1868 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
125 
The season of Lent always has its effect.on the cattle 
markets. Live animals of all kinds have been 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 
an extra 100 head would turn the chances against them, 
and they would have to sell at a sacrifice. Sometimes 
50c. a head on cattle would lose them a buyer, so close 
were the bargains made. Beef.— For good, sleek 
steers, prices kept rather even during the month, with a 
slight 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. 17th ranged 12@20c. 
Av. lGXc. 
Largest sales 15K@17K 
do 24th do 14@20c. 
do 17}<c. 
do 
do 
1G ©IS 
Mar. 2d do 10@20c. 
do 17 c. 
do 
do 
15-Y®17 % 
do 9th do 12@19c. 
do lGJfc. 
do 
do 
15 @17 
The week ending Feb. 22d, Washington’s birthday, 
gave us some fine, premium cattle ; one pair of G yr. old 
steers, 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 lbs., and 
were sold to one of our fancy butchers for 20c. per lb., or 
$660, as they netted 3300 lbs. 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 19©19V£c. Another lot of 24 head from 
Dutchess Co., weighing 9hi cwt. dressed, were very pret¬ 
ty steers, sold quickly at lS@19c., and were cheap. In a 
very fat lot of 10 head from Ohio, one large pair brought 
$G75, or about 1954c. 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 20@21c. 
per lb. 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 to 54 c. less than the “ tops.” 
Some lots were so even that a choice seemed hardly nec¬ 
essary, the animals each weighing about 1200 lbs. 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_ ItlilcH 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 $100, though a fe\v extras with their calves, sold for 
$U0@$115. The general price for a fair cow is $G0@$S0; 
while poor milkers, and thin, old cows, sell slow at $40®. 
$50. Sales have been slow, mostly to city milkmen, 2 and 
3 at a time, at $G5@$75 a head... Veal Calves.— 
Veals have been scarce, 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 15®15t4c., and ll!4@13c. is considered a 
good price for ordinary live calves. A calf which came 
in w'ith a lot of cattle from Dutchess Co., sold for $55; 
he was 6 months old and very fat_ Slieep. —There is 
quite an increase in numbers over those of last month, 
and prices remain about the same; good lots bring 7@7!4 
©Sc. per lb. A lot of 30 South-downs, extra fat, and av¬ 
eraging 13754 tbs., brought 9c. Some light lots from Ohio 
Bold as low as 554 c. For the week ending March 2d, we 
had reached as high as 954 c. for extra lots, whole car 
loads selling readily at 8%c. At present waiting some 
Bales have been made as high as 10c. alb.; these were 
large Canada sheep, five of which brought $S each, and 
four $12.50 each. Those are high prices_ Swine.— 
Receipts are small for this season, and prices keep high. 
Sales are madequicklyat9©954c.,live weight; if very fat, 
10c. maybe had. Western dressed hogs Bell readily for 
10 ‘/ 4 @ 1154 c -; these come in slowly and find a ready mar¬ 
ket. Those packers who looked for low'er prices have 
been disappointed,and are obliged to take Western dress¬ 
ed, quite too email for their purpose, or do without. This 
soon exhausted the supply, and for the week ending 
March 9th, there were only 737 in market, selling at 12)4® 
12)4c. Packers still believe in a downward tendency, 
and steadily refuse to give over 9®9%c., live weight. 
As we close our report, prices are Working downward 
elid Bales slow, with 19 car loads in market unsold, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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35— Tool Chest (Patterson Bios.) .$14 
30 —Case of Mathematical Instruments .$0 
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40 —Barometer (Woodruff's Mercurial) _$12 
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4 2— Buckeye Mowing Machine, No. 2.. . $125 
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