Tht RURAL NEW.YORKER 
543 
Market Newsand 
Prices 
Countrywide Produce Situation 
DEMAND CONTI NTFS TOOK FOlt STORED 
VEGETABLES AND PRICES LOW—APPLES 
SIT!.], DOING FAIRLY WELL- 
GROWERS PREPARING TO MEET 
NEW CONDITIONS 
The market season for stored vegetables 
is drawing toward the close without any¬ 
thing at all like a blaze of glory. The 
price contrast with conditions a year ago 
is as marked as the changes of weather 
lately. If last season’s short crop and 
this season’s great yield had been changed 
about the result might have been less 
extreme, because the consuming power 
was much greater during the business 
activity of 1919-1020. and a lighter crop 
this season would most likely have been 
enough for the reduced demand. 
NOW AND A YEAR AGO 
A year ago the average city wholesale 
price in 10 leading cities for large lots of 
potatoes was $5.75 per 100 lbs. Now it 
is $1.35. Onions. $0.25 per 100 lbs.; now 
70c: new cabbage, $0 25 per bbl.; now 
$3.50; best cold storage apples of stand¬ 
ard varieties. $8.75 per bbl.; now $5 50. 
Apples make the best relative showing, 
because the high cost of barrels and stor¬ 
age limited the amount of late-keeping 
stock. ^ et the stock of barreled apples 
in cold storage March 1 was 020.000 bar¬ 
rels more, or about 45 per cent increase 
over a year ago. although there are fewer 
Western boxed apples. The real supports 
of the apple markets are the lower price 
and abundance of sugar and the activity 
of the foreign markets which have taken 
large supplies right through the season. 
Recent prices in London and Liverpool 
average about $8. which show nets of 
about the same as in the home markets. 
Apples are becoming too soft for export 
and the domestic trade will have to ab¬ 
sorb the rest, with severe competition 
from oranges. Probably what is left of 
the crop will find a market, which is 
more than can he said of the vegetable 
crops. 
LITTLE DEMAND FOR VEGETABLES 
Onions in some localities are reported 
being dumped by the holders. A dealer 
mentions buying fine large onions at 10c 
per bushel from growers in Western New 
^ ork, and the market there is not quite 
so poor as in parts of the West, where 
reports often indicate lack of demand at 
any price. 
The Texas onion crop is beginning to 
move at just the wrong time for the in¬ 
terests of both file Northern and Southern 
growers. The crop will be perhaps 1.500 
cars less than last year, but there will 
still be probably 4.000 cars and a thou¬ 
sand or two more from California and 
Louisiana if the growers think it will pay 
to ship them all. 
M hat is left of the old cabbage crop 
is likewise almost unsalable, but growers 
can feed it to cattle, while the onion 
grower is helpless. 
Y\ ith potatoes it seems to be an even 
chance whether the crop will all move 
out. The late February rise brought in¬ 
creased supplies and the average whole¬ 
sale city price is back to a range of $1 
fo $1.50 per 100 lbs. and the country 
range 50c to $1. New potatoes are ready 
in Texas and Florida, but the supply of 
new stock will not be great for months 
to come. 
A FUTURE FOR SWEETS 
Southern growers of sweet potatoes are 
doing well with their late held stock. It 
is plain that the Southern sweet potato 
will compete with the white potato more 
and more. The late crop of the Southern 
States, if thoroughly dried, will hold up 
well, even in the warm weather late in 
the season. The rapid increase of drying 
and storage plants means the steady in¬ 
crease of supplies during the later months 
of the shipping season. The South is 
capable of shipping enormous quantities 
when the keeping problem has been solved 
for a larger proportion of the crop. The 
sweet potato crop is almost as large as 
the potato crop of Canada and is about 
one-fourth the size of the white potato 
crop in this couutry. 
a few crops paid 
A few Southern crops have been paying 
unusually well. These are lines not 
usually considered of much importance 
and not heavily planted, including egg¬ 
plant. peppers, celery and strawberries. 
W hile Florida and Texas growers were 
plowing under excellent crops of spinach, 
lettuce and cabbage they were getting 40c 
per qt. for strawberries and $3 to $5 per 
crate for the somewhat neglected vege¬ 
tables mentioned. Perhaps there is a 
hint in that for northern market gard¬ 
eners. 
MEETING NEW CONDITIONS 
The general farm situation has not 
seemed so mixed and uncertain since the 
early 90’s. Farmers hardly know what 
and how much to plant. The prospect of 
lower cost is somewhat encouraging. Farm 
labor is down 25 to 50 per cent less than 
last year in most sections, but many 
growers feel unable to risk another year 
of heavy losses and will go slowly in 
paying out what money they have left. 
There is a tendency in the South, which 
is especially hard hit. to go in for crops 
that can be grown without much hired 
labor or used for self-support. They are 
planting more gardens, raising more eggs 
and meat, and probably will plant less 
cotton, tobacco and grain. The West 
seems to have more commercial courage 
left, although many Western producers 
will find it hard to raise money for Spring 
expenses. 
The East did fairly well with its dairy 
products and fruits and with some of its 
miscellaneous crops. Eastern farmers are 
near the consuming centers and average 
somewhat more for their truck crops. 
Apparently they will go a little slow on 
such crops this season, but in general they 
are not in such straights as the truck 
farmers in the South and West. 
'Phe general farm situation is reflected 
in the official reports of prices of farms, 
which seem to have declined 10 to 25 per 
cent, compared with last season. This 
rate of decline hardly indicates discour¬ 
agement, but it does suggest less of the 
speculative enthusiasm which raged in 
some sections during war times and since. 
On the other hand, quite a number of 
farm producers are drifting back to the 
country and looking for farms to buy or 
rent. The rents, too. in many localities 
are somewhat lower this season. 
G. B. p. 
Philadelphia Wholesale Markets 
BUTTER 
Best creamery, 49 to 50c; good to 
choice. 44 to 47c; lower grades, 35 to 
40c; ladles, 22 to 24c; packing stock, 
30 to 21c. 
EGGS 
Best nearby, 34 to 36c; gathered; good 
to choice, 25 to 30c. 
LIVE POULTRY 
Chickens, 40 to 45c; roosters, 24 to 
25c; fowls, 38 to 40c; ducks, 30 to 45c; 
geese, 28 to 32c. 
DRESSED POULTRY 
Turkeys. 55 to 00c; fowls, 32 to 38c: 
chickens. 32 to 40c; ducks, 35 to 40c; 
geese. 30 to 32c. 
FRUITS 
Apples, bbl., $3 to $0; strawberries, 
qt., 15 to 35c. 
VEGETABLES 
Potatoes, cwt., 75c to $1.15; %-bu. 
basket, 20 to 50c; sweet potatoes, %-bu. 
basket. $1 to $1.50: onions, 100 lbs.. 75c 
to $1.15; carrots, bbl., $1.50 to $3; cab¬ 
bage, ton, $5 to 10. 
IIAY AND STRAW 
Timothy, No. 2. $23 to $24; No. 3. $21 
to $22; sample, $18 fo $20 ; clover mixed. 
$20 to $22.50. Straw, rye, $16 to $17: 
wheat, $15 to $10.50. 
Pittsburgh Wholesale Markets 
BUTTER 
Best 51 to 52c: common 
47 to 50c; rolls, 35 to 30e. 
to good, tub, 
EGGS 
IF RAILROADS WERE CLOSED 
What would happen if the railroad 
men. trying to hold their present college 
"yofessors* salaries, should go on strike? 
The cities could worry along for months. 
The city dealers have on hand in their 
stores, cellars and warehouses regularly 
about two months’ normal supply of po¬ 
tatoes. There are usually plenty of ap¬ 
ples in storage. The stored -supply of 
'"'ions would last nearly 15 weeks, pro- 
v'ded the motor trucks could equalize the 
supply. The retail dealers alone some¬ 
times hold as many as 1.000 cars. The 
stored supply of cabbage in Utica would 
apparently last at least a month. These 
figures assume that the trucks and wag- 
mis would operate as usual, bringing for¬ 
ward other supplies within trucking dis¬ 
tance. As a matter of fact, the supplies 
brought in by such means would no doubt 
veatl.v increase if the oarlot supply was 
shut off. Nearby families would be in- 
e'ined to sell some of the surplus kept for 
t’'”ir own use if prices advanced greatly. 
The real sufferers would be the farmers 
‘ utside the motor truck zone, who would 
l' n shut away from market and would 
lose a great deal of perishable produce. 
Best nearby, 27 to 28c; gathered, 23 
to 25c. 
LIVE POULTRY 
liens, 33 to 30c; chickens. 34 to 35c; 
roosters. 20 to 22c: ducks. 38 to 40c- 
geese. 30 to 33c; turkeys. 45 to 55c. 
DRESSED POULTRY 
Ileus, 48 to 50c; roosters, 30 to 35c • 
broilers, 45 to 50c; ducks, 45 to 50c •' 
turkeys, 00 to 05c. 
FRUITS 
Apples, bill.. $4.;>0 to $0; cranberries, 
bbl . $15 to $10; strawberries, qt., 25 to 
40c. 
VEGETABLES 
Potatoes. 100 lbs.. $1 to 
potatoes, bu.. $2 to $2.50; 
50 to 75c; onions. 100 lbs., 
turnips, bn., $1 to $1.25- 
$1 to $1.25. 
$1.15; sweet 
cabbage, bbl.. 
75c to $1.25; 
carrots, bu., 
HAY 
Timothy, No. 1. $25 to $20: No. 2, $22 
to $23; clover mixed. $23 to $25. 
Boston Wholesale Markets 
BUTTER 
Creamery, best 45 to 40c; common to 
good. 40 to 43c; dairy, 30 to 38c; stor¬ 
age, 40 to 44c. 
EGGS 
Fancy nearby, 36 to 37c; gathered, 
good to choice, 27 to 28c. 
LIVE POULTRY 
Fowls, 38 to 40c; chickens, 35 to 40c. 
DRESSED POULTRY 
Turkeys, best 55 to 00c; good to choice, 
45 to 50c; chickens 38 to 40c; fowls, 
30 to 38c; ducks, 35 to 38c; geese, 30 
to 30c. 
, FRUITS 
Apples, Baldwins, bbl.. $3 to $0.50; 
Greenings, $3 to $4; Spy. $3.50 to $0. 
Cranberries, bbl.. $20 to $22. Strawber¬ 
ries, qt., 40 to 50c. 
POTATOES 
Maine. 100 lbs.. $1.25 to $1.40;, sweet 
potatoes, bu., $2.25 to $2.50. 
VEGETABLES 
Onions, 100 lbs., 50c to $1; cabbage, 
bbl.. 75c to $1.25; lettuce, bu. box. 75c to 
$1.25; spinach, bbl.. $2 to $2.75; carrots, 
bu. box, $1 to $1.50; turnips, bu. box. 
50 to $1; radishes, bu. box. $2 to $3; 
Brussels sprouts, qt.. 15 to 20c; toma¬ 
toes, hothouse, lb., 15 to 40c. 
TTAY AND STRAW 
Best Timothy, $33 to $35; No. 2. $27 
to $28 ; No. 3. $25 to $20; clover mixed, 
$27 to $31. Rve straw. $23 to $24; oat 
straw, $18 to $19. 
New York Wholesale Quotations 
March 24. 1921 
MILK 
The New York price to producers for 
April is $2.10 per 100 lbs. for 3 per eent 
milk at points 2,00 to 210 miles from the 
city, with 4 cents per 100 lbs. additional 
for every tenth of 1 per cent bufterfat 
over 3. Loose milk at stores retails at 
10 cents per quart; bottled, Grade A, 18 
rents; bottled, Grade B, 15 rents; certi¬ 
fied, 28 cents. 
BUTTER 
The market, is a little stronger than at. 
last report and prices one 
cent hig-her 
on 
the better grades. 
Creamery, fancy, lb. 
@ 
47 
Good to Choice . 
@ 
45 
Lower (J riules. 
@ 
36 
City made. 
@ 
27 
Dairy, best . 
@ 
45 
Common to good . 
. 28 
@ 
40 
Packing Stock.. 
<a 
23 
CHEESE 
W hole Milk, fancy.. 
@ 
29 
Good to oholoe. 
. 24 
@ 
26 
Skims, best. ... . 
. 17 
@ 
19 
Fair to good _,,. 
.. 11 
@ 
16 
EGGS 
Receipts have increased 
rapidly, 
0 . 000 ,- 
000 dozen having arrived 
here in 
five 
re- 
cent days. Prices are 2 to 3 cents lower. 
Some of the best stock is being held off 
the market on shippers’ orders, hoping 
for some price improvement. The market 
at St. Louis and other large South¬ 
western producing sections lias been run¬ 
ning around 20 cents. This is the time 
when active storage begins, and the spec¬ 
ulators are naturally pulling the wires to 
get the eggs as low as possible. At pres¬ 
ent figures the outlook for the speculators 
is not bad. 
While, nearby, choice to fancy. 39 @ 40 
Medium to good . 32 @ 36 
Mixed colors, nearby best. 33 @ 34 
Common to good. 25 @ 30 
Gathered, best, white. 35 a 36 
Medium to good. mixed colors ... 30 @ 31 
Tiowpr irraii ps. 22 24 
Storage, best. 27 @ 28 
LIVE STOCK 
Steers.*.. . 8 70 @10 401 
Bulls . 5 35 @ 7 10 
Cows. 3 00 @ 7 00 
Calves, prime veal. 100 lbs. 12 00 @16 00 
Culls. 7 00 @9 00 
Hogs. 8 75 @12 25 
Sheep. 100 lbs. 4 50 @ 5 00 
Lambs ... R 00 @11 50 
LIVE POULTRY 
Business is reported at: Fowls, 41 to 
43c; chickens. 35 to 45c-; roosters, 20 to 
25c; ducks. 40 to 43c; geese, 20 to 22c; 
turkeys, 45 to 50c. 
DRESSED POULTRY 
Turkeys, best. 
Com. to good... 
Chickens choice lb 
B’alr to Good ... 
Fowls . 
Roosters. 
Ducks .. 
Squabs, doz. 
Geese.. 
SO @ 62 
40 @ 54 
45 @ 55 
30 @ 34 
35 @ 40 
25 @ 28 
30 @ 40 
5 00 @10 00 
25 @ 35 
COUNTRY-DRESSED MEATS 
Sales are reported at: Calves, choice, 
22 to 23c; common to good, 15 to 20c; 
pork, 100 to 150 lbs. each, 14 to 16c; 
heavier, 9 to 12c; 50 to 100 lbs. each, 15 
to ISc; lambs, hothouse, each, $10 to $10. 
beans 
Marrow, 100 lbs. 7 50 @ 8 00 
Pea . 4 50 @ 4 75 
Medium . 5 OU @ 5 60 
Red Kidney . 9 00 @ 9 50 
White Kidney.13 50 @14 00 
Yellow Eye. 8 50 @ 9 00 
FRUITS 
Apples, Baldwin, bbl. 4 00 @6 00 
Greening. 3 50 @ 6 00 
Albemarle. 4 00 @ 9 00 
Pears, bbl. 2 00 @ I 50 
Strawberries, qt. 20 @ 65 
POTATOES 
Long Island, 180 lbs.2 25 @ 3 25 
State, 150 lbs..1 50 @ 2 25 
Bermuda, bbl.800 @14 00 
Sweet Potatoes, bu. bkt. I 00 @ 2 50 
VEGETABLES 
Asparagus, doz. bunches. 2 00 
Brussels Sprouts, qt. 15 
Beets, bbl. 2 00 
Cabbage, ton ..10 00 
New, bu-bkt. 1 00 
Carrots, bbl.150 
Lettuce, half-bbl. basket. 1 25 
Onions. 100 lbs. 50 
Egg Plants, on. 4 00 
Turnips, rutabaga bbl. 125 
Radishes. 100 bunches. 1 50 
String Beans, bu. bkt. 3 00 
Peppers, bu . 3 00 
Parsnips, bbl . 2 00 
Romaine, bu. 1 00 
Mushrooms, lb. 40 
Spinach, bbl.*. 1 00 
Kale, bbl. 75 
HAY AND STRAW 
Hay. Timothy,No. 1 . .. 00 
No. 2 .29 00 
No. 3 .24 00 
Shipping.21 00 
Clover. M ixed .20 00 
Straw. Rye . 18 00 
Oat and wheat. 12 00 
@ 6 00 
@ 20 
@ 2 50 
@12 00 
Cat 1 75 
<8 2 00 
@ 2 50 
® 75 
<a 7 00 
@ 1 50 
@1 3 50 
@ 7 00 
@ 6 00 
@ 3 00 
@ 1 50 
@ 60 
(at 2 25 
@ 1 00 
(a 32 00 
@30 00 
'a 26 00 
@23 00 
@30 00 
@20 00 
@16 00 
GRAIN 
Cash wholesale prices quoted at New 
York: W heat. No. 2 hard Winter, $1.73 ; 
corn, No. 2 yellow. 82c; oats, No. 2 
white. 53c; rye. $1.01; barley, 82c. 
Crops and Farm News 
Potatoes rotted badly since digging, 
with many cellars and bins coming out 
50-50, and some even worse. Probably 30 
to 35 per cent as an average. Price here 
now is $1.25 per bbl., with hanlings light. 
Stocks on hand certainly no larger than, 
if as large as. this time a year ago. 
Farmers inclined to hold with the expec¬ 
tation of a better price later in the season. 
Aroostook. Me. b. f. c. 
Not much snow this winter; autos and 
wagons have run all the time. Many 
auction sales of stock and farming tools 
have been held in this county, and are 
being hold nearly every we«k. Farmers 
are discouraged by the potato prices, cars 
having been loaded at 40c per bu. The 
milk outlook i« anything but promising. 
Hay is scarce in some places, although in 
others hay was pressed and carried off 
in early Winter. Several real estate 
sales have taken place. Those who 
cleared up the home mortgage before milk 
dropped in price were fortunate, as at 
present not much of a debt can be lifted 
with a dairy after paying feed bills and 
living expenses. w. j. 
Madison Co., N. Y. 
The leading money crop in this section 
is potatoes, for which we are receiving 
35c per bu. Hay is around $12 to $15 
per ton; wheat. $1.70 per bn.; beans, ac¬ 
cording to kind, from $3.50 to 87 per 
bag; eggs, 30c; butter, 38c in local mar¬ 
ket. Wool, 25c per lb. Dairy cows are 
selling around $40 fo $50 per head ; lots 
of horses and very cheap. Hogs are sell¬ 
ing for 8c alive, 14c dressed. The pota¬ 
toes are getting pretty well cleaned up 
in this section ; not very many left in 
farmers’ bands. The price for farm help 
seems to be about the same as last year 
so far. e. A. w. 
Yates Co., N. Y. 
The crops T raise are corn. oats, barley 
and potatoes. Corn brings in market 00c 
per bu.; oats, 75c; barley, 80c; potatoes. 
40c. We keep dairies and dry stock ; get 
League price for milk. For February 
milk, $2.50 per 100 lbs.; butter, 50c per 
lb. Pork brings about $14 per 100 lbs. 
Acreage will be much less this year. 
Madison Co.. N. Y. N. I). R. 
Here are some market prices: Eggs, 
55c doz.; bufterfat. 38c; cowhides. 3c lb.! 
wheat. $1.50 bu.; corn, 75c; hogs, 7c; 
flour $0 to $0.50 cwt. G. L. M. 
Arkansas. 
Coming Farmers’ Meetings 
Apj-il 5—Fruit Marketing Conference, 
American Farm Bureau, Chicago, Ill. 
April 7—Committee of Fifteen, Chi¬ 
cago, Ill. 
April 11—Cattle Feeders’ Day, Iowa 
State College. Ames, la. 
May 2-5—Thirteenth Annual Purdue 
Egg Show, Lafayette, Ind. 
May 11—Annual Meeting. American 
Guernsey Cattle Club. New York City. 
May 19—Washington County. Pa., 
Guernsey Field Dffiv, Washington, Pa. 
Percentage of Butter Fat 
I made H/j. lbs. of butter from 12 qts. 
of milk. What was percentage of butter- 
fat? b. G. 
Spencertown,- N. Y. 
The per cent of fat in average butter is 
about 82 per cent. Using this percentage 
in tlie problem at hand, we find that 114 
lb. of butter contains about. 1.03 lbs. of 
bufterfat. The difference between the 
pounds of bufterfat that went to make up 
the butter and the total amount of butter 
obtained is called the “overrun.” Over¬ 
run represents the water, casein (curd) 
and mineral matter (salt, etc.). In this 
case the “overrun” is .22 lb. or 21.3 per 
cent. It. required 12 qts. of milk to ob¬ 
tain 1.03 lbs. of fat. Twelve quarts of 
milk weigh 25.8 lbs. (1 qt. equals 2.15 
lbs. The above-mentioned amount of fat 
is contained in 25.8 lbs. milk. The per- 
entage of fat in the milk equals (1.03 lbs. 
divided by 25.8 lbs.) 3.99 per cent, or 
approximately 4 per cent. 
