, 1897-09-30

THE PRICE OF BEEF
Recently some very funny exp. n,
tons have been mad by h. "tnnnIr..r
papers of the rise in t.I" pr"rr u. b"i.
One northern paper. h" i'rftl1 N'"'.
says the ranchmen. under rh" pressure
OF a depressed market, in y"lr~ guun by.
have disposed o. all ;hr,r She
stock and thus have KILL d
the goose that laid the gold
en- egg. Blu this is No :hr clus" Of he
rise. To the candid man who who has
given the matter thought. I1 Will al once
appear that greater cnn~unp ion has
caused the rise in the price. and rhl-
greater consumption is very largely To-
cal. II it is a fact that ~hrro il, a shur,.
age in the beef on the range. il has not
been developed by the 81 pmrns 5. Cor
they have been heavier man ever. y
correspondent Of the s.. Louis Globe
Democrat recently interviewed 'he Sec
Rotary OF the Kansas Ciiy Live Stock Y
change and Obtained the following
somewhat startling faces,
Secretary Woodbury. u the Kansas
City Live Stock exchange sal a. his desk
and figured. Through The Op Il windows
came the believing of $4,000 clj,le, Of
all ages and genders. the granting and
squearing OF 10, 1000 hogs. and ,hc bIeaj.
ing Of 1000 sheep. These were the re-
ceipts OF the day, $50 car loads ~al,ngeth.
er. No wonder the secretary ~cIluruiit,
ed aloud with such confusing surround
ings, as he worked on the problem Ina;
had been given.
How much have the rtCcip,S his year
increased over last year? VIVA, do the
increased receipts reprcsen, in value?
What have been phe advances in pr.cts
over last year? What VIII Iuosc ad-
vances represent OF the to-al r~ect.p,s2"
s-ne secretary smiled when tn" qu"s.
tons were put TO him.
81 see what you are "af,er." he said.
You want to know how much h...rr of
the producers of live stock are Ibis year
than they were last; in other words.
pockets this year than las; year. Vel.
we'll see."
The secretary drew a pad OF paper 10
ward him and began to put down he
figures, talking as he Wen along.
1.-THE receipts OF cattle SO far this year
Indicate an increase Of $4,000 head.
Well say that $40 is 4 fair average price
per head. That will give ST. 200. 600 for
the increase in cattle his year. Calves
have increased Ala, and are selling a
good deal higher than las, year. Make
the price 81, to be conservative. That
item is $29.21S. Hogs have increased
535, 900 over last year. Al IS a piece that
makes 81 S0 900. Add those sums and
you will find that The increase IN re-
cefpts at the Kansas City stock yards
will put into the pockets Of the produce
ers over SIC, 000, 900 this year"
Hold on" interrupted Cuthbert Pow
ell, the live stock writer, who had fol-
lowed the calculation. "Woodbury. YOU
have left out sheep"
That's a fact" said the secretary.
Our sheep receipts have cen los. 900
more this year than they were last and
at an average OF $3.50 there would be
about $500, 600 more, bringing The ;o,al
up 10 $11 900, 900. Now that simply rep
nn,orya u,hat no live s+,sl. nrninnarS IL,
the Kansas City territory receive :or
the increase in sales this year. You van
to know, now. | suppose, what the gain
has been from the advance of prices?
Well, the value OF the live stock sold
here last year was Sll3, 900, 900. The
prices have advanced on everything. on
some Things more than others. 1t is
safe to say, l think, hat the average has
been fully 25 per cent. So You see the
gain to the producers, if We leave out Of
consideration the increase in receipts.
will be $2S, $50, 900. Putting the value
OF the increase in receipts with the value
in the advance Of prices, you have s39,-
14,218 as the amount realized This year
at these stock yards above the business
OF last year"
(which shows" suggested the live
stock editor. that wheat isn't the only
good thing the western farmer is enjoy
ing this year"
YES" said the secretary. you can
safely put it that the prolncers will real
ize in this Kansas City live sock market
alone $40, 900, 900 more than they did in
1896"
Every steer now being sold brings
from IS to 50 more than me same kind
OF a steer brought last year; every calf
from 81 t 50 more; every hog from SO to
1925 more; every sheep 81 more.
LUNAR SUPERSTITIONS.
III you see the new over your