Evening star., 1933-04-23
LIVE STOCK PRICES
At RECENT LEVELS
Market Fails to Join UpsWing
in Grains and
Cotton.
BY FRANK I. WELLER,
Associated Press Farm Editor.

The spirit of imitation evades the
stock yards.
While cotton and grain markets have
been soaring to new highs for the sea
son, live stock values have been limpine
along under the dead weight of slug
gish carcass trade. Cattle prices did
well to break even with q week ago
hogs frankly went to new lows in in
stances and lambs hit the customary
postmaster skids.
There wasn't hairs breadth of
change in fat cattle at Chicago. Long
yearlings topped at 81, the same Is q
week ago, and likewise comparatively
few sold for more than $6.25 per hun
dredweight. In the main. it was Q
$425 to $5.75 market, whereas . week
ago the bulk turned at S4.25 to $6. The
big markets farther West duplicated
the Chicago trend but on price levels
averaging lower. according to their dis
tance from eastern consuming centers.
Receipts Are Large.
Chicago had the biggest run Of cat
tie since mid-December and the dressed
beef market was sluggish and unevenly
lower. It showed increased numbers
of common and medium grade offer
ings which continued to sell at 81 to
$3.50 There also was a little larger
supply of good to near-choice yearlings
and light steers selling at SIS to $5.75.
Such offerings dipped on killer account
but promptly got support from replace
ment buyers who for weeks have been
short of qualities steers scaling 700-s00
pounds.
Shippers always were on the lookout
for e%rin Oh 1SoI,
steers, but the available supply was in
from now until July may continue rela-
lively small. The liberal run of bull
ocks, however, discredits those prophets
who have been foreseeing q scarcity
of heavy steers.
Replacement demand had broadened
but the available supply Of suitable
cattle still Is very short. Finishers in
most instances plan short, intensive
turn to catch the fat market during
the next few months when prices are
expected t. work consider blv higher.
Until "e-y recently thsse twc-Way cattle
have been taken actively by killers.
Since TIE financial situation has been
nended and mere country banks
cpeaed, countrymen have bcccme in
tcrestcd in grazing cattle at all mar
kets. Taking the big feeder markets as
a whole. more cattle have been going
out since January than year ago.
Increased receipts of hogs and a
dull demand sent prices to new lows of
the season at Chicago when the top
stood at $3.75 at midweek. The trade
took on bullishnes later and much of
the decline was recovered but closing
values were weak to 10 cents lower
than week ago. Other markets ranged
from cents lower at Omaha to Is
cents lower at East st. Louis.
New Crop Hogs.
A noticeable change took place in
the weeks run of hogs, there being
fewer big weights and more of the new
crop. Estimates placed the percentage
of Fall pigs in this weeks supply at
so per cent. Eastern centers reported
as high as rs to 80 per cent. The
average weight at Chicago dropped
from 256 pounds to 237 pounds and
the closing top advanced to S395-the
same as week ago and 5 cents under
the peak established on April IA.
The general price tendency for
slaughter sheep and lambs has been
downward since Easter. In other words,
Spring lambs toppled in the usual sea-
sonal manner and got down to q regu-
lar instead of holiday basis. Fed
lambs declined 10 to is cents and
Spring lambs worked SO to IS cents
lower on most markets. Native springers
did not pass 81 on the late sessions
at Chicago.
1t seemed to be the idea that live
stock values could not rise as did cotton
and grain because the product was per-
ishable from day to day and required
increased purchasing power in COM
mercial centers.