Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-16
PROBABLE HOG SUPPLY.
Majority Expect Decrease for TIL
COMING Year

|
Chicago, April 16.-Packers and hot
| dealers generally are much at sea re
garding the probable supply durins
the coming summer season. There arr
| opinions both ways, but the majorit,
| seem to favor the idea that the suppl,
| Will show a decrease compared witt
| last year. Receipts for this year t
Idate, compared with the corresponding
| time last year, show respectable gam
lhut supplies lately have been fallins
! behind. and at such rate the gaif
Will soon be wiped out. 1t is claimed
by some, however. that the bad con
dition of country roads is responsible
for the light offerings at present. Las
year was an unfortunate one for grow
ing pigs on account of the very wei
weather, and this made the supply
smaller than it would have been
Again, the high price of corn has en-
coufaged close marketing. which is
evidenced by the showing of sows and
thin stock. An authority on packing
operations says that there were 73o,
600 more hogs packed during the win
ter season in the west than during tho
previous year. and that there was u
age weight. This of course. means ,
big addition to the stock of pork. While
the supply for the next few months 4:
expected to be small. it is believed By
may that the deficiency will BE made
UP later In the year
The summer season in the pork pack
Ing industry Is recognized as repre-
senting the eight months from March
to October inclusive The question of
available supplies of hogs for a period
of several months is always one sur
rounded with much uncertainty, and
cannot be based on information other
than general Judgment which varies
with individual observers in the same
field OF observation Nevertheless it
has been shown that the gathering to-
gether OF such opinions has been SER
viceable in securing worthy results as
to Indicated resources of supply.
Prices have been remunerative to
producers of hogs, and the animals
have been free from unusual deple ton
in numbers from malaides. The breed
ing basis has been reduced so that
immediate revival of hog raising could
not be appropriately expected.
Reviewing the information received
from the lerger markets with refer
ence to expected supplies. the result
Is as follows, as compared with 100 for
last year: Chicago 100 to 10; Kansas
City, ITO to rs: Omaha, los TO 10:
st. Louis. 105 to 10: ST. Joseph, 100 to
los. Indianapolis. 80 TO So; Milwaukee
100 to 10; for the various other pack
ing points of Importance, 100 to ITO.
From interior correspondents the In
formation points to about the follow
ing: For Ohio 95 per cent; Indiana.
100; Illinois, 95; Iowa 90; Missouri.
los; Kansas. 100; Nebraska, 1o5. These
averages point TO about IS as the gem
erai average for these states, which
represent the greater part of the COM
mercial supplies of hogs.
The proportion of the western sum-
ner packing In recent years represent
ed by operations from July to No
venber l, the last half of the period
has been as follows: 1903, AZ per cent;
1902, Az per cent; 1901, AZ per cent;
1900. 46 per cent; 1899, As per cent;
1898. AZ per cent 1897, AZ per cent.
This implies that qhe four months
in 1902, was not unusual in such re-
lations.
The reasonable deduction from the
evidences now available is that a mod
crate gain In numbers may be expect
ed. compared with last year, and that
the period prior to July will likely
reflect as much relative increase on
the later period and possibly more
while the average weight will probably
not be increased. and may fall some
what short