The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-02-05

the studio OF Miss Elsa JACKIE in
the Auditorium building, s. South
Eleventh !, street. The recital was
given by advanced pinno-forte pupils
Icf Miss JACKIE. and was largely at
tended. many Mankato people at
present in the cities. making II a
| point 10 attend. Miss Nitsskowski's
selections included a sonata and
Minnet by Greig. n Fan waltz, by
poldini. and she closed the program
with pretentlous and difficult Pre-
Jude. by Krieder.
Washington, d. G., January &c.
For the first time In many years.
Information collected by the United
States department or agriculture
shows that all classes Of live stock
in the United States are increasing
IN number. Thus the real facts con.
tradict absolutely. sensational reports
that prices for meat and shoes would
rise to unprecedented figures in the
immediate future. Tt has even been
said that a government statisticia1
predicted meat at SO cents a pound
and shoes at SO a pair within the
next two years. Such prediction.
the real government statisticians
say, is quite unwarranted
On January I, for example, the
number of beef cattle showed an in.
crease OF "a per cent over the num-
Der a year ago, and an actual In
crease OF l,2i2.OO0 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 rs per cent,
or In numbers $4,000. Swine, how
ever showed the greatest increase
OF all classes-9.6 per cent. On jan
uary 1, 1914, there were only S.
$4,000 swine in the country, on
January 1, 1916. .64,6ls.000. This is
accounted for by the fact that the
production OF swine can be increased
more rapidly than that OF other
Glasses or live stock and conse-
quently an enlarged demand can
be met more readily.
France Taking Horses.
The prediction OF 50-eent meat
and sl0-shoes was accompanied by
the declaration that France alone
has taken from America nearly
100000 horses within the last Ave
months and that the other coun.
tries 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 I. 1915. than there were
a year before. the increase being
$4,000 head or IL per cent. So
Tar from France alone having taken
100000 horses from us. the total
exports since the war began have
certainly, been much less than 10O..
900 and very likely not. over 75.-
600. Since there are approximately
25,000,0O0 horses altogether in the
niteUd States. the drain on account
OF the war is scarcely alarming.
It is In fact pointed out by gov.
eminent statisticians that the mar.
ket value of farm horses has actual
ly declined to such an extent that
the average is now about SO q head
less, than a year ago. This decline
Is most noticeable in the cotton
states and in those stntes which
make a business Of breeding horses
for sale in other sections. Mules
have declined even more than
horses. their value being now s11.50
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 will
DO much to restore the demand, for
horses. so that government special.
lists while ridiculing the motion OF
a horse famine are convinced that
farmers viii find II profitable to
use good work mares for breeding
more stock
Situation As to Hides.
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
half OF the leather used In this coun.
try is imported. about rs per cent
OF the foreign hides coming from
Argentina, Is. per cent from Canada,
II per cent from Mexico, eight and
q half per cent from European
Russia. and seven and a half per
cent from France. Since the out.
break OF the war, importations have
shown certain falling or, those for
September, 1914, for example, being
only S4,00O.000 pounds, instead Of
i5s0oo.000 pounds the year previous.
There is. however. little reason to
suppose that this decrease viii be
permanent or of !. sufficient impor.
lance to create any real scarcity.
Since the great bulk of the i'm
ported hides come from countries
that are not at war. shipments are
not interferred with in any, way. and
the only. new factor to be con.
sidered is the possibility. Of an In.
creased demand by the warning