MAGNITUDE OF THE SWINE INDUSTRY.

Were it not for the foreign demand for our pork and pork product there would be much less profit in fattening hogs for market than there is, irrespective of the price of corn and other feeds. England is our best customer, taking by far the larger part of our entire exports of all lard, cured meats and other hog product, but there is an encouraging trade with other foreign countries. The authorities at Washington are making every effort to enlarge this foreign outlet. Certain European countries, notably France and Germany, place irksome embargoes on American pork product. Ostensibly, these foreign governments claim the quality and healthfulness of some of the American pork are in question, but in reality back of all this is the demand from the German and French farmers that the competition afforded by American pork must be kept down. It is believed that eventually all such restrictions will be swept away, through international agreement, and that thus our markets may be further extended, greatly benefiting the American farmer. Our exports of hog product, including pork, bacon, hams and lard, represent a value annually of about $100,000,000.

THE WORLD’S SUPPLY OF BACON

is derived chiefly from the United States, which enjoys an enormous trade with foreign consuming countries, notably England and continental Europe. Irish bacon is received with much favor in the English markets, while Wiltshire and other parts of England also furnish large quantities, specially cured, which are great favorites among consumers. Some idea of the magnitude of the foreign trade of the United States, so far as hog product is concerned, may be formed by a glance at the official figures showing our exports in a single year. During the twelve months ended June 30, 1899, the United States exported 563,000,000 lbs. bacon, 226,000,000 lbs. ham, 137,000,000 lbs. pickled pork and 711,000,000 lbs. lard, a total of 1,637 million pounds pork product. On the supposition that live hogs dress out, roughly speaking, 70 per cent product, this suggests the enormous quantity of 2,340 million pounds of live hogs taken for the foreign trade in one year. Estimating the average weight at 240 lbs., this means nearly 10,000,000 hogs sent to American slaughterhouses in the course of one year to supply our foreign trade with pork product. The United Kingdom is by far our best customer, although we export liberal quantities to Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil, Central America and the West Indies. Total value of our 1899 exports of pork product was $116,000,000.

FIG. 34. WILTSHIRE CUT BACON.

The enormous business of the big packing houses, located chiefly in the west, with a few in the east, can scarcely be comprehended in its extent. Chicago continues to hold the prestige of the largest packing center in the world, but other western cities are crowding it. In 1891 Chicago received 8,600,000 hogs, the largest on record, most of which were packed in that city, and the product shipped all over the world. In recent years the Chicago receipts have averaged smaller, but the proportion going to the packing concerns remains about the same. It is estimated that the hogs received at that city in 1898 had a value of $84,000,000.

CO-OPERATIVE CURING HOUSES IN DENMARK.

About half the pork exported to England from Denmark is cured by the co-operative curing houses, established first in 1888 and since that date greatly increased in number. Enormous quantities of cheap Black Sea barley have been brought into Denmark the last few years, used principally for fodder. The principal advantage of the co-operative system, doing away with the middleman, applies to these establishments. Farmers who raise hogs in a given district of say ten to twenty miles’ circumference, unite and furnish the money necessary for the construction and operation of the co-operative curing establishment. The farmers bind themselves to deliver all hogs that they raise to the curing house, and severe fines are collected when animals are sold elsewhere. At every curing house there is a shop for the sale of sausage, fat, etc., these as a rule paying well and forming an important part of the profits in this co-operation.

HOG PRICES AT CHICAGO, PER 100 POUNDS.

Year. Heavy packing,
260 to 450 lbs.		 Mixed packing,
200 to 250 lbs.		 Light bacon.
150 to 200 lbs.
1899 $3.10@4.75 $3.50@5.00 $3.75@5.00
1898 3.25@4.80 3.30@4.75 3.00@4.65
1897 3.00@4.50 3.20@4.60 3.20@4.65
1896 2.40@4.45 2.75@4.45 2.80@4.45
1895 3.25@5.45 3.25@5.55 3.25@5.70
1894 3.90@6.75 3.90@6.65 3.50@6.45
1893 3.80@8.75 4.25@8.65 4.40@8.50
1892 3.70@7.00 3.65@6.70 3.60@6.85
1891 3.25@5.70 3.25@5.75 3.15@5.95

TOTAL PACKING AND MARKETING OF HOGS.
[Year Ended March 1—Cincinnati Price Current.]

Western
Packing.		 Eastern
Packing.		 Receipts.
N. Y., Phil.
and Balto.		 Total.
1898-99 23,651,000 3,162,000 2,978,000 29,791,000
1897-98 20,201,000 3,072,000 2,861,000 26,134,000
1896-97 16,929,000 2,791,000 2,950,000 22,670,000
1895-96 15,010,000 2,603,000 2,867,000 20,480,000
1894-95 16,003,000 3,099,000 2,517,000 21,619,000
1893-94 11,605,000 2,701,000 2,483,000 16,789,000
1892-93 12,390,000 3,016,000 2,790,000 18,196,000
1892 14,457,000 2,771,000 3,684,000 20,912,000
1891 17,713,000 2,540,000 3,713,000 23,966,000

RECEIPTS OF HOGS AT LEADING POINTS BY YEARS.
[Stated in thousands—From American Agriculturist Year Book for 1898.]

1897 1896 1895 1894 1893 1892 1891 1890 1889 1888 1887
Chicago 8,364 7,659 7,885 7,483 6,057 7,714 8,601 7,664 5,999 4,922 5,471
Kansas City 3,351 2,606 2,458 2,547 1,948 2,397 2,599 2,865 2,074 2,009 2,423
Omaha 1,605 1,198 1,188 1,904 1,435 1,706 1,462 1,673 1,207 1,284 1,012
St. Louis 1,627 1,618 1,085 1,147 777 848 841 925 773 652 772
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Total 14,947 13,081 12,616 13,081 10,217 12,665 13,503 13,127 10,053 8,867 9,678
[1]Cincinnati 875 823 773 639 592 587 816 690 .. .. ..
Indianapolis 1,253 1,255 1,109 964 879 1,123 1,320 1,447 1,158 896 1,149
Cleveland 750 500 375 295 270 .. .. .. .. .. ..
Detroit 320 224 189 164 149 134 87 70 114 21 49
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Total 3,198 2,802 2,346 1,062 1,890 1,844 2,223 2,207 .. .. ..
New York 1,578 1,845 1,763 1,656 1,488 1,826 2,177 2,126 1,762 1,550 1,792
Boston 1,420 1,435 1,400 1,673 1,373 1,636 1,473 1,323 1,152 1,046 1,047
Buffalo 5,621 4,941 5,256 5,626 6,058 6,112 7,167 6,263 5,776 5,333 5,074
Pittsburg 1,894 1,340 1,063 1,074 999 1,347 1,428 1,356 1,205 1,161 1,259
Philadelphia 250 278 259 280 275 337 377 409 332 281 274
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Total 10,763 9,839 9,741 10,317 10,193 11,258 12,622 11,477 10,247 9,371 9,446
St. Paul 225 314 364 327 194 239 263 316 249 273 ..
Sioux City 350 279 341 499 329 413 397 724 593 431 ..
Cedar Rapids 487 358 365 317 293 409 502 520 346 307 847
St. Joseph, Mo 400 193 252 398 240 289 178 202 253 258 ..
Ft. Worth, Tex 114 141 60 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
New Orleans 18 28 26 26 30 36 33 29 .. .. ..
Denver 75 57 48 94 62 83 80 107 75 64 54
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Total 1,669 1,370 1,456 1,661 1,148 1,769 1,453 1,898 1,516 1,333 ..
Montreal 93 89 74 87 70 52 43 38 23 26 ..
Toronto 77 194 154 140 75 74 51 54 57 36 35
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Total 170 283 228 227 145 126 94 92 80 62 35

[1] For year ended March 31.

CRATE FOR MOVING SWINE OR OTHER ANIMALS.

It is often desirable to move a small animal from one building to another, or from one pasture enclosure to another. The illustration, Fig. [35], shows a crate on wheels, with handles permitting it to be used as a wheelbarrow. Into this the pig can be driven, the door closed and the crate wheeled away. It will also be found a very useful contrivance in bringing in calves that have been dropped by their dams in the pasture.

FIG. 35. HANDY MOVABLE CRATE.

CHAPTER XVI.