Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-02-12
MORE LIVE STOCK NOW THAN A YEAR AGO
Government Statistics Contradict Reports that
Prices Will Reach Unprecedented Figures

For the first time in many years,
information collected by the depart
ment shows that all classes OF live
stock in the United States are in
creasing in numbers. Thus the real
facts contradict, absolutely, sensa
tional reports that prices for meat
and shoes would rise to unprecedent-
ed figures in the immediate future. 1t
has even been said that govern
ment statistican predicted meat at
so cents a pound and shoes at $40 a
pair within the next two years. Such
prediction. the real government
statisticians say. is quite unwarrant-
ed
On January l.. for example, the
number OF beef cattle showed an in
crease OF 3.4 per cent over the num-
Der year ago, and an actual increase
of l,2l2,000 head. Hitherto the num-
Der 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 in
crease being rs per cent, or in num-
bers 525,000. Swine. however, showed
the greatest increase of all classes
90 per cent. On January !, 1914,
there were only 5S933,000 swine in
the country: on January |, 1915, o.
6lS,000 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 demand
can be met more readily.
The prediction of 50-cent meat and
$40 shoes was accompanied by the
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 I'm
tied States on January l, 1915, than
there were year before, the increase
being $4,000 head, or IL per cent So
far from France alone having taken
100000 horses from us, the total eN-
ports since the war began have GER
tainly been much less than 100000
and very likely not over $4,000 Since
there are approximately 25,000.000
horses altogether in the United
States, the drain on account OF the
war is scarcely alarming.
1t is. in fact. pointed out by gov
ernment statisticians that the market
value OF farm hoses has actually de-
clined to such an extent that the av-
erape Is now dDout So d iShu iSSs
than a year ago. This decline is most
noticeable in the cation states and
in those states which make busi-
ness of breeding horses for sale in
other sections. Mules have declined
even more than horses, their value
being now Sll.50 per head less than a
year ago. The explanation is to be
| found in the depression on account oil
the cotton situation in the South,
which is the great market for mules.
An Improvement in this respect will
do much to restore the demand tor
horses, so that government special
lists. while ridiculing the notion OF
horse famine, are convinced that
farmers will find it profitable to use
good work mares for breeding stock
As for hides, the situation is not
quite so clear. but even here there has
been much gross exaggeration. From
/ two-fifths to less than onc-half OF
the leather used in this country is
imported, about 25 per cent OF the
foreign hides coming from Argentina,
IS per cent from Canada, ii per cent
from Mexico, 8H per cent from Euro
pean Russia, and ~ per cent from
France. Since the outbreak OF the
war importations have shown GER
tain falling off, those for September,
1914, for example, being only 3t,OOO,-
900 pounds, instead of 45,OOO,OOO
pounds the year previous. There is,
however, little reason to suppose that
this decrease will be permanent or OF
sufficient importance 10 create any