at limited
| volume and demand quite steady.
| Course of values responds mainly to oc-
| casional interference from weather con-
| ditions and in some degree to the
progress of the early Southern crop.
| Shipments are lighter than at this
| time last year, but tend to increase on
any slight upturn in prices. Slow, dull
markets prevailed in nearly all produc-
! ing sections In the Rochester district
i there was a slightly weaker tone re-
! ported without much change in price.
! Growers were being paid Csc to 3oc
bulk per bushel for No. l stock and
dealers were selling sacked potatoes
around 68c per 100 pounds. Distribution
of the shipments continues satisfactory.
! Most of the carloads are going to points
| in Pennsylvania. Virginia. or the Caro-
linas. Prices are steady in the Middle
! West and Far West.
A range of 40c to Toe covers most
sales in the potato belt from Maine
west to the Pacific Coast. Seed stock,
of course, sells at special prices. De-
mand for seed potatoes is light. The
February market for Maine potatoes
has been very dull and prices have
continued close to the lowest points.
| Shipments from the State are now
tagging about $500 carloads behind
| those of the corresponding date last
season. In only one week since the be-
ginning Of the season have Maine
potato shipments exceeded or equaled
the movement Of the corresponding
! week last season
| Receipts in Eastern markets are
| moderate to fairly liberal. A few car
loads from Canada were reported at
Boston. Demand is fairly good in New
York and Boston. but slow in other
large Eastern cities. New potatoes are
| not vet arriving in quantities large
enough to affect the market much. al
though considerable stock from Cuba,
Porto Rico and Bermuda was offered in
New York, and Florida Bliss Triumphs
are selling in that market rather low
at 50 to So so per bushel.
Maine Green Mountain potatoes sell
at nearly unchanged prices in leading
markets with a jobbing range of 80
cents to sl10, although Washington
reached top at sl35 and Atlanta quoted
little stock at $3.50 Fancy Prince
Edward Island potatoes brought Sl.60
per 90 pounds in Boston. New York
and Pennsylvania round white varieties
were quoted at IS cents to S115, and
usually little below the level Of Maine
potatoes in the same market. Chicago
carlot market is steady with 80 cents
per 100 pounds the ruling price and a
steady position on sales for March and
April delivery.
Sweets Irregular.
Markets for sweet potatoes appeared
rather unsettled. A few lines, including
Virginia and Tennessee stock, sold a
little higher. but some other kinds were
slightly lower in few markets. Vir-
ginia potatoes sold in few cities at
35 cents to 70 cents per bushel. Della
ware and Maryland sweets of the Jersey
type followed a jobbing range OF so
cents to 85 cents. and North Carolina
Porto Ricans sold slightly below this
stock, although best lots brought IS
cents in Washington. Maryland and
Delaware white yams were quoted 40
cents to 60 cents in Philadelphia, and
some ungraded stock in barrels at $l.25
in Baltimore. Supplies of sweet po-
tatoes are fairly liberal in most Eastern
markets, but reported limited in Boston.
Demand Is slow in nearly all markets.
Carrots Selling Well.
Active trading in carrots was some
| what unusual feature of the market the
first two weeks of February. Apparently
a certain amount of speculation was
taking place at country shipping points,
causing prices to rise above the level OF
jobbing sales in Eastern cities. Many
lots in Western New York brought 81
per 100 pounds for unwashed sacked
= stock, while in New York City jobbing
sales were being made at $1-70 to 81 85,
and in the three leading Eastern mar
kets $3.50 was top price obtained for
washed carrots, bushel pack. But price
trend was upward in most Eastern mar
| kets- Shipments this season are still
! ahead of those of last year, when the
last year $50 cars were shipped from
New York producing districts. Accord
ing to local trade information, less than
half this quantity remains to be shipped
this season.
Onion Market Firm.
General trend of the onion market
has been slightly upward thus far in
repi piudiy, VIII lew lui 1iieL gains viz
second week of the month. Prices East
and West at country shipping points dc
not vary much from 81 per 50-pound
sack in large lots. Quiet conditions pre-
vailed in Eastern producing sections. A
limited amount of trading was reported
in the Rochester district at $1.85 tC
$2.15 per SO pounds, and an occasional
car of large sizes as high as $2.25. Not
many car lots of 100-pound sacks were
reported. The output from New York
this season is about 500 carloads behind
that of last season and 400 under
that of the season before the CORE
spending date. Eastern holdings OF
onions and also carrots appear to be
largely in possession of dealers. job
bing prices in Eastern markets follow
a steady range at SITS to $3.50 per 81
| cfocL from n.