380 THE YEAR-BOOK OF AGRICULTURE. 



Pork Trade of the West, 1854-55. 



Tue Cincinnati Price Current furnishes the following estimate of the pork trade of the 

 Wert i"i 186 I 65: — The following table shows the number of hogs packed in the principal 

 pork-raising districts during the packing season of 1853-54, and 1854-55: 



1853-M. 1K54-55. 



Ohio 718,650 571,165 



Tennessee 50,880 6,000 



Indiana 601,820 5o;..s:;n 



Kentucky 502,925 387,799 



Iowa 48,060 102,131 



1 853-54. 1854 56. 



Illinois 344,047 413,916 



Missouri 130,025 l: 



Wisconsin 59,900 39,272 



Detroit, Mich 7,600 5,000 



Buffalo, N. Y 8,000 1 



Grand total 2,473,807 2,124,404 



Showing a deficiency in 1854-55 of 463,066 hogs. 



The average weight of the hogs packed in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, in 

 1853-54, was 208 lbs. ; in 1854-55, 192J lbs. In other States, the average in the same years 

 was 218 lbs. Taking these figures as the average, the crop, reduced to pounds, compares 

 as follows : — 



1853-54. 1864-fcfi. 



Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee 391,926,200 273,502,846 



Other States 128,515,796 153,486,980 



520,445,996 426,989,825 



Showing a deficiency of 103,457,171 lbs., being a trifle over 20 per cent. The increase in 

 pounds last year over the preceding year's crop was 22i per cent. The product of this 

 season is, therefore, 20 per cent, less than that of 1853-54, and 2J per cent, greater than that 

 of 1852-53. 



According to the census returns of 1840, there were in the United States 26,301,293 swine; 

 of 1850, there were 30,354,213; showing an increase of 4,052,920. The present number may 

 be estimated at 32,000,000, which, at $3 each, would be worth $160,000,000. 



The average annual production of lard in the United States is estimated at ninety-six mil- 

 lions of pounds. Of this amount, twenty millions are shipped from Cincinnati. England 

 and Cuba tnke more lard of us than all the rest of the world. Each of these countries buy 

 over eight millions of pounds. 



Commerce in Animals, and Consumption of Animal Food. 



Heretofore we have known very nearly the number of animals raised in the United 

 States, lint we have not known the number and weight of animals actually consumed in the 

 country. But this fact is very desirable, and will prove very useful. It is well known that 

 the eattle, as well as the hog trade, furnishes a very large portion of the exchanges of the 

 Country, and hence the question of how much, where, and when animal food IS consumed, 

 has a direct relation to the tinaneial as well as commercial concern-' of the country. The 

 progress of Statistics, however, gradually furnishes the materials to Bhowthifl and all similar 



problems. The great difficulty is to find a unit of measurement for the consumption of cattle 

 and hogs. In the cattle trade, we know that the great cities of the country are the main 

 purchasers of eattle. insomuch that what enters into general commerce is a very small amount 

 of what is oonsumed in the large towns. With hogs it is something different, for an immi 

 -mount of pork and lard enter into general commerce for exportation, especially to southern 



latitude-, and for the navies and armies of the world. 



At present we shall confine onrselTes to the supply and consumption of cattle and sheep u 



I; in other words, beef and mutton. For the consumption of beef ire want a unit. It 



might have Keen furnished by the statistics of Smithfleld Market, London, bnl ire are not 



re that they bare been kept and recorded. The New York market, however, U i still 



i etter test, for the whole of our population are meat-eaters. Ti number of 



tie, sheep, and oalTea consumed in New fork City, Including Brooklyn, is as follows: 



cattle, 164,000; sheep and lambs, 470,000. Wt know very nearly the average weight of 



, animaS, and the population by whom they arc consumed. The average weight of the 



