FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL.
⎧Office of the Prairie Farmer,
⎨
⎩Chicago. March 18, 1884.
There was a better feeling in banking circles on Monday but transactions were not heavy. Interest rates remain at 5@7 per cent.
Eastern exchange sold between banks at 25c per $1,000 premium.
Foreign exchange unchanged.
The failures in the United States during the past seven days are reported to have numbered 174, and in Canada and the Provinces 42, a total of 216, as compared with 272 for the previous week, a decrease of 56. The decrease is principally in the Western, Middle, and New England States. Canada had the same number of failures as for the preceding week.
GRAIN AND PROVISIONS.
The week opened with the bears on top and prices were forced downward. Speculation was heavy. Ocean freights are low, yet but little grain comparatively is going out. London and Liverpool advices were not encouraging and the New York markets were easy. Corn was unusually dull.
Wheat.—Red winter, in store No. 2, 98c; spring No. 2 92@93c; No. 3. 85@89c on track.
Corn.—Moderately active. Car lots No 2, 53@53½c; rejected, 46c; new mixed, 52½c.
Oats.—No. 2 on track closed 34¼@35c.
Rye.—No. 2 59@62c.
Barley.—No. 2, 66c; No. 3, f.o.b. 6l@62c; No. 5 50c.
Flax.—Closed at $1 60@1 61 on track.
Timothy.—$1 28@l 34 per bushel. Little doing.
Clover.—Quiet at $5 50@5 70 for prime.
Hungarian.—Prime 60@67½c.
Buckwheat.—70@75c.
Millet.—45@50c.
Provisions.—Mess pork. May $18 10@18 25. Green hams, 11¾c per lb. Short ribs, $9 55@9 60 per cwt.
Lard.—$9 60@9 75.
COUNTRY PRODUCE.
Note.—The quotations for the articles named in the following list are generally for commission lots of goods and from first hands. While our prices are based as near as may be on the landing or wholesale rates, allowance must be made for selections and the sorting up for store distribution.
Bran.—Quoted at $15 50@15 75 per ton on track.
Beans.—Hand picked mediums $2 10@2 15. Hand picked navies, $2 15@2 25.
Butter.—Choice to extra creamery, 33@35c
lb.; fair to good do 25@30c; fair to choice dairy 24@28c; common to choice packing stock fresh and sweet, 9@10c; ladle packed 10@13c.
Broom-corn.—Good to choice hurl 7@8c
lb; green self-working 6@6½c; red-tipped and pale do 4@5c; inside and covers 3@4c; common short corn 2½@3½c; crooked, and damaged, 2@4c, according to quality.
Cheese.—Choice full-cream cheddars 14@l5c
lb; medium quality do 10@12c; good to prime full-cream flats 15@15½c; skimmed cheddars 9@10c; good skimmed flats 7@9c; hard-skimmed and common stock 5@7c.
Eggs.—The best brands are quotable at 20@21c per dozen, fresh.
Feathers.—Quotations: Prime live geese feathers 52@54c
lb.; ducks 25@35c; duck and geese mixed 35@45c; dry picked chicken feathers body 6@6½c; turkey body feathers 4@4½c; do tail 55@60c; do wing 25@35c; do wing and tail mixed 35@40c.
Hay.—No 1 timothy $10@10 75
ton; No 2 do $850@9 50; mixed do $7@8; upland prairie $7@8 50; No 1 prairie $6@7; No 2 do $4 50@5 50. Small bales sell at 25@50c
ton more than large bales.
Hides and Pelts.—Green-cured light hides 8½c
lb; do heavy cows 8c; No 2 damaged green-salted hides 6½c; green-salted calf 12@12½ cents; green-salted bull 6 c; dry-salted hides 11 cents; No. 2 two-thirds price; No. 1 dry flint 14@14½c, Sheep pelts salable at 25@28c for the estimated amount of wash wool on each pelt. All branded and scratched hides are discounted 15 per cent from the price of No. 1.
Hops.—Prime to choice New York State hops 27@28c
lb; Pacific coast of 23@25c; fair to good Wisconsin 15@20c.
Honey and Beeswax.—Good to choice white comb honey in small boxes 15@17c
lb; common and dark-colored, or when in large packages 12@14c; beeswax ranged at 25@30c
lb, according to quality, the outside for prime yellow.
Poultry.—Prices for good to choice dry picked and unfrozen lots are: Turkeys 16@l7c
lb; chickens 12@13c; ducks 14@15c; geese 10@11c. Thin, undesirable, and frozen stock 2@3c
lb less than these figures; live offerings nominal.
Potatoes.—Good to choice 38@42c per bu. on track; common to fair 30@36c. Illinois sweet potatoes range at $4@5 per bbl for yellow.
Tallow and Grease.—No 1 country tallow 7@7¼c
lb; No 2 do 6¼@6½c. Prime white grease 6@6½c; yellow 5¼@5¾; brown 4½@5.
Vegetables.—Cabbage, $10@15
100; celery, 35@45c
per doz bunches; onions, $1 50@1 75
bbl for yellow, and $1 for red; turnips, $1 35@1 50 per bbl for rutabagas, and $1 00 for white flat. Pie plant, 10c
lb. Spinach, $1@2
bbl. Cucumbers, $1 50@2 00 per doz; radishes, 40c per doz; lettuce, 40c per doz.
Wool.—From store range as follows for bright wools from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Eastern Iowa—dark Western lots generally ranging at 1@2c
lb. less.
| Coarse and dingy tub | 25@30 |
| Good medium tub | 31@34 |
| Unwashed bucks' fleeces | 14@15 |
| Fine unwashed heavy fleeces | 18@22 |
| Fine light unwashed heavy fleeces | 22@23 |
| Coarse unwashed fleeces | 21@22 |
| Low medium unwashed fleeces | 24@25 |
| Fine medium unwashed fleeces | 26@27 |
| Fine washed fleeces | 32@33 |
| Coarse washed fleeces | 26@28 |
| Low medium washed fleeces | 30@32 |
| Fine medium washed fleeces | 34@35 |
| Colorado and Territory wools range asfollows: | |
| Lowest grades | 14@16 |
| Low medium | 18@22 |
| Medium | 22@26 |
| Fine | 16@24 |
| Wools from New Mexico: | |
| Lowest grades | 14@16 |
| Part improved | 16@17 |
| Best improved | 19@23 |
| Burry from 2c to 10c off; black 2c to 5c off. |
LIVE STOCK MARKETS.
The total receipts and shipments for last week were as follows:
| Received. | Shipped. | |
| Cattle | 30,963 | 15,498 |
| Calves | 375 | 82 |
| Hogs | 62,988 | 34,361 |
| Sheep | 18,787 | 10,416 |
Cattle.—Diseased cattle of all kinds, especially those having lump-jaws, cancers, and running sore, are condemned and killed by the health officers. Shippers will save freight by keeping such stock in the country.
Receipts were fair on Sunday and Monday and the demand not being very brisk prices dropped a little. The supply of choice beeves was light. We quote
| Choice to prime steers | $6 00@ 6 85 |
| Good to choice steers | 6 20@ 6 50 |
| Fair to good shipping steers | 5 55@ 6 15 |
| Common to medium dressed beef steers | 4 85@ 5 50 |
| Very common steers | 5 00@ 5 50 |
| Cows, choice to prime | 5 00@ 5 50 |
| Cows, common to choice | 3 30@ 4 95 |
| Cows, inferior | 2 50@ 3 25 |
| Common to prime bulls | 3 25@ 5 50 |
| Stockers, common to choice | 3 70@ 4 75 |
| Feeders, fair to choice | 4 80@ 5 25 |
| Milch cows, head | 25 00@65 00 |
| Veal calves, 100lbs | 4 00@ 7 75 |
Hogs.—All sales of hogs in this market are made subject to a shrinkage of 40 lbs for piggy sows and 80 lbs for each stag. Dead hogs sell at 1½c
lb for weight[dd] of 200 lbs and over, and 1c for weights of less than 200 lbs. With the exception of cripples and milch cows, all stock is sold
100 lbs live weight.
There were about 3,000 head more on Sunday and Monday than for same days last week, the receipts reaching 11,000 head. All but the poorest lots were readily taken at steady prices. Common to choice light bacon hogs were sold from $5 80 to $6 70, their weights averaging 150@206 lbs. Rough packing lots sold at $6 20@6 75. and heavy packing and shipping hogs averaging 240@309 lbs brought $6 80@7 40. Skips were sold at $4 75@$5 75.
Sheep.—This class of stock seems to be on the increase at the yards. Sunday and Monday brought hither 5,500 head, an increase of 2,500 over receipts a week ago. Prices weakened a little. Sales ranged at $3 37½@5 65 for common to choice, the great bulk of the offerings consisting of Nebraska sheep.
MARKETS BY TELEGRAPH.
New York, March 17.—Cattle—Steers sold at $6@7 25
cwt, live weight; fat bulls $4 60@5 70; exporters used 60 car-loads, and paid $6 70@7 25
cwt, live weight, for good to choice selections; shipments for the week, 672 head live cattle; 7,300 qrs beef; 1,000 carcasses mutton. Sheep and lambs—Receipts[ee] 7,700 head; making 24,300 head for the week; strictly prime sheep and choice lambs sold at about the former prices, but the market was uncommonly dull for common and even fair stock, and a clearance was not made; sales included ordinary to prime sheep at $5@6 37½
cwt, but a few picked sheep reached $6 75; ordinary to choice yearlings $6@8; spring lambs $3@8
head. Hogs—Receipts 7,900 head, making 20,100 for the week; live dull and nearly nominal; 2 car-loads sold at $6 50@6 75
100 pounds.
St. Louis, March 17.—Cattle—Receipts 3,400 head; shipments 1,600 head; wet weather and liberal receipts caused weak and irregular prices, and some sales made lower; export steers $6 40@6 90; good to choice $5 75@6 30; common to medium $4 85@5 60; stockers and feeders $4@5 25; corn-fed Texans $5@5 75. Sheep—Receipts 900 head; shipments 800 head; steady; common to medium $3@4 25; good to choice $4 50@5 50; extra $5 75@6; Texans $3@5.
Kansas City, March 17—Cattle—Receipts 1,500 head; weak and slow; prices unsettled; native steers, 1,092 to 1,503 lbs, $5 05@5 85; stockers and feeders $4 60@5; cows $3 70@4 50. Hogs—Receipts 5,500 head; good steady; mixed lower; lots 200 to 500 lbs, $6 25 to 7; mainly $6 40@6 60. Sheep—Receipts 3,200 head; steady; natives, 81 lbs, $4 35.
East Liberty, March 17.—Cattle—Dull and unchanged; receipts 1,938 head; shipments 1,463 head. Hogs—Firm; receipts 7,130 head; shipments 4,485 head; Philadelphias $7 50@7 75; Yorkers $6 50@6 90. Sheep—Dull and unchanged; receipts 6,600 head; shipments 600 head.
Cincinnati, O., March 17.—Hogs—Steady; common and light, $5@6 75; packing and butchers', $6 25@7 25; receipts, 1,800 head; shipments, 920 head.