The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1915-01-29
MORE LIVE STOCK
NOW THAN A YEAR AGO.
Government Statistics Contradict Re-
ports That Prices VIII Reach
Unprecedented Figures.

collected by the u. 3. department of
| Agriculture shows that all classes of
| live stock in the United States are
! increasing in numbers. Thus the
real facts contradict absolutely, SEN
| satona1 reports that prices for meat
and shoes would rise to unprecedent-
ed figures in the immediate future. 1t
has. even been said that a government
4 statisti clan predicted meat at 30
4 cents a pound and shoes at $40 a
1 pair within the next years. Such
I a prediction. the real government sta
/ tisticians say, is quite unWarranted.
On january 1, for example, the
! number of beef cattle showed an in
1 crease of 8. 4 per cent over the num-
/ Der a year ago and an actual increase
4 of 1,212, 900 head. Hitherto the
/ number of beef cattle in the United
States has declined steadily since
\ 1910. There are also more mich
cows in the country than last year.,
the increase being 2.5 per cent, or
/ in mum bers 525,000. Swine, how
ever, showed the greatest increase Of,
all classes-9.6 per cent On Janu-
airy 1, 1914, there we're only 5S ,933,-
1 900 swine in the country on Sanu-
airy L, 1915, 4,618, 900 This is ac-
counted for by the fact that the pro
i duction of swine can be increased
more rapidly than that OF other
classes OF live stock and consequent
" an enlarged demand can be met
more readily.
y
/ $1O-shoes was accompanied by the
declaration that France alone has
taken from America nearly 300, 900
horses within the last months and
that the other countries at war have
drawn upon our resources in the
same proportion The facts are that
more horses We're on the farms of
the United States on January (.
1915, than there were a year be-
fore, the increase being 2SS,000 head
i l. 81 o. o. 49, r.
alone having taken SOC. 600 horses
from us the total exports since the
war began have certainly been much
less than 100 % 90 and very likely not
over 5000 Since there are approx
mately $4,000, 900 horses altogether in
the United states, the drain on ac-
count OF the war is scarcely alarrp
ing.
1T issfn fact pointed out by govern
ment statisticians that the market
value OF farm horses has actually de-
cined to such an extent that the.
average 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 a bust
ness Of breeding horses for sale in
other sections. Mules have declined
| 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
I GI+sT1Q COTTON SlEHaE1Onr IN the SOUTH
4 which Is the great market for mules.
/ An i'm provenent in this respect will
i do much to restore the demand for
| horses, so that government speciaI-
! lists while ridfcu1ing the notion OF a.
horse famine are convinced that
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-fifths to less than one-ha,n
of the leather used IN this country is
Imported, about rs per cent. Of the
foreign hides coming from Argen-
tina, 15 per cent. from Canada, II
per cent. from Mexico liz per cent
from European Russia, and 1-2 per
4 cent from France. Since the OUT
break of the war, inportations have
shown certain falling off, those for
fSeptember, 1914, for example, being
lfonly s4.o0o.o0q pounds, instead OF
( 45s 100000 pounds the year previous.
There is. however, little reason to
suppose that this decrease will be
ispermanent or of sufficient Importance
to create any real scarcity. Since the
great bulk of the imported hides come
from countries that are not at war
shipments are not interfered with In
any way, and the only new factor to
be considered is the possibility OF an
| Increased demand by the warning
scodntries. S q
It is believed, however. that the
United States is now in q better con-
dition to face such a situation than
I for years past The tide, it seems.
/ has turned. Instead of live stock
steadily decreasing year after year,
been said, all classes show an ap-
EpreciabIe increases. Including horses,
mules, milch cows beef cattle, sheep,
and swine. there were on January 4.