AMERICAN AGRIGrXTURIST 
125 
The season of Lent always has its effect on the cattle 
markets. Live animals of all kinds have heeu fewer in 
number than for the same period last month. There 
have been more sellers, and consequently smaller droves 
were offered. Buyers for large lots were few, and " ped- 
dling" always makes a slow market. The storms inter- 
fered with the prompt arrival of stock, and many buyers 
■would wait until afternoon, hoping new arrivals would 
give them a better selection. While the market last 
month was brisk, this month finds it very slow — many of 
the best sales being made late in the afternoon. The 
supply has been quite even, and equal to the demand, but 
not at any time exceeding it. Some days sellers thought 
au extra 100 head would turn the chances against them, 
and they would have to sell at a sacrifice. Sometimes 
60c. a head on cattle would lose them a buyer, so close 
were the bargains made Beef. — For good, sleek 
Bteers, prices kept rather even during the month, with a 
plight downward tendency; at the close, few sales were 
made at the highest figure quoted in the following list, 
which gives the range of prices, average price, and the 
figures at which the largest lots were sold: 
Feb. nth ranged 12@20c. A v. 1G':e. Largest sales 1".^@17H 
do 21th do llW.'Oc. do 17',,-r. <lo do Hi WIS 
Mur. 2d do Kxa-Mc do 17 c. do do l.v^i/.ii:', 
do 9th do 12@1'jc. do W%c. do do 15 @17 
The week ending Feb. 33d, Washington's birthday, 
gave us some fine, premium cattle ; one pair of 6 yr. old 
Bteers, we think not excelled by anything that has been 
in the market for months. They were grade Shorthorns, 
fed for 2 years by Geo. Preston; weighed 50S0 Tbs., and 
were sold to one of our fancy butchers for 20c. per lb., or 
$GG0, as they netted 3300 tbs. These steers did not have 
special care, beyond that given to the remainder of the 
drove, and is a good instance of the readiness with which 
Shorthorns and their grades lay on fat ; the rest of this 
drove brought 10.J7J10' ic. Another lot of 24 head from 
Dutchess Co., weighing 0' 4 cwt. dressed, were very pret- 
ty steers, sold quickly at lST^lOc., aud were cheap. In a 
very fat lot of 10 head from Ohio, one large pair brought 
$075, or about 19'/2C. per lb. net. The week ending March 
2d presented many fine cattle ; one car load from Genesee 
" Co., very extra, but not large, steers, sold for 2txfi.11c. 
per tb. With these exceptions the market kept pretty 
even as to quality ; the supply of oxen and dry cows was 
very much smaller than last month. The few best in 
each drove would sell readily, and the rest slowly in lots 
of from 4 to 10 head, at H to !ic. less than the "tops." 
Some lots were so even that a choice seemed hardly nec- 
essary, the animals each weighing about 1200 tbs. live 
weight. Such cattle are rather young for our butchers, 
the preference being for older and heavier cattle. To 
sum up : our market for a month has been very steady, 
both in quality and price ; while some few animals have 
brought a high price, above even Christmas prices, the 
average has been higher also. This is accounted for by 
the fact that they sold in small lots to be immediate- 
ly killed and retailed, and smaller profits were looked for. 
Dealers look for a decline when western transportation 
gets settled — Mileli Cows.— Good cows have been a 
little more plenty this month, with about the same num- 
ber of head in market. A good cow seldom brings more 
than $101), though a few extras with their calves, sold for 
tll0@$116. The general price for a fair cow is $60@$S0; 
while poor milkers, and thin, old cows, sell slow at $HX& 
$30. Sales have been slow, mostly to city milkmen, 2 and 
3 at a time, at t«@$7o a head... Veal CalTCS.— 
Veals have been scape, and sell quickly at 10®14c. per 
lb. live weight. Fewer " Hog-dressed " calves have come 
in, and everything, alive or dead, has been sold quickly. 
Dressed calves have sold as high as 18c., but most of 
them go off for 157211.1' w.. and UH@18c. is considered a 
good price for ordinary live calves. A calf which came 
in with a lot of cattle from Dutchess Co.. sold for $66; 
he was (i months old and very fat Sheep.— There is 
quite an Increase in numbers over those of last month, 
and prices remain about the same ; good lots bring "(TW 1 i 
@8c per 1b. A lot of 30 South-downs, extra fat, and av- 
eraging 187] ; it,„ , brought 9c. Some light, lots from Ohio 
sold as low as 5J4C For the week ending March 2d, we 
had reached as high as n>;c. for extra lots, whole car 
loads selling readily at S^c. At present writing some 
sales have been made as high as 10c. a lb. ; these were 
Janre Canada sheep, five of -which brought $8 each, and 
four $12.50 each. These are high prices. ...Swine.— 
Receipts are small for this season, and prices keep Ugh. 
Sales are made quickly at 0. i ,.-.. live weight ; if very fat, 
10c. maybe had. Western dressed hogs sell readily for 
10'J^ll ' ; e.; these come in slowly and find a ready mar- 
ket. Those packers who looked for lower prices have 
been disappointed. and are obliged to take Western dress- 
ed, quite too small for their purpose, or do without. This 
soon exhausted the supply, and for the week ending 
March 0th. there were only 737 in market, sclliugat 12' ji~, 
12'jC. Parkers still believe in a downward tendency, 
and steadily refuse to give over 9PiO*,'r.. live weight. 
As we close our report, prices are working downward 
aud Bales slow, with, 19 car loads lu market unsold. 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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"That Troubles a Good Many People." 
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-~ s I required 
£S !! at | at 
£ *1.50| $1. 
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29— Piano. Splenriid"iact.(SleiuwayttSons)*C)-iO no 510 
30— Ladies' Gnbl Watch (Beautiful) $100 00 1:'.') 
31— Silver Watch f Valuable lime Keeper) ..$31 50! 
3i— Double Jlurrel Gun (Caoper ■(• PondL.tSt) 00. 
3.3— Repealing shot Gun (Paper Pifle O>.)..$ro 00 
34— Spencer' sllreech-laarliua tl'tlei Hunting)^-, 00. 
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3tf-rn.se of Mathematical Instruments $0 00 
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40— Barometer ( Woodruff's Mercurial). .. .$12 00 
41— Barometer (Woodruff's Mercurial) $ts 00' 
4-9— Buckeye Mowing Machine. No. '2. .. $115 00i 
43— Allen's Patent Cylinder Plow, etc $10 50 
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7'i—Doic ailiu's Landscape Garden',/ 
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O $17 51), 
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S St *'-"■! W' 
I" 3 $15 00 
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o J $20 OO 1 
£ g. $15 oo: 
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S? 135 on 
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p.2 $50 00! 
8h $r,o on ! 
a $75 00| 
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