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Show SPRING LAMBS SHORT IN WEST! Total Production of Five1 States 70 Per Cent of Normal WASHINGTON May 20. Advices received by the department of agrt-culture agrt-culture from western state indicate 1 a material shortago of spring lambs'. 1 Tho total lamb production of Mon-tana, Mon-tana, Wyoming, Washington. Idaho and Nevada is only 70 per cent of the normal, according to reports by train- 1 ed observers. M AV CROP I tA MBS. This, the department says, also means a smaller supply of wool Contracting Con-tracting of both wool and lambs has reached large dimensions during re-cent re-cent weeks. Numerous large west- I ern operators are reported to be, BCOUrlng the west for new crop lambs, and in. in'. Miii" at 9 to 10 cents nj pound are reported, with the latter price hcing generally refused In Ida-, ho. Washington and Oregon. The1 price last year was 6 to 7 rents. PleSoes on sheep's backs aro selling ; as high as 35 to 3S cents a pound. With some clips, including the Jerlcno j I poul clip, selling up to 40 rents The situation is attributed to n Shortage of ewes, tho over-age of many breeding flocks and losses of early spring lambs on account of cold weather and backward spring season. sea-son. A winter lamb and .sheep market mar-ket higher than tho trade anticipated, a shortage in the visible supply and the recent sharp upturn In wool values val-ues have created bullish sentiment in the markets. moxfy loosens rr. Money, which was tight last fall I and In the early winter now appears abundant, and large speculators and western feeders are buying freeU-. This fact, combined with the short crop, leads many In the trade to believe be-lieve that the romlng summer and fall supply of both feeding and fat lambs at the large market centers will be far below normal. Present con-I con-I dltions indicate that many lambs will ! be held In the west for fattening for I next winter's market. Some reports indicate that large western speculators and feeders have already contracted approximately half tho lamb crop In Idaho. Oregon and Washington. According to the best information available, the summer 1 marketward movement from these states will be late In getting under way, and will probably not reach sizable proportion- before the laet of July or early In August. II D POOH WINTER. Ewes wintered poorly, and, because of the backward spring, were not only late getting on the range, but started the grazing season in por flesh, with the result that February lambs, the crop of which was more nearly normal nor-mal than that of later lambs, had a poor start. The April lamb crop is very short, according to all reports. Many flock-masters flock-masters tried to lamb the 'April crop on the open range, but cold weather caused heavy losses Breeding flocks arc seriously over-aged, but there Is an acute shortage of young stock, and It Is believed that a very attractive market will be necessary to draw uny large quantity of breeding flocks to the shambles. Young ewes are In strong demand all over the west, and bids of Jfi to 512 a head have brought out many. It seems certain that very few western ewes will reach market enters during the coming season. on |