The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-08
THE nraH MEAr rn,Cr..

I
 To any reflecting mind 1t must be plain that the present high price of meats of all kinds, and the prospects of even higher prices. should be an object lesson to the farmers of Ala bsma not to be misunderstood or all lowed to go unheeded. Beef. pork. bacon and all other animal products are fast passing beyond the reach of people of even moderate means. while the poor are coming to look on meat as luxury to be indulged In only occasionally. High as the prices are now. we can see no hope of reduction unless there is a radical change of methods.
 It is positively charged that part, at least. of this, condition is duo to Meat Trust, which Is not only man. ipulating and controlling prices at home but is shipping thousands of beef cattle to Europe where even higher figures prevail than we en- dure here at homo. This may be true, and may account to some extent for the almost prohibitive cost of meat here. but If so 1t Is only par tiai explanation. The main factor is that there are more eaters than there are producers in the South. Tn other words, increased and increasing pop uiation calfs for a larger supply of meat. and 1t is not to be had in quan- titles sufficient to supply the demand.
 We repeat that the conditions now existing, and the prospects ahead of us. should be both an object lesson and an incentive to our own farmers Hogs can be raised, fattened and slaughtered by our farmers, because some of them prove 1t. Only a few days ago we heard an Fillmore county man, who farms on a small scale. say that he has eight large hogs ready for killing when the weather suits. AhS9o VIII iHhhe tWo UT three times as much meat and lard as will be needed at home. We hear that there is really no obstacle to raising meat at home if the farmer wishes to do so, and thus make himself independ- ent of outside meat producers.
 If one farmer can raise more hogs than are needed to supply the needs and demands of his own family Is 1t not fair to presume that others can do the same? There must be profit in 1t, even if prices were materially lower than they now are. but there Is something else. There is the op- portunity to supply others who have no way to raise their own meat, and there is Independence. which should be strong inducement as we'll as a satisfactory reward. Perhaps 1t Is not possible for the farmers of Ala bama to raise enough cattle and sheep to supply all demands for beef and mutton. but they can raise hogs and profit by 1t.
 Possibly some may think there Is a grain of selfishness in city people when they criticise the farmers in these respects, and there may be more or less truth in the thought, but we can't help 1t. When the city man buys pork, bacon. lard or other hog products these days he has a good right to complain at the prices he must pay, and we hold that he is also justified in complaining of those who are largely responsible for high prices To raise enough meat at home to sup ply the demand would not only he a benefit all around but would put the meat trust out of business, If there is such concern. More hogs Is what the South needs.
 Last week in Chicago nineteen beef steers sold at an average of just a fraction less than $150 each. It was HUN 6atO6CthCA du0 tO luciT blZGs elln- CT, for the price paid was ss5o per hundred weight. gross, which all must admit was a high price for meat in that market. When such figures are paid for meat in Western market, even though the beeves may have been unusually fine. we have no cause to feel surprise If good beef is fast reaching the point where all but the rich will have to cut it out entirely. Is not that still another argument in favor of raising meat at home? If we have a full supply of hog meat we can manage to worry along with only a little beef, at such figures as now prevail.