New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-04-05
our earnest efforts, should prove but PARTIAL,


have been observeo by every person VINO mas
given the susject any attention. Three years ago
it required drove OF cattle something better
than the average TO obsain prize equ,l to ten
csbts per pound for the meat; now. were tbs
sales ia the New York markets bincs the lat OF
January examined, it would be found that the
most ordinary beef had averaged between cen aud
eleven cents. For severul seeks il has oct been
unususl TO zee GOOD beevcs cold At price. eqq 4, to
IIIG12J cents per pound and 10 the l.st week IN
March whole drOses were disposed OF at IL cents,
aud for some choice .nim4is 800 ii cents was
received. These eIotbitant prizes are nos the
retult Of any monopoly; or Of any falling of In
the IT cepis; on the contrary, they are maintained
in the face Of thousand difficulties tending to
reduce the prce if the supply we're at al adequate
to the de nsnd. Suco. however. hss not been the
case; aid It il worthy OF observation tta, al
though tie total humber Of bullocLs reported for
thi. quarter has proved en- increase cl shs CORE
spoDdiue quarter of lat year, tho number of
pounds OF u,eat has nor BEEN as great by 10 pss
cent Thlr is The result OF the miserable qusty
u The beeses sold for the shambles.
that Of last year, a1d the weight of ms II la pra
portion Thi, WA csused By falling of ia the
price OF wool aud the fac: thss win ~ feed ior
stock sheep MS scarce, sLd. ~ g c)0sequeace,
much dssrer than usual. Consumers have yue-
chased more freely OF mutton than Of best
becsuse mutton has been cheaper, aad gen.
er,lly Of better quality. There has beel a
large ncSease in tbs number Of hogs killed
in the City, o'er the corresponding quarter Of
las; ,ear. This has made an abundance of
Ona., or cheap nest for tia Poor and good
salt pork OK smoked hams have beea cheaper
at retail than fresh beef. la addition TO this :he
inability of tl0usands of former consumers = par
chase, ba, lad tendency 30 depress the prices,
aud 70. they have averaged over ten ceats ia the
yaIds, and there has not been b day during The
quarter that choice cattle have not sold for eleven
cents ardnore lately twelve and fourteen. Entire
dIoyes have averaged I2! or more than 800 per
head for steers. three to five yeats old. Ia one
case a drove averaged Sl55 head. Last year,
the highest point touched for few choice pal.
locks VAS Fac; this was during the las. of
March, and the average OF the quarter was not
over &c. Ia Msy, it took start up, and reached
Ia &c., bur yet It was no. as high 10 May of
last year ss la March Of this. II We have cor
responding increase OF prices 10 the approaching
Mby over the present rates, We snail soucn
so lie. Such prices may DO very agreeable for
those who have bdlloeks for SAFE but they are a
eifgrsce u American farmers.
II Tina that far rasIizat tho ~tta1 soar.
city Of beefcattle and stock which a. pres
eIt exists throughout the length aud breadth of
this whole country; and also that consumers be-
came aware OF the causes u this scarcity. la
TIE neighborhoOd Of all large cities, The price of
milk is SO great that the owner cannot afford 10
supply the calf with it, and SO at twO-daysoid,
he sells the wretched thing 70 some calf-merchant,
who loads Il wagon with as many If them as he
can pile one On top Of the other, without smother
ing the lower tier, and has this deectaole mass
of tender meat transported BY steamboat or rail
road to the Ciy. Often, when these poor amin AIS
arrive, they are too weak to stand up, bus some
body is ready TO buy them if alive, and then a
driven over the rough pavement until there Ia
skin full Of very tender meat fit for tender
s.omacbs. And it is thus that the germs Of fine
oxen are destroyed upon all the milk furnishing
farms around every city, and particularly in the vi
entity OF New-YOrk. Nor Is this all. The price
of beef has ranged SO high that it has brought up
the price of ali fsrm-stock bullOcks, until the
owners have been tempted to accept offers for two
year. old animals, that were no more suitable for
beef than the calves were for veal. This is
most serious, IS well as melancholy fact AMI it Is
chiefly owing to the extent to which sach de-
structise system is carried out, that young cattle
have rsen to double and in many cases, qusiru-
pie their former prices.
With millions Of acres of natural pasture lying
idle ard waste, We have no herds to transform
that rich grass into human food. With broad
domain Of good soil, purchasable for one or two
dollars On acre, We cannot receive q supply Of
beef at prices which would permit the mechanics
Of our city to buy. And all this time there are
stout men and women in our cities begging for
food, and praying for work for able hands; while
in the country such land is lying idle and such
crops of grass as are grown on eur great pr,iries
furn.h food for the desOsting fire. instead of food
for kline, and cheap beef for the poor lsberers.
1t is but few years since, when beef sold
throughout the Western States at II to 3 cents
pound and the cattle raiser did not complain.
Indeed, be felt amply nerated at such prices;
and four cents a pound was current prise for
good cuts upon the butchers stall. Such period
is not likely to recur Immediately; yet at sucn
prices farmers felt just as well paid as they do
Tow, and at half the present rates We have no
doubt they would be better paid than in any
other branch of acricultnra That there L. 2