1903-12, with the preceding ten years, 1893-1902, it ap- 

 pears that the price of wheat (Xo. 2 red, Chicago) advanced 

 32 per cent, the wholesale price of flour advanced 29 per cent, 

 and the retail price of flonr advanced only 28 per cent. 



The price of hogs advanced about 33 per cent; the whole- 

 sale price of hams advanced 24 per cent, and retail price of 

 smoked hams advanced about 32 per cent; retail smoked 

 bacon advanced 55 per cent, and pork chops advanced 41 

 per cent; the wholesale price of lard advanced 31 per cent 

 and the retail price advanced about 30 per cent. The price 

 of steers (Chicago) advanced 24 per cent; the wholesale price 

 of beef advanced 23 per cent; the retail price of sirloin 

 steak advanced 19 per cent; round steak advanced 30 per 

 cent; and rib roast advanced 23 per cent. The price of 

 sheep advanced 19 per cent, and the wholesale price of mut- 

 ton advanced 36 per cent; the retail price is jiot given. 



The average farm price of potatoes on December 1 of the 

 ten years, 1903-12, as estimated yearly by the Department 

 of Agriculture, was about 26 per cent higher than for the pre- 

 ceding 10 years, whereas the retail price advanced in the 

 same period about 29 per cent. 



It would appear from the figures quoted that whatever be 

 the margin between the producer's price and the consumer's 

 price it has not widened much, if any, during the last twenty 

 years of advancing prices. 



WEATHER OF JUNE. 



The weather of the month was of the average midsummer 

 type, with temperature about the normal, and rainfall irregu- 

 larly distributed, and, generally speaking, below the average 

 for June. The daily temperatures were without marked ex- 

 tremes, the maxima ranging in the 80's on many days, but 

 seldom above 90°, and the night temperatures in the 60's, ex- 

 cepting during the closing week, when the nights were 

 warmer. In some sections there was a scarcity of rain, and 

 droughty conditions prevailed during the later, half of the 

 month, while in others heavy rains attending local storms 

 gave precipitation near or above the seasonal average. There 



