The Washington herald., 1920-03-15
HOG OUTPUT
DIMINISHING
Last Years Summary
Shows Surprising
Decline.
PORK CONSUMPTION
PORK CONSUMPTION
Drops One Hundred Million
Pounds Last Half
Of 1919.

More than any other single COM
modify. the hog Is the index of
agricultural prosperity in the great
diddle West. On the average near
y 80 per cent of our total corn
rop each year is marketed from the
arm as pork. Our corn crop last
rear amounted to some 1900. 900, 900
bushels or in bulk more than three
lines our big wheat crop. Whether
more or less of this great crop is
1Irned into pork on the farm or Is
marketed as grain depends on the
licely balanced relation between the
,rice of hogs and corn.
Whenever the price of a hundred
sounds of live hogs rises above the
rice OF twelve bushels of corn, il is
iretty certain to result in an increase
q the hog crop. But the farmer must
An1ble on these prices because his
lew crop of hogs must be bred ten
10 twelve months before they are
marketed. To have any great effect
tpon production. the price of hogs
must remain at or above this ratio
or some period of time.
During the war the price of hogs
ras deliberately maintained at a high
evel in order to stimulate production
This was our only hope TO feed the
lilies. The effect of this stimulation
shown by the fact that on January
1m9 the Department of Agriculture
sttmated that there were 100000 more
loes In the country than on the same
ate two years before. Also the
ecdrds of inspected slaughter showed
hat during 1918 7.39s.COO more hogs
Eere slaughtered than during 1871. re-
ulting in an increase in pork pro-
Gction for the year OF more than
.500o0OOO pounds.
The signing of the armistice in No
enber 1918. naturally introduced a
pestion of uncertainty as to the fu-
ure, price of hogs. However. at no
ime did this price fall below the
ninimum of $3.50 as agreed upon with
he producers.
on March /. 1919 the War Trade
soard removed all control from pork.
sh6s immediate result of this was an
hcrtase in price. Dressed hogs went
rom S21.OO per hundred in February.
si9S to $500 in April and $500 In
lay. Live hogs rose in even greater
roportion. going from S17.63 in Febru-
rys to a maximum of $2l.S3 in July.
inee July hog prices have declined
apidly. The average price of live
ogs in October, 1919. was only Sass
nd in November only $1419. Since
hat time the price has increased
onewhat, ranging from $500 to sl5.50
January 1870.
Summarizing. it may be said that
he sprice of hogs up to August 1913
'asf such as should stimulate produc-
iors Since August. the prices in re-
ltion to corn have been such as to
discourage further breeding. If the
rices in the early part of 1919 really
timulated production. these pigs
hould be coming into market now.
IS matter of fact, it was the gener-
I opinion of the packing trade last
pripg and summer that the farmers
ere continuing to breed hogs in about
ne same proportion as the year be-
Dre,- 1t therefore caused considerable
urpfrise when in the latter months of
n9 the run of hogs to market began
drop off from that of the preced-
ag year. This decrease is clearly
hown by the number of hogs killed
nder Federal inspection for the last
x months of each year. These num-
ers are as follows: