Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1939-01-06
AMERICANS ate
MORE MEAT IN
THE YEAR 1888

Americans increased their consump-
ton of meat about 3h pounds per
CAPITA in 1888 as result of the in
creased supplies available, VIM. Whit
field Woods, President of the Insti-
tute of American Meat Packers, said
today in a year-end review of the
1888 meat trade. Consumption for
the year aggregated about sixteen and
a half billion pounds of meat as COM
pared with about sixteen billion
pounds in 1887, consumption per cap
ita averaging about 128 pounds as
compared with 124.4 pounds in 1887.
Other highlights of the 1888 meat
trade were summarized by Mr.. Woods
as follows:
1. Wholesale prices of most meats
are substantially lower than at this
same time a year ago.
2. Meat production apparently is
on an upward trend.
8. Farm prices of live stock during
recent months have remained at rela-
lively higher levels than farm prices
of grains, cotton and cottonseed, fruits
and truck crops and dairy products.
a. Farmers income from meat AMI
mails in 1898 approximated $780,
100000.
s. Exports of meat increased from
II million pounds in 1887 to an esti-
mated LOT million pounds in 1888; lard
exports from 137 million pounds in
1897 to an estimated 208 million
pounds in 1888, while imports OF meat
decreased from ITO million in 1887 to
an estimated total of 1876 million
pounds in 1888.
with the exception of some grades
of beef and on some smoked pork pro-
ducts, the wholesale prices OF most
meats are lower now than they were
a year ago." Mr.. Woods, said. "Some
products are considerably lower than
they were at this time last year. Pork
Loins, for example, are about IL per
cent lower, bacon 20 per cent lower,
lard 18 per cent lower, veal about 10
per cent lower, and dressed lamb ID
per cent lower. Some grades OF beef
are higher by few percentage points
than they were year ago."
After several years of production
below normal, largely as an outcome
of feed shortages resulting from the
droughts of 1884 and 1886, meat pro-
duction now apparently is on an up
ward trend, Mr.. Moods asserted. He
added that production of all meats in
1888 approximated sixteen and half
billion pounds, as compared with flf-
teen and half in 1887, the increase
resulting largely from an increased
production of beef, pork and lamb.
Production of veal in 1888 was slight
" smaller than in 1887, he estimat-
ed. Production Of lard probably ap-
proximated 1,775,OOO.OO0 pounds, as
compared with 1,434 900 900 pounds in
1887. Production of pork, although
probably Is per cent higher than In
1887, was still 10 per cent below aver
age production for the five years 1929
to 1888.
Notwithstanding the lower level
of live stock prices in 1888 as COM
pared with the previous year, farm
ers have been receiving relatively
more for their meat animals during
recent months than have producers
of numerous other farm products, es-
pecially crops" Mr.. Woods pointed
out. "For example, the United States
Department of Agriculture index of
prices received by farmers shows that
for the latest month available, Oc-
tober, the index of prices received for
meat animals was Ill, as compared
with so in the case Of grains, 72 for
cotton and cottonseed, 70 for fruits,
10s for truck crops, 107 for dairy pro-
ducts, 124 for chickens and eggs and
an average of 95 for all groups COM
bined.
"Recent official estimates indicate
that the farmers income from meat
animals in 1888 approximated $780,
100000. This compares with 81 ,450,-
100000 for dairy products, $575. 5.0O0,-
600 for chickens and eggs, $285, ,000,-
900 for tobacco, 5000, 100000 for fruits
and vegetables, $71O,OO0,000 for cot
ton and cottonseed, and $S30, 0,000,-
600 for grains. The cash farm income
from live stock in 1888 was only about
2 percent less than in 1887, whereas
the total cash income of farmers for
all crops and live stock products show
ed decline of about 13 per cent"
Turning to q discussion of exports