Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-03-11
ne STORY OF FARM ANIMALS.
10 Rsls Deprssses n Inporsa,s
Busineaa

1osnoerstse Rsls Deprssses n Inporsans
BasinesA
The annual statement of the depart-
ment Of agriculture Of the number and
value OF farm animals requires COMPARE
son with statements of previous wears
TO 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 decrease In two previous
Pears in every kind except mules and
milch COVE The decrease in the th-ee
years has been in number Is per cent.
m mich cows, 2.2 in mules, &C in horses,
III m swine, 1o.s in cattle, and 10 per
cent. in sheep. Nearly a fifth Of the
sheep in the country have been exter-
minated by three democratic years. But
there has also been a 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
s.s per cent, and cattle, which increased
per cent. In horses the price has de-
clined 46 per cent, and in mules 40, ow-
Ing to peculiar causes; in swine 80. /.
and in sheep 36.1 per cent. Such de-
cline in sheep, added to n decrease of
10 per cent. in number, is, in truth, n
surprising evidence of the boasted bless
1ngs of free trade to wool growers. The
value of all sheep on the farms has de-
creased from 1925, .264 to S65,167.-
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 6 cents per pound on about 336, 900 900
pounds of wool in 1898, cents on $685.
100000 pounds in 1894, and cents on
100000 pounds in ls95-in all abou,
STA ,0o0, 900; SO that the wool growers
loss has been about s134. 741 900, or mere
than the entire value of all the sheep in
the country three years ago. In fact.
1t averages loss of s2.s5 for every sheep
then in the country, of which the farm
value was S2.66. The senator from
Ohio who voted for free wool, and could
not explain to the wool growers WHY
they had lost about ST., 9,S.00O in two
years, has been retired. The senator's
from Texas, where wool growers have
lost about $12,7S7 900, and from Cali
fornia, where they have lost about Si2,-
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 yeers, 1sS9-03, in which there was
OF some kinds a notable and perhaps
undue increase. Thus the number of
horses increased in these four years
sS6 per cent, but decrease of las per
Cent. in average value indicates that the
gam was excessive, and the number of
mules increased 80 per cent, but de-
creased in value III per cent. Con-
siGering the great expansion in other
means Of locomotion in towns and cit
les, it may be supposed that an excess
sive increase of horses caused the re-
sulting decline both in number and
value after, 1893, and the shrinlxagc i'm
general business and IN value of i'm
portant farm products also accounts
Tor much of the subsequent decrease.
AS mich cows increased IA per cert.
md cattle &c in the four y cars 1ss9.93.
with decline of 90 per cent. in the
average value of cows and 1915 in the
average value of cattle, the fact that
the further decrease in number of each
tas been accompanied by some recov-
cry In price seems not unnatural The
decline OF SD per cent. in swine in the
ssme 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
1o.9 per cent. in number from 1889 to
1913 and GAS per cent. IL value in spite
OF that gain in number, while the de-
crease in the three subsequent years
has been greater, both in number AID
in value. as follows:
In four years, 1899