The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-03-07

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Business.
The annulr statement OF the depart
ment Of Agriculture Of the number and
value OF farm animals requires compari-
son with statements OF previous years
20 disclose its meaning A decrease
appears in the number Of each kind OF
farm animals. which would not be fully
appreciated without the fact that there
had been a decrease In two previous
years In every kind except mslcs and
milch cows. The decrease In the three
years has been In number is per cent
In milch cows. 2.2 In mules. GO In horses.
IL In swine. 1913 In cattle, and 10 per
cent. In sheep. Nearly a fifth OF the
sheep In the country have been exter-
minated by threedemocratic years. But
there hns also been decline in the
average price during the same three
years. Notwithstanding the decrease In
number, in every kind OF animals ex-
cept mich cows, which have increased
3.s per cent. and cattle. which increased
per cent In horses the price has de-
clined As per cent. and In mules 43, ow-
ing to peculiar causes; in swine AL,
and in sheep 1851 per cent Such de-
cline In sheep. added TO decrease OF
10 per cent. In number. Is. In truth. 4
surprising evidence Of the boosted bless
ings of free trade to wool growers. The
value of all sheep on the farms has de-
creased from si25. o0o.264 to SOS, i67.-
735 in three years. or nearly as per cent.
To this must be added. in order TO
grasp the full virtue of the democratic
policy for wool growers, an average loss
OF ntsperpound ON about 336, 600, 900
pounds of wool In 1893, cents on 325,-
100000 pounds in 1894. and o cents on
S10,O00,00o pounds in 1se5-in all about
$74,00o,000; so that the wool growers
loss has been aboutS134, TAI 900, or moro
than the entire value OF all the sheep In
the country three years ago. In fact,
IL averages loss of s.. s5 for every sheep
then in the country. of which the farm
value was $2.66. The senator from
Ohio who voted for free wool, and could
not explain to the wool growers why
they had lost about si2.o1s.00o in two
years, has been retired. The senator's
from Texas. where wool growers have
lost about $12,7s7.0 900, and from Cali
forum. where they have lost about S12,-
10000. have yet to explain their part.
The losses in number and value of
farm animals are only in part ex-
planned by the increase in the previous
four years, lss0-93. in which there was
OF some kinds n notable and perhaps
undue increase. Thus the number of
horses increased in these four years
1876 per cent. but decrease of 14.s per
cent. In average value indicates that the
gain was excessive, and the number OF
mules increased 80 per cent, but de-
creased in value Ill per cent. Con-
sidering the great expansion in other
means of locomotion in towns and cit
les, IL may be supposed that an excess
sive increase of horses caused the re-
sulting decline both in number and
value after 1898, and the shrinkngc in
general business and IN value of Inn
portant farm products also accounts
for much OF the subsequent decrease.
As mich cows increased IA per cent,
and cattle &c In the four years 1ss0-93.
with decline of 90 per cent. in the
average value of cows and 10.6 In the
average value OF cattle, the fact that
the further decrease in number OF each
has been accompanied by some recov-
cry in price seems not unnatural. The
decline of 80 per cent in swine In the
scme four years brought an advance OF
1917 in price. but the scarcity of corn
has doubtless been an important fac
tor in the fall OF the price during the
last three years. But sheep increased
1913 per cent. in number from 1850 to
1893 and 24.s per cent. in value in spite
OF that gain in number, while the de-
crease in the. three subsequent years
has been greater. both in number and
in value. as follows: