Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-02-05
REPORTS
LIVE STOCK Is INCREASING
Departmental Investigation Serves
To Refute Claims that Unprece-
aiented Prices win Prevail on Live
stock i'm Very short Time.

Information that has been Collected
the the United States Department Of
Agriculture shows that ali classes Of
slve stock in the United states are in
,creasing in numbers. Thus the real
facts contradict. absolutely. the sem
sational reports that the prices of
meats and shoes would rise to an
unprecedented figure in the near flu
ture. 1t has even been said that a
government statistican predicted So
cent meat and shoes at $40 a pair
within the next two years. Such a
prediction. the real government sta
tisticans say. is quite unwarranted.
On January /. for example, the
number of beef cattle showed an in
crease of "a per cent over the num-
Der last year. and an actual increase
Sof .212. 900 head. Hitherto the num-
Der of beef cattle in the United
states has declined steadily since
a9l0. There are also more milch
COWS in the country than there were
hast year. the increase being rs per
cent. or in round numbers 525 thou
sand head.
Swine. however. showed the great
est increase OF all classes-9.6 per
cent On January /. 1914. there
were only 5s.9S3.O00 swine in the
country. on January 1915. 64.61s,-
D00. This is accounted for by the
tfacJ that the production of swine can
tbe increased more rapidly than tina:
eOf other classes of live stock, conse-
sIuently an enlarged demand can be
met more readily.
The prediction of fifty cent meat
and $40 shoes was accompanied by
she declaration that France alone
has taken from America nearly 500
thousand head OF horses within the
2ast five months and that the other
countries at war have drawn upon
sour resources in the same proper
tion
The facts are that more horses
were on the farms OF the United
states on January /. 1915. than ev-
rer before, tho increase being 23S
thousand head over last year, or IL
per cent.
So far from France alone having
taken 800 thousand horses from us.
the total exports since the war began
nave certainly been much less than
400 thousand and very likely not
80 be over rs thousand. Since there
are approximately 25 million horses
an the United States. the drain on
account Of the war is scarcely al
arming
II IS. in fact, pointed out by the
government statisticans that the mar
.ket value of farm horses has so de- |
.ciined that the average is now about I
SO per head less than year ago. |
This decline is most noticeable in |
Nhe cotton states and in those states
which make business of breeding |
horses for sale in other sections.
Mules have declined in value even
more Than horses since their price is
Ssll-50 per head less than a 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
Improvement in this respect win do
NurgN 20 racfora tho dar,aud for tha
horses. so that the. government spec
-Ialists. while ridiculing the notion
r OF morse famine. are convinced that
the farmers will find it profitable
10 nse good work mares for breeding
more stock.
ga fer hides. the situation is not
grulte so clear but even here there
J haz been much gross exaggeration.
From two-fifths to less than one-half
II The Aeather used in this country
imported. about 25 per cent Of the |
Ign hides coming from Argentina.
er cent from Canada. II per
atom Mexico and 81 per cent
iurcpeat Rusria nd ia per
ON Ffane si.ce the break
!. OF the war me importations
~shown 8 ipaung of, September
J FOR example, Being only "a mill
pounds. insteadct As million for
previous year. There is. however.
.ptst ultle reason TO suppose that the
..iecrease win be permanent Of of a
ssnffIcient importance TO create a real
Acarclty. Since the great bulk Of
slhr Imported hides come from the
.countries that are not at war. and
Ghe shipments are not interfered with