The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 8, 1904

Meat Has Reached Its Highest Mark

Fort Dodge Butchers Say Advance in Prices Will Now Cease

First Beef Received Today

Armour Packing Co. Send in Monday Morning Car as Usual – Chickens and Turkeys Have Gone Up in Sympathy With Other Meats.

Meat, which has been steadily advancing ever since the strike began, is now, according to the local butchers, at the highest point it is expected to reach. For this the public will be truly thankful, as the choice cuts are now higher than they have been in the city for several years. The usual Monday morning’s car arrived in the city this morning on time for the first time since the strike was called and it is thought the packing houses are getting in shape to handle the trade once more.

Have Sold All Home Dressed Beef.

For the past two weeks nearly all of the butchers in the city have been compelled to supply the trade altogether with home dressed beef, doing all their own killing. They have had the greatest difficulty in supplying their customers, as there are so very few cattle in the country that are fit to kill.

“Yes,” said Charles Wolverton of Wolverton Bros. meat market, th is morning to a Messenger representative, “I think meat has gone as high as it will. I believe we will be better able to cope with the situation from now on. This morning the regular Monday morning car arrived in the city from the Armour Packing company, bring practically the first beef from that firm that has arrived in Fort Dodge since the strike began. From this we infer that the packers are getting in shape to handle their regular business again. We have been supplying the trade for the past few weeks almost entirely from local stock, and we have found it very difficult to find cattle that were fit to kill. There is never a day passes that we are not offered cattle, but on driving out to look at them we generally find they are far from what they should be to make good meat. The farmers are anxious to sell and there are plenty of cattle, but there has been no grain to feed them, and the grass, their only food, has not been fattening this year, so really good cattle are very scarce.

Chickens and Turkeys Up.

Chickens and turkeys have gone up rapidly in sympathy with the advance of beef and pork and are now selling at about the price they brought earlier in the season when they were considered more of a luxury. Neither turkeys or chickens are of very good size or quality as a general thing and acceptable birds are rather hard to secure.

Tags: 1904, Wolverton