The Hattiesburg news., 1915-02-09

1,212,000 head. Hitherto the number
of beef cattle in the United States has
declined steadily since 1910. There are
also more milch cows in the country
than last year, the increase being 2.5
per cent, or In numbers $4,000. Swine,
however, showed the greatest increase
of all classes-96 per cent On Janu.
airy 1. 1914, there were only 5S,933 900
swine in the country, on January /,
1915, 64.61S,0O0. This is accounted for
by the fact that the production OF
swine can be increased more rapid
than that Of other classes of live stock
and consequently an enlarged demand
can be met more readily.
The prediction of 5O-cent meat and
$l0shoes was accompanied by the de,
claration that French alone has taken
from America nearly 100000 horsea
within the last months and that the
! other countries at war have drawn
/ upon our resources in the same pro.
| portion. The facts are that NOR
/ horses were on the farms Of the Unit
/ ed States on January /, 1915, than
/ there were a year before, the increase
| being 233,000 head or IL per cent. As
for France alone having taken 100000
| horses from us, the total exports since
/ the war begun have certainly been
much less than 100000 and very likely
not over $4,000. Since there are an.
! proximatoly 25,00O,0 900 horses altogeth.
er in the United States, the drain on
account of the war is scarcely alarm.
ing.
It is in fact pointed out by govern
/ mont statisticians that the market
value OF farm horses has actually de-
clinod to such an extent that the aver.
age is now about Sc a head less than
a year ago. This decline is most
noticeable in the cotton states and IN
those states which make business q.
breeding horses for sale in other sec
tions. Mules have declined even moro
than horses, their value being now
Sl1.50 per head less than year ago
The explanation is to be found in the
depression on account of the cotton
situation in the South, which is the
great market for mules. An improve
ment in this respect will do much TO
restore the demand for horses, so that
government specialists while ridicul-
ing the notion of 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 exaggeration. From
two-ifths to less than one-half of the
leather used in this country is import.
ed, about 25 per cent Of the foreign
hides coming from Argentina, 5 per
cent from Canada, II per cent from
MeXica, 81 per cent from European
Russia. and ~ per cent from France
Since the outbreak of the war, i'm por.
tations have shown certain failing
off, those for Septemho~. 1914, fcr ex.
ample. being only 34o0O,O0O pounds,
instead of 45,0OOOOO pounds the wear
previous. There is, however. littl- rea.
con to suppose that This decreae7 viii
70 rerwaHont or of sufficient in0oor
'ance to create any real sea- ~
1i0oe the great bulk Of the imported
'ides come from countries thNt are
not at wa~ shinments are not inter
ferod with in any way, and the only
new factor to he considered is the pos.
sihility Of an increased demand by
the warning countries.
II is believed, however, that the
United States is now in a better con.
dition to face such a situation than
for years past. The tide, it seems, has
turned. Instead Of live stock steadily
decreasing year after year, this year
'or the first time, as has been said,
all classes show an appreciable in
crease. Including Horses. mules,
milch cows, beef cattle sheep, and
swine. there were on January /, 1915,
7712,OO0 more farm animals in the
United States than on January /, 1914.
The increase in the total value was
S7S,024,000, or 1.3 per cent. 1t is
quite true that this increase is not
yet proportional to the increase in
population, which is approximately .
per cent; but the fact that there is an
increase, that the tide seems definitely
to have turned is regarded as 2 suf
fcicnt answer to alarming exaggera
tiCns and misleading figures.
Reports from the war show that