The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-18
PORK NOW>LUXURY
Only the SCOUT Families Can
Afford To Eat 1t.
Prices Higher Than During
Civil War Times.
NO RELIEF IS IN SIGHT
Hog Men Predict Prices Will
Remain Sky High.
Kansas Breeders Urged To
Keep and Fatten Stock.

Hogs will in reality be priceless this
winter and pork. too, will soar to UNI
known heights. according to the
weekly market report of Kansas
C..y commission firm ;eived in To-
peka today. In the last two weeks the
top market on hogs from Kansas and
Missouri has mounted TO $1S.S5. 1t
is a record price, higher than that
paid for porkers during the Civil war,
when purchases were made with shin
plasters'' worth SO cents on the dollar.
Twenty dollar hogs will be the rule
all winter, according to commission
nen at Kansas City. Packers will
pay that much for corn fed hogs of
poorer qualities and shippers will pay
nearly that price for medium class
feeders. Hog meat will bid farewell
to the tables of the working men and
will have only a chance meeting with
members of the "gout" families. Only
the farmers and hog raisers can pros
per on the market
general season of prosperity is
prophesied for the hog man of KAN
sas this winter, according to grain
dealers of Topeka. Corn, they state,
will be selling for nearly a dollar per
bushel before January l of next year.
Farmers, instead of selling their corn
to merchants and manufacturing con-
Germs. will store it all on their farms
these grain dealers believe. and will
start hog farms. They will feed dollar
corn to $50 hogs and will reap finan-
cial harvest larger than ever before
from the industry.
Big Meat Demand.
This tendency of incr. asing the
pork in this state will, however have
no noticeable effect upon the market
packers of Kansas City declare. Pork
will still continue to soar in price re-
CARELESS of any increase in the pro-
duction. The situation is one of sup
ply and demand. And according to
packers, the supply will always re-
main less than the demar as allied
troops in Europe will drain the mar
ket of pork from the United States
A second drain on the hog market
was pointed out this morning when a
commission firm of Kansas City
opened fire on the council of defense
The defense plan, these -ner under
stand is to encourage the shipping of
hogs to Nebraska and to Illinois where
the corn supply is suffici ant to care
for raising of hogs for America
army" Kansas. the council states,
can devote her energies to raising
other products for the allies.
Actual figures in the Kansas City
stock yards show that there are fewer
pounds of pork now in the state than
ever before since Kansas has been on
the hog raising map. In actual count
of animals too, there are fewer than
The average weight of porkers now
in the state is IA pounds per head less
than the weight of last years hogs.
This, according to commission men,
means that the Kansas farmers are
losing pounds of pork in their anx-
iety to ship light and uadeveloped
hogs to the market. The high price
Of corn is to blame. theJ believe.
This Record Week.
At this weeks market at Kansas
City, a general rush of buyers and a
stiff demand of packers for the pork
was reported. The market started or
climb early in the week and sci
three new record prices this week
Friday the highest point on the price
scale was reached when hogs sold tC
packers for $18.55. A general rush
TO market was reported Friday. Only
$500 hogs were on the market and
the stock yards at Kansas City were
practically sold out of all porkers BY
1 o'clock.
The porker will truly be priceless:
this winter the men all agree-ship-
per, packers and commission men. The
high prices will remain as the de.
mand will be increased nearly so pei
cent when the government starts or
its war orders and home consumption
will decrease only slightly, hog meI
believe.
The hog men of the state have en-
tered protestations against the recon
mendations of the council of defens,
and in several counties have banded
together to hold their hogs thru thu
fall months. Farmers in the centra
part of the state declare that there~i
enough corn in Kansas to feed three
times the number of hogs now in tn,
state. The commission men in Kansas
City have also started to fight tn,
recommendations of the government
They claim that corn will fall and tn,
high price of hogs will continue. II
let pork be shipped from the state int,
Illinois, Nebraska or to any other stat,
would be to deprive Kansas of tn
prosperity which is bound to COM
with $40 hogs and 81 corn.
out of $500 letters sent to names of in
ventors published in the governments of
Gcial- renOrt. 700 were returned nnclainel