The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-02-13
MORE LIVE STOCK THAN A
YEAR AGO.


years, information collected by
the department shows that all
classes of live stock in the Uni
ted States are increasing In
numbers. Thus the real facts
contradict, absolutely, sensation
al reports that prices for meat
and shoes would rise t. unpre-
cedented figures in the immedi-
ate future. 1t has even been
said that a Government statisti-
clan predicted meat at so cents
a pound and shoes at $40 pair
within the next two years. Such
prediction, the rea! Govern
ment statisticians say, is quite
unwarranted.
On January /, for example, the
number of beef cattle showed an
increase of 81 per cent over the
numbera year ago, md an actual
increase of 1,2l2, 900 head. Hit
hertO the number of beef ,attle
in the United States has declined
steadily since 1910. There are
also more mich cows in the coun-
try than last year, the increase
being % per cent, or in numbers
525. 900. Swine, however. showed
the greatest increase of all
classes-9.G per cent. On Janu-
airy l, 1914, there were only
So, 933, 900 swine in the country :;
on January l, 1915 64,61S,O00.
This is accounted for by the fact
that the production of swine can
be increased more rapidly than
that of other classes of live stock
and consequently an enlarged de-
mand con be met more rapidly.
The predistion of 5O-cent meat
and $40 shoes was accompanied
by tie declaration that France
alone has taken from America
nearly 100000 horses within the
last five months and that the
other countries at war have drawn
upon our resources in the same
proportion. The facts are that
more horses were on the farms of
the United States on January l,
1915. than there were a year be-
fore, the increase being 233. 600
head, or IL per cent. So far
from France alone having taken
800, 600 horses from us. the total
exports since the war began have
certainly been much less than
100, 600 and very likely not over
5000. Since there are approx
mately $1,000, 900 horses alto
gether in the United States, the
drain on account of the war is
scarcely alarming.
Its, in fact pointed Ivy Govern
ment statisticians that the mar
ket value on farm horses has
actually declined to such an ex-
tent that the average is now
about So a head less than a year
ago. This decline is most notice.
able in the cotton States and in
those States which make bust
ness of breeding horses for sale in
other sections. Mules have de-
clined even more than horses,
their value being now $11.50 per
head less than a year ago. The
explanation is to be found in the
depression on account of the cot
ton situation in the South, which
is the great market for mules.
An improvement in this respect
will do much to restore the te-
mand for horses, so that Govern
ment specialists, while ridiculing
the notion of a horse famine, are
convinced that farmers will find
it profitable to use good work
mares for breeding more stock.
AS for hides, the situation is
not quite so clear, but even here
there has been much gross exag-
geration. From two-fifths to less
than one-half of the leather used
in this country is imported, about
25 per cent of the foreign hides
coming from Argentina, Is pei
cent from Canada, II per cent
from Mexico, 8 1-2 per cent from
European Russia, and Z 1-2 pei
cent from France. Since the out.
break of the war importations