The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-01-05
27,SOO,OOO LITTLE
PIGS GO TO THE
MARKET IN 1911
INTERESTING FIGURES SHOW.
ING THE GROWTH OF THE
MEAT INDUSTRY.
BUSINESS INCREASES Since 1878
Strengthening of Cattle In Late Years
Average Something over 100000
Animals Annually in Western Mar
ket-DetaiIed Statistics.

ket-Detailed statistics.
CINCINNATI, Jan. detailed
certificates of hogs have been based
on records for winter seasons and
summer seasons November i to
March l, and March / to November
/, asa furnished by the Cincinnati
Price Current, which alone maintains
tails representing the numbers of an
imals slaughtered have just been ar
ranged for calendar years, and the
brief statement now to he presented
will be confined to this basis in the
general comparisons, and the period
covered by such exhibits limited to
the years since the attainment of 10
000,C00 of animals in the annual rec
ord This calls for thirty-four years,
the figures for which appear III the
following tabulation:
Prior to 1919, slalghteling of hogs
and curing operations in the warm
months were not features of the
packing records. The introduction Of
refrigerating systems, in or about
1872, served in development Of such
work in summer months, superceding
the use of ice in such efforts. The
crude methods at the outset were
rapidly followed by improved iacili-
ties, so that eventually pork packing
, became an all-year-business to the
extent which for many years now
has represented practically all that
| is done in such lines.
In 1872, the record of slaughtering
of hogs in the west shows a total Of
5,625,000 for the year. For the ten
years, 1873 to 1887, inclusive, shown
in the accompanying table, the annu-
al average was 1885, O0O-the high
figure being for 1880, 12,210,000. For
the next ten years the annual aver
age was 14,670000, reaching total
Of 19,640,00O for the last year of the
iperiod. An important advance in the
industry occurred in the next ten
years, ending with 1907, the annual
average reaching 23,7S0,0OO hogs. In
1908 there developed conditions of
drouth, which in the latter part Of
the year brought shortage in water
supplies available for live stock,
which condition with the high price
of corn as the result of the shortage
of this crop produced in the preced-
ing year, induced movement of hogs
| to the markets in the last three
months of the year greatly in excess
of any corresponding period previous
| ly, carrying the total of western
slaughtering to 30,7S5,000 for the
year 1908. In these unusual market
ings breeding stock was sacrificed,
and thus the basis for future sup
plies was reduced, occasioning a de-
crease of 100000 in number Of an
imals slaughtered in 1909, or liz
per cent. This was followed by con-
tinuous shortage in hog supplies, re-
ducing the record of 1910 to 21,500,-
900, or 9,2S5,000 below the total for
1908, a decline Of about 81 per cent.
This deficiency in the manufacture
of such product brought about strik-
ing changes in the prices of hogs, H.
Illustrated by comparison of top prices
in the Chicago market-in November,
1908, $40 per 100 pounds, and for
December, 6615, advancing in 1909 to
$S.75 in December of that year, and
to $11.20 in March, 1910.
Such changes in prices of hogs
naturally encouraged renewal OF in
terest in their production, resulting
| in an enlarged supply for the mar
kets for the year just closed, carry
| ing the Western slaughtering record
to 27,S00,000, the highest number for
any year excepting 1908. In the
late months of 1911 the movement OF
swine into the markets was acceler-
ated by development of maladies
among these animals in various Sec
tions in the West, which conditions,
with the fear of extension of such
influences, induced the shipping of
pigs in large numbers from various
districts, by which the records of ar
rivals and of slaughtering in the
market centers have ben greatly in
creased over the corresponding time
in 1910, the gain in November and
December, this season, being 81 per
cent. To what extent this marketing
of young and unfinished stock may
have in lessening future numbers in
comparison with anticipations can
not be reliably determined at this