Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-12
June Will See Herds of Iowa
Farmers Almost Entirely
Depleted
POOR PRICES DlscouRAeING
Advancing Cost of Corn Causes Many
TO Sell of Everything - Cattle
Herds Also Being Trimmed Out =
Hiaher Prices Sure to Follow by
Early Summer.
lepecla1 TO Times Republican

lepecial TO Times-Republlcan.
Evanston, Feb. 12.-NeXt June will
see y, less number of marketable hogs
in Iowa than in many years., say the
livestock men who are conversant with
the situation over the state at large.
For several years hogs ave not
been raised as extensively as formerly
and during the present winter the
shortage and extremely high price OF
corn have driven practically all of the
farmers to sell their hogs almost to the
last animal they possessed. Many OF
those who have been in the habit OF
feeding as many as eighty to loo
swine per year have disposed of even
their breed animals and will raise none
the coming season with the exception,
perhaps, of two or three for killing.
The low prices that have existed for
the past few months have still further
discouraged the raising Of hogs an
other season.
Not as many hogs have been raised
in the state since the poor season Of
foul or five years ago. At that time,
as now, with a general shortage OF
corn and the price soaring about the
~sixty-cent mark, there was a general
cleaning out, reducing the number to
the minimum, m since that time, al
tho there lave been two or three good
crops, the high price of corn has
tempted a great many farmers to sell
their crop rather than feed it. This
condition has not tended to the high
eat production of hogs.
This year many Iowa farmers were
forced to begin buying corn for feed
as early as the fore part of January.
Even those who had in a large acreage
of corn are numbered among these In
some cases. Very few farmers in the
short sections have enough to more
than carry them thru the winter n
all are boarding their feed in every
manner possible. In some sections
this condition has driven the grain
ment to ship corn in to supply the
feeders of their vicinity. There is not
81 SHOuku Gull IIldlh ClCu " 1870
ritory to fill the local demand.
1t is the report of the buyers that
the hogs in the soft corn sections of
the state are practically all disposed OF
at this time.
The few that remain are being
showed off as rapidly as possible. A
good deal the same condition is re-
ported among cattle feeders. Only a
few in the short sections are feeding.
The greater number are selling their
steers as feeders or are carrying them
over on roughness to another season.
It is stated that very few fat cattle
Will be shipped out of the state this
spring, as compared with other years.
Cattle Being Trimmed Out.
Owing to these conditions the cat
tie, too, are being thinned out, but the
movement is not as serious as that
among hogs. 1t is, in most cases, only
the steers that are being disposed of.
The cows are being kept and there will
be almost the usual number of calves
coming on. Cattle can be kept thru
the winter Of r%oughness and the farm
ers are not forced to croWd them off as
they have their hogs.
The heavy drop in the market just
at the time when it became apparent
to the farmers that they would be
forced to dispose of their hogs was
most inopportune and has caused the
farmers Of the state at large a loss of
several hundred thousand dollars.
It Is the expectation of the buyers,
now that the most of the hogs have
been disposed of, the market will be-
gin to climb again. Contrary to the
general rule, the price of both hogs
and cattle, but more particularly the
former, has been low out Of all pro-
portion to that Of corn. But next June,
say the buyers, the law of supply and
demand is bound to exert itself and it
Is the belief Of many of them that the
price will again be well to the top.
Some predict that Sc or even better is
not improbable at that time, if the
new corn crop is in good prospect by
That time, the scarcity of hogs will be
still more felt as the season advances,
els the farmers who have them will
keep them to feed off the new crop.
This, It Is said, will have a tendency to
still further advance the price.