Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-28
MORE LIVE STOCK
IN UNITED STATES
NOW THAN YEAR AGO
Experts Discredit Reports of
Decrease Fifty Cent
Meat and $40 Shoes a
False Apprehension.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2s.-For the first
ume in many years, information col
iected by the United States Department
of Agriculture shows that all classes Of
live stock In the United States are in
creasing In numbers. Thus the real
facts contradict absolutely sensational
reports that prices for meat and shoes
would rise to Unprecedented figures In
the immediate future. +; mas even been
said that Government stntistician pre-
dicted meat at so cents POUND and
shoes at $40 pair within the next two
years Such a prediction, the real Gov
ernment statisticians say, is quite
unwarranted.
on January 1, for example, the number
OF beef cattle showed an increase Of 3i
per cent over the number year ago,
and an actual increase, OF 1,2l2OO0 head.
There are also more mich cows in the
country than last year, the increase be-
ing 20 per cent, or in numbers $685. 600.
swine, however showed the greatest in
crease of all casses-96 per cent. on
January I, 1914, there were only 5S 933, 900
swine in the country; on January l. 1915,
64,GlS,OOO
The prediction of 5O-cent meat and $40
shoes was accompanied by the declara-
ton 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 United States on January
!, 1915, than there were a year before,
the increase being 233,OOO head or IL per
cent, Total exports since the war began
nave been probably not more than 5000.
There are approximately %, 100000 horses
altogether in the United States.
1t is in fact, pointed out by Govern
ment statistcians that the market value
Of farm horses has actually declined
to such an extent that the average is
now about So a head less than a year
ago. Mules have declined even more
than horses, their value being now Sl1.5O
per head less tnas "a year ago. The en-
PLANTATION is to he found in the deprcs-
sion on account of the cotton situation
in the South the great market for mules.
Government specialists, while ridiculing
the notion Of q horse famine, are con-
vinced 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
hfths to less than one-half of the leather
used in this country is imported. Since
the outbreak OF the war importations
have shown a certain falling off. There
is, however little reason to suppose the |
decrease will he permanent or of sutti-
cient Importance to create any real
Instead of live stock steadily decreasing
year after year. this year, for the first
time, as has been said, all classes show !
an apprecable increase. Including |
horses. mules. milch cows, beef cattle, |
sheep and swine, there were on January |
l, 1915, 7,7l2,OOO more farm animals in the |
United States than on January /, 1914. |
The increase in the total value was $751; !
O24 900, or 10 per cent.