New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-13
letu91ork DAILY Wibnite
INCREASE IN THE COST OF FOOD.

II may be considered as one Of the most serious
questions in the political economy Of the Uni'ed
STATES that, nOtwiths sudDg the Infancy Of the IA
ton compared with the venerable empires Of the
old continent, and the nexness and natural feralty
of its soil, the price Of human food, particularly
that of animal products, has been gradually in
creasibg for long series Of years. In other words,
the miner of gold, silver, copper, iron, lead or
coal OF the worker in any natural products must
give larger quantity of them BON for his necessary
supply Of meat Than he ever gave before, taking the
average Of any decade of years since America began
TO be a civilized nation.
With the exception of occasional spasmodic ad.
vanceS, or deprt s'ons below the line, the upward
tendency Of the price of food producing animals in
the United States is Just as regular and certain as
the inclr ed plane of any railway from the seaboard
to the interior; aud notwithstanding all prophecies
that the ease Of the descent down this inclined
plane from the farms and fertile field. Of the back
country" would bring produce go cheaPy, freely
and abundanty as TO ruin the seaboard farmers, the
exact contrary has been the efect-and every fat
bullock. sheep and hog, which has sid down this
inclined plane to a market during the year 1870,
responding description of animals was before one
Of these great national highways Was constructed.
And this increase in value has no; produced the
ruin prophesied; but, on the contrary correspond
ing Increase # their own products, a. compared
with those arriving from the interior, has resulted
to farmers in the vicinity of commercial cites as
well az those 10 remote districts. Doubtless the most
perceptble increase has resulted to the interior b,
cause the abundant production Of the land was 80
much greater than the demand for home cOnsump-
ton, and the difficulty and cost Of transportation
were so great to the older and more densely pOpula
ted sections, that the surplus tf meat o7er the
wants Of the new settlers for their consumption
had no exchangeable value Ii is natural for the
people of such parts of the country 10 suppose that
the increase which they are so sensible OF il al
owing to the improved convenience of tan'pOrta-
ton. arising from railways aGd the use of steam
upon rivers, such as the Ohio, for instance, aud its
tributaries. Down these streams within the resell
lection ofpersous living on its borders all the country
produce was noated in "brOad. hOrns" or 10 keel
boats" the fret rough-built ark, q fat-bot-
toned boat with sides boarded up four or fSe feet
high, and covered with board root, being about
sixteen feet wide and from sixty to bundled feet
long and capable of floating great bulk of bales OF
hay ears OF corr, barrels Of -four or pork. The
Ia ter, however, was more commonly carried in
bulk, and generally in the form of smoked meat,
"hog round" that is, head neck shoulders, sides
and hams, cut apart and piled up like cordwood till
sailed, and then hung and smoked. and next piled
sgan in the boat for transportation, floating with
the current to a market distant perhaps two thou
saId miles from the place Of embarkaton. There
boats built in primitive regions of forest, where
lumber had no exchaDgeable value abOse the mere
cost of manufacture and when discharged of their
lsdipg were sold for their value a. damaged lumber.
The keel boats were more permanently built, and in
| their size and form somewhat resembed canal
boats and after being uDladeR Of their country pro-
duce we're flied with merchandise, and by the
power of men alone slowly propelled up the stream,
often occupying three months in the passage 1t Ia
| NO wonder that in the age Of such rude modes Of
| transportation and abundant production of food
| giving animals, these animals and theIr product
held but very low yalue-such for instance as can
| be we'll rtmen bered in Ohio and Indiana even long
after the broad and keel boats had been super
so constructed that ii is fsoetiously said they will
| run any where in the channel of river if the
bottom is muddy or the sand bars mOstened with
| shower.
From memory, We give few Of the prices cur
rent, less thsn thirty years ago. in the Vest
so. nod ii.a COW oos. ;: "a. 'S I'd
months calf. te6 % f., -ether sheep % 75e 20
Ayenlps ood lot Of good lamb. .oo =.
| A pair Of woriins .hote Of 50 or 90
oIen...........So ccd<o ~ bs...........@ ga "
| A f.t hos oil 80 n. . 5 oil
Corn 10 fstten these animals from DC. To l2e. per
bu,hel Their products n the meat, and other things
| may be rated something Ike the following:
MN , in ID: country Wheat, 4, bush. rs az -
e eS.. :.S a. az s S.i nd .rp: a.
yea. 10 " A' Of 40 Q. B..n. = ba.h "a 81 40 50
Beef, y n BY the Dned fruit y hesPd a. :.
p; Ss.I'f. Sf az o. rGr i'q in die iosp
TsOv. y =, redo o. 40 &C n.;:....::.To oli o''
Gp.s. .Slt....O O. 40 as VB.: ., 20 .
Lamb y QusrieTo 10 40 IL Lad In hep . "a az 70
These msy be taken as an approximation 3. least
to the average prices Of Ohio and Indiana before
the age Of railSays-not emily in the country, bu'
in sueh towns as Cincinnati, where it was co nmon
thirty years ago to cast the beads and feet sad
back bones and ribs Of hogs into the Ohio, with
the blood and hair and intessires, as worthless
offl Many family there, now in state OF aifiu-
ence, can remember when they used to 60 TO the
pOrk. house aud for "a levy" get mirkes-basAe.
full Of nice, sweet spare-rib'. II was rare thing,
too. in those DAYS, for narket-butcher 10 weigh