Evening star., 1923-07-27
PACKING INDUSTRY
:. ENJOYING BOOM
Prices Help Farmers Who
Plan to Feed Wheat to Hogs
and Also to Hens.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star. y
NEW YORK, July 27.-The meat
packing industry, which is generally
recognized as an excellent business
index of the country, Is experiencing
one of the most prosperous summers
in years. In some lines business is
better even than during the war pc
riod, when the United States and al
lied nations were buying in enormous
quantities.
This condition may have decided
bearing on the condition of farmers
and the prices of wheat, as many
growers are preparing to market their
grain in the form of meat by feeding
it to hogs and cattle, instead of SELL
ing at present low-price levels
Report Heavy Sales.
Reports recently circulated that GER
tain products = hams, for example
were not finding d ready market are
fatty contradicted by packers. Ar
mour & Co. Is bringing piore hams
into pickle today than ever before, ac-
cording to Vice President Frank W.
Waddell today. Moreover, they are
moving into consumption as fast as
they can be prepared for the table. A
rather unusual fact is that bacon IS
not moving so fast as ham, although
bacon sales are above normal Tor TINS
season.
although prices Tor beef today are
l to 3 cents higher than year ago,
Mr.. Waddell continued. we nave
had three tremendously big weeks
during July. This, despite the fact
that beef consumption normally is
higher in the fall and winter than at
this time of year.
"Fresh pork which is even more a
cold weather staple than beef. is NOV
ing in a wonderful manner. We nave
never seen anything like 1t at our
plants at this time of the year.
Record Receipts of Hogs.
For some time we have been get
ting in record receipts of hogs. In
previous years when receipts mounted
in the summer time, the market mas
been accustomed to- throw g94a
deal into storage and pickle IhlS
year we have not had chance 70
store, freeze or pickle more than tne
usual amount we ordinarily need as
fresh pork has been moving so fast.
The reason? That's easy. LABOR Is
gainfully and actively employed. Inc
usual seasonal lull, which is as Tar
as possible away from depression l.
has not hit us because of the un-
usual and general prosperity. When
folks are prosperous they always eat
more meat. Then, too, when business
lullS do come, and temporary ecoho-
MIXING is the order of the day, peo-
ple always cut down on the taoie
last. 80
The old saying that the way to
Nman's heart is through his stomach
a true one, and when one gets
fight down to it, many of our woman
folk are most approachable IN ina.
way The public may stop buying
luxuries for a little while, but when
they do and still keep on buying
put it down that business still Is
basIcally sound and will move with
a rush when the vacation period Is
over
Plan to Feed Out Grain.
Farmers all over the middlewest
advantage of t! J trend in meats to
offset the low ,riceS now obtaining
for wheat. Ernest Underwood, MEM
ber of the Kansas Legislature and
ranged to feed to hogs all the wheat
he raised on his 200-acre farm this
year.
II am buying fifty-pound shoats at
years 1 found out cheap shoats can
be fed profitably with wheat"
A strong movement has been started
In this section of the east to feed more
wheat to poultry. The amount which
can be utilized in this way is a big item
as more than 0,000,000 chickens and
100000 other fowls probably will be
raised in the United States this year.
Reduced Acreage Likely.
A readjustment of farmers sowing
plans also is going on. Reliable in
formation from the Kansas state agri-
cultural authorities indicates that the
acreage Sown to wheat in 1924 will
oh c
by farmers that proposed curtailment
in other states will help bring up the
price. Wheat receipts at southwest and
middle west market centers are falling
below last year, indicating that farmers
either are holding for better prices or
are feeding their wheat to live stock.