Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-10-07
The Western Hog Crop--Interesting Sta
tIstics. ~" -

The Western Hog Crop--Interesting Sta
| tIstfcs. ~" -
The following article, from the Cncinnai
Price Current Of Wednesday last, contains man
statements of great interest at the present time
! Consequent upon the financial crisis arisin
out Of the failure of the Trust Company the feel
ling in the market for hogs, as regards contract
for future delivery, has been quite subdued th
last two or three weeks; and though there wen
plenty of buyers at 81 90 for November delivery
up to within the last ten days of August and bu
few sellers, there are now more sellers than buy
ers at this rate. The question whether the nex
hog crop will be 'loDg" or Short one is be
ing generally discussed, and opinions are giveI
on both sides freely, and supported by plausible
logic, to say the least of it. Letters from vari
ous sections are being placed before the public
stating that the hogs are dying by thousands il
all directions, and that in many places there ar
not enough left to propagate the species; in 9th
er places we hear the animals are unusually a
bundant, and well taken care of. In some places
it is stated with the greatest pertinacity that oil
except pigs-the merest pigs-were slaughtered
last winter and spring, pork being so high, and
then again we are told that those not slaughter
ed in winter were during the last summer. Here
and there we find communications in the paper:
from the correspondence of mercantile agencie:
stating that there are very few hogs in the coun,
try. But when it is recolected that these cor
respondents are county lawyers who spend their
time ''roosting" about county court houses,
watching for clients, it viii be seen that their
opinion regarding the hog or other crops is ex-
ceedingly worthless. Dealers and all interested
in the provision market will always find it safe
to assume there are every year, hogs enough in
the country there may be less at one time than
at another, but there are always enough to fat
ten so as to make q long hog crop, in case the
inducements and the means exist to do this.
In our paper we publish the assessors returns
of the number of hogs IN Kentucky complete
We also publish the returns from thirty-one
counties in Ohio. The former show an increase
of tpeaty-aaine per cent, as compared with last
year, and the latter of eighteen per cent. The
returns in Kentucky are ofhogs over six months
old on the lst of April each year. In Kentucky
we find over one million ofhogs over six months
old on the 10th of January, 1857; and in Ohio,
if the increase in the counties not yet heard from
is the same as it is in those reported there were
2,184,3z6 hogs over six months old on the first
of last April. Indiana and Illinois had no doubt
three millions of this age ON the 1st of April, so
that it will be seen the supply Of the animals is
ample. But then it is said, and it is true, that
hogs are being swept away by the "hog cholera"
at a frightful rate. This, however, is confined
to few localities, chiefly in the vicinity of dis
tleries, ard we feel safe in saying that the whole
number carried off in this way for the year end
ing December 81, 1857, will not exceed one hum
dred thousand or, even if it should reach one
hundred and fifty Thousand, it could not dimin-
isli seriously the number brought to market
This will he obvious to any person upon the re-
Election that in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Il
linois there were over six millions hogs six
months old and upwards on the 1st of last April.
We think we may assume now, without fear Of
contradiction, that the supply of hogs is ample.
The next question Is, will there be large or q
small number of them brought to market2 In
order to arrive at correct conclusion with re-
ference to this it is necessary for US to examine
into the springs of human actions and see what
men will do or not do as general thing under
certain circumstances. N g.s
It is safe and reasonable to suppose that the
farmer will turn his attention to the cultivation
OF that which from the evidences bafnra him or
the inducements held out, promises the most
ample reward for his labor; and the more over
whelming are the evidences in favor of the prof
its likely to accrue, the more assidnity will be
exercised in the production of the article
Now let us see what are the inducements to
"cultivate" hogs, and what is the supply OF the
means with which they are to be prepared for
market. Since the 1st OF last January, hogs
have ruled higher than for long series of years
and the demand for them has been active, con-
sequently the inducements to breed them and
to take care of them, have been stronger than
they have been for many years and the result
of this is shown by the assessors return we
publish. The spring and summer, though very
late, have proved unusually favorable for all
kinds of vegetation everything suitable for food
for both man and beast, grew in the greatest
profusion throughout the length and breadth OF
the land the wheat, barley, rye, oats and hay
crops now gathered are the most abundant that
can be well imagined, and the corn and potato
crops now nearly matured, exceed, both as re-
CARDS quantity and quality, any ever gathered in
the country. During the whole summer and
up to the present time strong inducements have
existed to take the best care of hogs, and none
can suppose for moment that the best care has
not been taken Of them and more especially
when such ample means exist with which to DO
this. So then here we find the strongest induce
ments to breed and take care of hogs the last
nine months that has ever existed before and
along with this the greatest abundance OF food
with which to fatten them. The result, then,
must be q large increase in the number brought
to market and s'long hog crop"
How RAIN IS FoRMED.-To understand the
philosophy of this phenomena, essential to the
very existence of plants and animals, few facts,
derived from observation and a long train of ex-
periments, must be remembered. Were the at.
mospbere, everywhere at all times, at full
temperature, we should never have any rain,
hail or STOW. The water absorbed by it In g.