The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-28
The Price of Pork.

The unusual high prices which were paid for
hogs the past week or SO. has been cause of sur
prise, and attracted great attention: and it is
sonable that this should be the case under exist
ing circumstances. The foreign markets are to be
during the last two years, and all experience is
against the expectation that exports like the
past season to these markets will be continued
the present. prices being too high to admit of
this. High prices have always reduced the con-
sumption in England and on the Continent; and
the extreme low prices was the cause which IN
duced the large demand the past two years.
In the fore part of last September we collected
reliable information regarding the crops; and,
as far as possible the extent that the
corn had been injured by the frosts and the cool
dry summer which had prevailed in most parts
of the West; and, based upon the information
thus obtained, we stated that the pork crop this
season would certainly be short as compared
with that of the previous season; and every de-
Velopment which has been made with regard to
II since then has rendered it more and more GER
tain; and we have doubt that this deficiency
Will reach 20 to . per cent, including number
and weight. But whilst this is SO, it would seem,
Judging from the prices which have been paid
Tor hogs the last week or SO, that a somewhat
strange idea exists regarding the result of de-
fict.o OF even one-third, as compared with last
season. 1t should be remembered that the crop
last season was an unusual one, and without
previous precedent: it even exceeded the
estimates of what had been regarded posi-
ble The crop Of lS60-l was very large so much
SO, that had not the extreme low prices induced
an immense foreign demand, fully tWo-thirds of
IL could not have found a home market at any
price. OF the crop of that season. one hundred
and eighty-tive million pounds of pork and box
meats and one hundred and thirty-two million
pounds OF lard We're exported TO foreign coun-
tries. chiefly to England; and yet whilst the en-
tire surpluSot lard was taken, large surplus of
pork was left, and large portion of that then
packed in barrels remains TO this day Of thecrop
Of last season, two hundred and thirty-one mill
lion pounds of pork and bacon, and one hundred
and twenty-five million pounds of lard We're
taken by foreign countries. chiefly England and
still large surplus left for home use beyond the
wants OF ZONE consumers, as the stocks of pork
and lard in all the markets show. Now, in both
OF these seasons, prices, as regards foreign mar.
kets, were low, unusually so; and the arrange
ment to prepare the product for those markets
commenced early ia the fall, preceding each sea-
son. No such preparations have been made this
fall, nor has there been anything done worth
naming up to this date, in packing for the Eng
lish markets. There is no doubt that some VIII
be taken, during the season; but should any
thing like the present prices prevail, it will be
but small portion, compared with what was
taken the last two seasons; ofthiS we think there
is no doubt.
Let us examine this in another aspect, and see
what has been regarded as short and a long
crop OF pork heretofore. The following We're the
crops we reported packed at the packing places
the last eight years and the average price in this
market each wear: