The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-08
Fork Packing in the West,

To large portion of our commercial readers
q representation of the pork packing opera
tfons In the West Is q most interesting item OF
Information; therefore we copy the following
report for the first half OF the winter packing
season, from that able and reliable journal, the
Cincinnati Price Current. of the Sd inst.
The result in brief is that 3O5 interior points
this year packed only 7Os. s4s head of hogs show
ing falling off Of 3sl $40 head. Estimating the
no returns at the same per cent OF decrease, the
aggregate falling Oft at all interior points is
100000. Notwithstanding this large reduction in
the packing to date the estimates of packing at
these 301 points for the entire season are only
10000 head less than the actual packing at these
places last year, Our experience has been chat
the packing at interior points always exceeds
the estimates made at the middle OF the season.
SO that 1t Is safe to assume that with favorable
weather the remainder of the season there will
be as many hogs packed at interior points this
as there was last season.
AZ regards the packing at the six leading
cities, there Is falling of Of 205 900 to date the
total being 100000 against 1895 600 last year.
This makes the approximate total at all West
err packing points to date 100000. against
garding the total packing for the season In the
six large cities, our information indicates that
at least four Of the six leading cities will exceed
last year. while the other two will be but little ii
any short; it follows therefore. that If the inte-
rior points PACK as many as last year the in
ss packing the West viii be measured
49,.
within bounds. we estimate at 100000 head.
This will make the estimated packing in the
West. in. round numbers. 100000, against
1908 last winter. Besides an increase in
numbers there is likely to be a moderate in
crease In weight. but we have not Sufficient data
to make any estimate of the per cent of In crease
Our 'returns indicate that the falling off in
packing to date is attributable entirely to the
unfavorabie weather which prevailed during
most OF the month Of December for very few
places report any less number of hogs In the
country. and great many returns indicate an
increased supply.
"A large number of the interior points had
closed their packing for the season by the first
81 January year ago. but this year very few
nave closed. Some points. however, report that
they have closed aunless they have more favor
able weather hereafter, and the estimates of the
total packing for the season are accom- panied
with the proviso of good weather. The COM
plants OF losses of hogs by disease are less nu-
merous than last year. and where disease exists
IL seems to be less virulent Many of the re-
turns speak of the large number of young hogs
IN the country which will be available for sum
mer marketing,
Many OF the correspondents speak of con-
slderaole Increase in packing by farmers for
nome consumption as a consequence of the low
prices which prevail for hogs in the country It
is mighty probable that this practice will obtain
70 considerable extent, for it has been demon
strated In past experience that such packing is
very small when prices of hogs rule high and
quite large when they are low.