A YEAR OF WEATHER AND TRADE. 443 



trade reports were consequently more cheerful from southern cities. 

 An abundance of forage supplies was now certain. The western farmers 

 regained courage; the rush of cattle and hogs to market stopped. The 

 pressure in this line being removed, many of the cattle which had been 

 sent to market were not slaughtered, but were kept to be fattened. 

 Hence a great accumulation of skins was no longer expected. The 

 most unfavorable trade reports naturally came from the central west 

 and southwest, where the loss from drought had been greatest. Kansas 

 City, however, reported that anxiety had been followed by 'a feeling 

 of relief and hopefulness. ' Cancellations stopped, as country merchants 

 took new courage. July bank clearings at Kansas City were the largest 

 on record, because of the heavy receipts of cattle and hogs, but for the 

 country as a whole bank clearings for July were adversely affected by 

 the heat and drought. Fluctuations in corn continued, as conflicting 

 reports of greater or less loss were given currency. Good spring-wheat 

 reports, and liberal arrivals at interior cities, weakened prices of that 

 staple. Cotton was weaker, owing to the arrival of needed rains. 



While the tide of trade turned distinctly after the drought, and there 

 was a generally cheerful tone everywhere on account of the seasonable 

 weather and favorable crop outlook, the heat and dry weather con- 

 tinued to affect trade in various ways for many weeks. The shortage 

 in corn and potatoes led to an increased demand for rice, and trade in 

 canned goods and dried vegetables was stimulated by the scarcity of 

 fresh vegetables and fruit. In the southwest, especially, the scarcity 

 of fruit and vegetables gave the local commission houses a large business 

 in fruit and produce. Meats and dairy products remained high, ' partly 

 owing to the fear of smaller supplies later in the season, due to the 

 early marketing of young and unf attened stock, ' and partly because of 

 the high price of corn. As late as September 7 nearly all the lumber 

 mills in Oregon closed down on account of the unsatisfactory condi- 

 tion of the market resulting from the crop shortage in eastern sections. 



The special feature of the week ending August 17 was the effect 

 upon southern trade of a West India hurricane, which gave very heavy 

 rains over some of the southern states, and on the Louisiana coast alone 

 did damage to growing crops, chiefly rice, estimated at $1,000,000. 



At the end of the second week in September, with the coming of 

 cooler weather, summer travel fell off decidedly in Maine and else- 

 where, and retail trade in many of the larger cities improved with the 

 return of the summer absentees. 



Abnormally cool weather, with local frosts, prevailed east of the 

 Eocky Mountains during the week ending September 21. Corn, cotton 

 and dairy products advanced in consequence. The immediate effect 

 of these lower temperatures was to stimulate the demand for fall and 



