St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-08-05
NOTES AND COMMENTS.

lHE American uo5 Has always UCoh "
part of our national history and the sub
iect of more or less international humor.
1t has taken such firm hold as very
important branch of our farming indus
tries as to excite somewhat enviOus feel
ings among less fortunate nations, but
the American quadruped is liberal
minded and can afford to contemplate
with cquanimity their little jealousles SO
long as it puts money into the pockets
of American farmers. The hog is now
regarded with much more respect than
for twenty years past owing to the very !
sudden advance in its value, and the
American Agriculturist has been to
large amount of trouble and expense IN
securing facts and figures showing the
growth and value of the hog industry
since 1860, together with its position OF
today. All this information is extremely
interesting 1t is Of most Importance to
note the direct bearing of the price of
hogs upon the supply. The lowest value
of hogs was $455, in 1850, and this /,
| chcapncss caused farmers to turn their
| attention to other crops, as being more
| valuable; hence there was a reduction OF |
! 8. 4Ol 900 in number during the ensuing
decade. This decrease, when our popu-
lation was largely on the increase, forced
the value of hog up to 81, the result
being that the supply was nearly doubled
in the next decade-up to 1880. Then
values fell back to ST. SO, just about
where they were twenty years previously.
Since then the supply has been more
steadily regulated, without any great
| "a
hogs throughout the country averaged
$46) at the beginning of 1892, as COM
pared with $4.55 in 1850. At the be-
ginning of 1860, just thirty-three years
ago there were 33, 5l2, S67 hogs in the
| United States, worth an aggregate sum
of 1872, 4S3, 545, an average price OF ST.
So per hog. A year ago the number of
hogs had increased to 81, 399, 0l9, worth
$241, OBI, 4l5, an average value of Si.6O,
showing an increase in the thirty-two
years of nearly 1900, 600 hogs, and in
value of nearly $50, OOJ,OJO. At the be-
ginning of February, 1898, the total
number Of hogs in the country was AZ,
| 81, SO7, O decrease of 6, 500, 900 as COM
| pared with year ago. In value, how
| ever, they made the enormous increase
| of 81, 400, 900 within the year, being
| now worth close upon $500, 900, 900,
while the average value last month was
$6.41 per hog, as compared with si.6O
last year, gain of $l.Sl per hog in the
tweivemOnth. There seems but little
doubt that prices are liable to rule high
during the remainder of this year, but a
! sudden large supply is likely to cause a
| sharp reaction, aud it will, therefore, be
| safer for farmers not to have all their
| eggs in one basket.
THE Paris Temps states that the total
length of railway lines in Europe at the
end of last year was 142, 6JS miles, or
$3.50 miles more than at the end of 1891,
this being equivalent to an increase OF
1.SJ per cent The 142, G5S miles of
railway are distributed as under: Ger
many, p, 1870 miles, with an increase of
316 miles: France 23, Us miles, with an
increase of GJ5 miles; Great Britain and
| Ireland, 20, 4:!5 miles, with an increase
of so miles; Russia and Finland, 49,
miles, with an increase of s. miles; Aus
tria- Hungary, II, 340 miles, with an In
crease of G55 miles; Italy, 8, $40 miles,
with an increase of rs miles; Spain,
$3.50 miles, with an increase of 155
miles: Sweden and Norway, 6, $50 miles,
with an increase of 100 miles; Belgium,
| 3,315 miles, with an increase of 81 miles;
| Switzerland, 2, 045 miles, with an increase
of so mics; Holland and Luxembourg,
! 1925 miles, with an increase Of l. miles;
Roumania, $50 miles, with no increase;
Portugal, !, 430 miles, with an increase
OF 1OJ miles; Denmark, 1. $40 miles, with
an increase of Is miles; Turkey, Bull
| garia and Roumania, 1,014 miles, or no
| change; Greece, 572 miles, with an in
crea.e of 81 miles: Servia, 337 miles,
and Malta, miles, in neither of the two
latter cases there being any change
The present mileage in the United States
is about 1900.
JACKSON PARK, in which the EXPOSE
ton is held, has a frontage on Lake
Michigan of one and one half miles, and
contains 533 acres, seventy-seven OF
which are water The Midway Plalsance
is a mile long and 600 feet wide, and
contains eighty acres more. There are
thirty nine Exposition buildings proper,
and floor space of 159 acres. Adding
the galleries, there are 1897 acres.
Grouped around there are forty-tour
State and Territorial buildings, eighteen
buildings erected by foreign Govern
ments, and forty others for the minor
purposes of the management, restaurants
and advertising wares and enterprises.
In the Midway Plaisance are the foreign
villages, shops, etc. The visitor who
would merely take passing look at each
of the vast array of exhibits must pre-
pare to walk along 124 miles of aisles.
Add to this the distance from one build
ing to another, which must Of necessity
be travelled many times, and the distance
to be covered will reach fully $50 miles.
THE people of the Spanish capital are
much amused at the egotistlc estimate
recently placed upon his attainments by
a Young grandee Among the interest
ing ceremonies at the Spanish Court is
the appearance before the Queen Regent
at stated times, of the inheritors of the
title of grandcc, the most coveted dis
tinction in the land. The ceremony is
quaint. The new grandce, wearing his
hat in the presence of royalty as mark
of his rank, recounts the glorious deeds
of his ancestors and his own deeds as
reasons for his assumption Of the dignity.
At the last reception, the Duke Of Tarifa,
the Youngest son of the Duchess of
Medinaelli, was among the new grandees
But when it came his turn to tell why
he should be a grandee he recounted
with pride the fact that he had been
oradlmted from the DOlytcchnicum as an