Litchfield enquirer., 1865-08-10
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PREPARED EXPRESSLY THE l~ ENQUIRER, ,p, BY
 r.s. GOLD. WI Cornwall, Ct. ]. To ~hom an com~usjssIlens s.I shouldSe addressed. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS E 7s PRH @oF BEEF. team The reporters sae New York market 5 have been sorely lied the last yeas to ac
 count for the price 'tt7ch beef aud othe meat. asrvss... as the it,uscts t of the dairy have brought As there was DO tariff upon them, |4pd they wers hema productions. why should they-be affected i.Ss s,hs price of gold T ta 34e disposition ameng the farmers to keep back from market their butter and cheese, in hopes of still higher prices, and the eombina- tions of spectators and middle men to control the market, with various other reasons. have been urged as the cause ofthe past and pres ent high price of these articles of food but they have been unwilling to look at tbe true reaons. The number of dealers who intervene between the producers and the customers doubtless have something to do with enhancing the price, but the grand reason does not rest here. The high price of gold stimulated the export of butter and cheese, and at DO time during the past year have these articles aeon mulated in the hands of the farmers. Less cheese was wintered over in this section last winter than usual, aud so close was the sale of butter in Berkshire County, that in one town at least large dealer was obliged 10 send to New York for supply during the winter. '
 The short pasturage of the past season and the scanty forage crops all through the coun- try. not only diminished the dairy products of the year., but the farmers reduced their stocks of cattle so that we can neither furnish milk or beef at short notice even with abundant pas- turage. But is the decrease of cattle suffi- cient to amount to anything over the whole country? Is there an actual scarcity of COWS and oxen7 A. 3 -t .aH.s ..,
 In the Report of the Department of Agrical- ture for April and May. this question is fairly answered. Iu the loyal States, ia January 1865, there were 298,6l8 COWS less than in 1864, and of oxen and other cattle s9l ,848 less than in June. 1864. Sheep show an in-o crease of about four millions, but this is more than balanced by illumination in swine of three millions. Wesee that our national dairy is diualnisted nearly three hundred thousand cows from last year and our other cattle nearly one million. In the mean time we have be- come more consumers of fresh meat, and our population has increased as rapidly as ever both by birth and emmigration The border States are drawing hard upon our stocks of cattle, both for labor and breeding purposes. It cost twice as much to winter what cattle we have got, last winter, as ever before, and labor has fully doubled in price within a few years. The high price of these articles then does not appear to be fictitious but to rest upon an actual scarcity, want of a supply to meet the demand. '.-. '.'.
 It is proposed by some benevolent individu- als in New York, that the consum CTS should go without beef for a time, beginning Aug 5th so as to bring the butchers to terms If million of beef eaters will abstain for few years it will doubtless help the farmers to ie- plenish their herds of cattle, but we do not think any important results will How from this movement. -s si+t
 Our native population eat more meat than any other civilized people, and the starving thousands of Europe swarm upon our shores for the sake of getting something to eat. We eat too much meat for the National health an6 partial abstinence from whatever cause pro duced, will benefit us > T#
 It must be a long time before our stocks of cattle can attain the same ratio to our popula- tioD, as before the war It has been hard work for our agricultural journals to convince the farmer that he could raise his COWS as cheap as he could purchase them. Those who make beef will not raise their own stock. but depend upon their sharpness at trade for part of their profits We conclude that the farmer gets no more than he ought for hIs dairy pro. duce and his cattle, and that no serious de cline in the market may be anticipated at present. ,.'" sf:as ?'7 .'' 1-
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