214 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Swine products. — Of western pork, produced mostly during tlie winter 

 packinj? season of lS74:-'75, Baltimore received during 1876 132,578,840 

 pounds, against 140,000,000 in 1875, 124,000,000 in 1874, 111,508,000 in 

 1873, and" 100,000,000 in 1872. Of lard, the foreign exports of 187(i 

 amounted to 12,2r)8,709 i)ounds, of which 0,055,030 went to Bremen, 

 1*,585,982 to Liverpool, 3,008,275 to South America, and 559,403 to the 

 West Indies. The total exportof 1875 was 8,520,000; of 1874,11,120,109; 

 of 1873, 11,590,004; of 1872, 12,022,049; of 1871, 4,876,700; of 1870, 

 1,791,360 ; of 1869, 1,804,140. Of bacon, the exports of 1876 amounted 

 to 5.482,000 pounds, agaiust 1,130,210 pounds in 1875. Of barreled pork, 

 14,874 barrels were exported, against 17,864 in 1875. Prices of mess 

 pork opened at $21 © $21.25 in the middle of January, rose to $23 in 

 March, and gradually fell to $17.50 at the close of the year. 



CINCINNATI. 



Cattle. — The receipts of cattle during the commercial year ending 

 August 31, 1876, were 243,503 head, an increase over the preceding 

 twelve months of 16,053, or 7 per cent.; shipments, 98,322, a decline of 

 5,116 head, or nearly 5 per cent. The quality of the animals marketed, 

 on the whole, was an improvement upon the previous year, but during 

 the summer an unusual amount of poor stock was offered for home con- 

 sumption. The supplies of Texas cattle are constantly becoming more 

 abundant and of better quality, so that the better kinds of this stock 

 are gaining advantage over the medium grades of native cattle. The 

 market was well supplied, and buyers ordinarily had very little difficulty 

 in obtaining satisfactory terms. The United Railroads Stock-yards have 

 resulted in a great benefit to this trade, and buyers from distant locali- 

 ties have been attracted. The trade of the Ohio Valley seems to be 

 largely concentrating at this point. But while buyers have had ample 

 reasons lor satisfaction generally, sellers liave I'ound the business exceed- 

 ingly dull and unsatisfactory, especially from early spring to the close 

 of the commercial year. Feeders also found little or no profit in the 

 year's business. The usual animation of the spring market was want- 

 ing, and prices declined ; the market became very dragging and unsatis- 

 factory. The low rates of the later summer months were maintained 

 with little variation. The market for fair to medium cattle opened at 

 $3.50 © $4.50 per cental and closed at $3 © $4, with an occasional fitful 

 reaction against this downward tendency. 



The annual receipts and shipments of all kinds of cattle, together with 

 the annual average prices per cental of prime beeves during the last 

 nineteen commercial years, were as follows : 



Commercial 

 years. 



1857-'53 . 



lese-'no. 



]Su'J-'(iO. 

 18G0-'«l. 



l8G-a-'G3 . 



18G4-'(i5 . 

 18«5-'6G . 

 18G0-'G7 . 



Commercial 

 years. 



19C7-'6H 

 1808-09 

 18(;9-'70 

 1H70-'71 

 1871-":2 

 187ii-'73 

 1873-'74 

 1874-'75 

 1875-'7« 



Eeceipts. Shipments, ^p^rieei** 



87, 

 107, 

 107, 

 125, 



ion, 



149, 

 199, 

 227, 

 5i43, 



A I 



43, 315 

 40, 185 

 54, 081 

 53, 278 

 70. 806 

 .53, 3S5 

 79,551 

 103, 438 

 98, 322 



Per cental, 



!S7 27 

 5 02 1-2 

 5 85 

 5 Oj 

 4 73 1-2 

 4 99 l-G 

 .3 90 



4 30 7-10 

 3 95 0-10 



The average gross weight joer head of cattle received at the stock 

 yards during the last commercial year was 905.24 iwunds, against 944.63 

 in 1874-'75, and 952.22 in 1873-'74. 



