Evening star., 1933-04-16
LIVE STOCK PRICES
/ SHOW F|RMER TONE
Spring Lambs Prove Feature
on Upside-Hogs Go
Against Trend.
BY FRANK I. WELLER,
Associated Press Farm Editor.

There is a better tone but little basic
improvement in the general cattle
trade. continued weakness in hogs and
q rather upward movement in Spring
lambs.
Except FOR big-weight offerings, the
Chicago price advanced 25 to 40 cents
on cattle, the top going to 81, compared
with $3.50 a week ago The peak price,
however, was paid for speciality cattle
of the market. AS a matter of fact,
. comparatively few sales were made
above $625 which was about the situ-
alton last week.
Premium for Quality.
One thing the advanced top did show
was willingness of both packer and
shipper to pay premium for quality
The several loads Of light steers and
long yearlings which hit the ceiling
showed a higher degree of finish than
has been customary Of late.
There were two explanations of the
rather surprising activity in cattle. The
dressed beef market improved slightly
and the continued small If not dwin-
ding run of better-grade steers mott
waited the selling side into anticipating
considerably higher prices during the
next few months. Several well versed
members of the buying fraternity, how.
ever, failed to share this bullishness.
Nevertheless. Eastern shippers and
order buyers were out early after choice
grades of steers of all representative
weights, the kinds which have been
scarce recently and which. it is be-
lieved. will run rather meagerly during
the next 60 days. In a broad way it
was $4.25 to s6 market, very few
cattle showing much beef merit selling
under 81. At the same time the quota
above $6 is small although active, and
the readiness with which shippers paid
$6 to $6.25 for medium-weights and up
to S6 for heavies indicated that prime
long yearlings may soon break through
the 81 mark to new top. They got up
to $3.50 during the bank holiday, but
subsequently ranged down to a prac-
tical top Of s640 The fairly depend
able beef trade Is usual feature Of
the closing days of the Lenten period,
and there is activity in the heavy steer
trade despite Jewish holidays which will
continue during the early part of next
week.
Supply on Feed.
The supply of cattle on feed April
] was officially regarded as 10 per cent
over a year ago, but the meager run of
prime beef types seems to insure an
active market on kinds with weight
selling at SIS and on yearlings eligible
to S575 and better. All interests ap-
pear to want the limited supply of So
called cheap" light steers, buying such
kinds in preference to comparable
grade medium weights.
Although hog receipts decreased in
the aggregate at the leading centers,
the market was sluggish and uneven
from day to day. The top dropped to
$3.50 on the initial session at Chicago
and late SO go was paid, but sparingly
Good to choice 170-240-pound weights
bulked at S375 to S385 and most ESQ
290-pound averages turned at $3.50 to
&375.
The $3.50 top was the lowest since
March 2 and was influenced by ex-
tremely narrow shipper demand and the
fact that big packers bought fewer hogs
than usual. Chicago shippers sent out
only 5000 hogs, compared with $4,000
for the corresponding week year ago.
There were not many choice light
weight hogs in the rum and if shipping
orders had been normal this kind prob
ably would have brought a premium
Some members OF the trade believe new
crop hors comprise hardly 10 per cent
OF current receipts.
Lamb Prices Advance.
Spring lambs advanced sharply the
moment stable orders for the Easter
trade appeared large killers paying
S8.25 to $3.50 for 60-74-pound springers
Buyers tried repeatedly, but without
much success, to beat down the market,
but deficiency of prime kinds was a
sta bilizer.