The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-12-01
OF COUNTRY'S
AGRICUL TURAL RESOURCES

tailer's delivery service l. costly. how
ever. and the retail busincs Is ovcrdonc
Tho multiplication OF small shops Is n
burden to consumers and no source Of
riches TO the small shopkecpcrs. When
twenty or more small shops divide tho
retail business within an area that could
be served by ono large shop. the cS-
p"nses Of the many shops for labor.
horses, rent. and other things that are
I'm excess OF what would be sufficient
for the one shop, must go into tho retail
prices Of tho meat sold.
Furthermore. customers choose tho
higher priced cuts OF meats Steaks and
ronsts are tho preferences, and these
must have nlmcs that are regarded rs
respectable. Consequently, oun-hfth of
the carcass ls bought az the highest price
-Dorterhouse steaks az prices ns high
as = and 5D cents n pound, Irioin nt
- To > cents, and rib roasts at IN Ccnts
Prices and supply OF Mcats.-Th" US-
cendinG prices ut meat suggest Inquiry
as to whether tho prices OF the farmers
beef cattle and hogs have increased AZ
the fnrm I'm the samo degree that meat
has Ia tho consumer For tho purpose
OF making comparisons. the mean price
level OF lS95-lsaO, a period of compare
tivcly low prices. Is adopted as b1sc
line. represented by 100, and for each AMI
NAL and commodity this price Lowell Is
computed.
No Gain in Unfed Beef Catuc.-Thc
farmer has failed To receive share OF
higher beef prices with regard to tho
-
ycar-old steers at the farm being re-
g0rdcd as 100 for 1Nl6-lS0Q. the price OF
such steers rose to 1853 In 1850. declined
90 S5.5 In 1905. and rose to lUo.S IN 1879.
all for the date OF January !. and ior
prices a the farm substantially before
corn feeding had begun.
Beef Prices Due to Corn PrICcs.-Thc
price Of corn i'm 1873 at the farm ~ Tcp-
resented 10y 2lS.6 compared with 100 for
the price lcvol OF iS,#.-lS0 and the price
OF the best native steers AT tho Chicago
Stock Yards In the Same year IS 1872.
which II much above the 'lndcN-num-
ber' for the price OF the animal 1T the
farm and much below the price ~ corn
at the farm The inference Is thut Inc
farmer gets some return Tor the high
priced corn that he feeds To his steers,
hut not a return equal to CO conts ~
bushcl Tor his corn. which Ia the price
for the last two years, Ns tor TIA uu-
fed steer. II does not participate In the
upward movement Of prices In it's farm
value
Tho wholesale prices OF fresh beef
carcasses have increased In about the
same degree that tho prices of steers
have at the stock yards. and the retail
prices of fresh beef have kept pace with
tho wholesale prices.
The Increasing prices OF fresh beef
therefore. are due 10 increasing prices
OF animals At tho stock yards. and this
is explained by the abnormal clrcum-
stances 20 which the raising OF bref anil
mails has been subject lu recent years
Large Bccf Supplies There has been
a breaking up of range herds consequent
upon the enforcement OF the 'no-iencc
law by the National Government and by
encroachmcntS or tho settlers upon the
ranges. made possible by the practice OF
dry farming Not all OF the cattle
have gono directly from the ranges TO
the slaughter houses i great portion OF
them has gone To farms for maturing
and finishing, largely upon corn. This
extra demand on the corn crop ~ re-
Elected in corn prices. which are now
4. Lob. l.....H IIHasHn IN
records Of the Department of Agricul-
ture began. in 1865. cNcept Tor 1881.
Half dozen years OF this abnormal
movement OF beef cattlo from ranges 10
the supply In l90S, when the deliveries
fell on IN a marked degree. and the de-
crease continued In lSCa.
HOG situation More Fair to Farmers
The farmers situation with regard to
hogs Is more fair to the farmer than
the cattle situation Is, but stu II ls ap~
paront that during the last throe years
the price of corn has boon too high fo~
the price Of hogs. The relative nric'
OF hogs on the farm January ], 1909, was
1913 as compared with lop for the mean
price of tS9S-lg0Q. and tho average cost
OF all hogs slaughtered at principal mar
kctH I'm the year before was liSi. or
about tho same Ak the farm price The
price OF dressed hogs Of 100 hounds In
New York I'm 1g0S stands at li5.7. and the
carcasseg Of market plgs At Chicago a.
lis.i which Is approximately tho number
representing the relative retail prlco OF
fresh pork
In the case OF hogs, therefore. the Ear
mer has fully participated ia tho rising
prices. whereas I'm the case of the farm
er's cattle the unfed animals arc bare-
~ as valuable AZ they were 10 li yeara
ago. and had not the price OF corn as
cendcd TO a high nguro. pcrhap1 NO
would not have shared I'm tho higher
beef prices
High Cured Meat Prices Not Found In
Cost Of Anlmais.-Thc foregoing ConcluF-
Ions are for fresh meat Tho prices or
cured and prepared meats havo incr"nseo
I'm much greater degree than tho prices
of other meat have increased. both for
beef and pork These cured meats in
cludc bacon. picklcd bcof. picked pork
FARMERS SHARE IN INCREASING
PRICES.
Farm Products Havo Increased Most
In Pricc.-Thcrc has been tendency or
tho animals and crops or the farm TO
Increase In value Der unit nt tho farm
al fastnr rate than all commodities
have increased at wholesale.
Within the wholesale trade also, form
products cxcecd NIL other classes OF com
modities I'm relative Increase OF prices
since 1895. and food f. exceeded only by
farm products and by lumber and build
ing materials Tho only large exception
10 tho leading place taken by farm pro-
ducts In rise OF prices IS unfcd beef
cattle. the farm price Of which has bare
ly begun To rise above the price level OF
isNs-ls00 for beef cattle.
. FEATURES OF DEPARTMENTS g.
WORK,
! Obicct-I Lesson Roadg.-Tho office or
Public Roads has continued tho work or
aiding road Improvement by studies. OK
porlments. and objoct-lesaon work. over
$500 WAS expended IN ohloct-iesson
a total surface area OF GSl.Fs2 square
yards Tho operations covered mar
8dam. gravel. earth. shell, sand-elsy
and hurnt-clay roads. and treatment
Urlf