Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-12-22

Live stock, like every other com
modify, is liable to fluctuations in
price, occasioncd by changes in the
supply or demand, and by altera-
tons in the general financial and
commercial conditions Of the eoun.
try. We believe, however, that it
has an advantage over all manufac-
tured articles, aud all other agri.
cultural products, in this, that con-
siderable fluctuations in its value
are less frequent and less violent.
and very rarely reach point below
the cost Of intelligent and sconimi.
cal production. Other industries
sustain, without apparent cmbar.
rassment, fluctuations Of more
alarming character than our live
stock friends have heretofore had
to encounter, and we see no reason
why breeders should allow them
selves to be discouraged, because
under very rare conditions and 1T
long intervals, the ruling prices OF
the country are temporarily less
satisfactory than they could desire.
In the mercantile walks of life,
statistics have shown that q very
small percentage, even among those
persons who have had the benefit of
thorough training, and commence
operations with abundant capital to
maintain the line Of business they
undertake, escape failure. And the
same may be said of great portion
Of those who engage in manufactur.
ing enterprises. In relation to live
stock, however, experience in al
portions of the country has shown,
that when intelligent persons with
a moderate degree Of experience
engage in breeding, with capital
and appliances proportional to the
extent Of their operations = very
small per centage Of those who dis
play 1.-THE of the prudence and
energy which would be required in
general business, fail to amass for.
tunes. This disparity in results,
shows conclusively that, taking :
series of years together, the mar
gin of profit in raising live stock is
far greater than in the production
of any other commodity, and that
the general course of market values
are more favorable to breeders than
to any other class Of producers.
And as long as breeders can feel
that they are in line Of business,
which average results show to be
attended with more satisfaction and
less risk than any other general
business in which they could en-.
gage, we can see no reason why
they should complain, or why low
prices during any one exceptional
season should induce them to
abridge, in the least, their ordinary
operations.
We are inclined TO think that, no
matter how unpleasant it may seem,
an occasional low range Of prices is
not altogether without compromising
advantages. Where sales are quick,
pay prompt and profits large, the
inducements for studying the COR
rect theories Of breeding, and the
most economical mode of feeding,
are, in the case of very many indi-
viduals, too small to justify, in their
eyes, the labor and trouble involved.
They feel that they are making
plenty Of money as it is, and are not
inclined to make extra exertion in
order to secure more substantial re-
turns. Lower prices and smaller
profits, however, open the eyes of
all to the necessity Of systematic
and scientific operations, aud breed
ers of all degrees summon all their
resources to the task of discerning
how better article can be produced
for less money.
We appreciate that in many ca
SEES the present range of prices is
not satisfactory. But this is one OF
the ups and downs of a world where
fortunes are continually shifting
The exigency demands prudence
and study in order to utilize, as far
as possible, the conditions by which
it is attended, and little patience
to wait for the next wave to tide
matters back to their old levels
Lice Stock Journal.