230 



REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Of the above receipts, tlie majority were from east of the Mississippi 

 Eiver, except lard, the greater portion of which was from the west. Of 

 the shipments, nearly nine-tenths of the pork, bacon, and cut meats went 

 south. A little over half the lard went eastward ; the larger portion of 

 the latter was shipped to eastern markets for export to foreign countries. 



Winter porJc-paching. — The number of hogs winter-packed at Saint 

 Louis duriug the last sixteen seasons, together with their average net 

 weight per head, aud the average net yield of lard per head, for six 

 years, were as follows : 



During the summer p-iicking season, from March 1 to November 1, 187G, 

 there were packed at this point 90,351 hogs, averaging 226.43 pounds 

 per head; in 1875, 102,424 hogs, averaging 220 pounds ; in 1874, 150,902 

 hogs, averaging 209 pounds ; in 1873, 132,155 hogs, averaging 244.26 

 pounds ; in 1872, 98,720 hogs, averaging 233.G3 pounds. 



The total number of hogs cut by iSaiut Louis packers is estimated at 

 over a million. Over half of this outside product is shipped direct to 

 eastern markets, the remainder being brought to the city. The capital 

 invested in pork-packing in Saint Louis is over $7,000,000. The city 

 packers also control a large number of establishments in the rural dis- 

 tricts, in which are packed more than double the amount i)acked in their 

 city houses. 



PORK PACKING 



IN THE WEST. 



V/inter imcIdnQ. — The Cincinnati Price-Current has kept a record of 

 pork-packing in the West for twenty-seven seasons, showing the num- 

 ber of hogs i)acked in each season, as follows : 1849-'50, 1,652,220 head; 

 1S50-'51, 1,332,807; 1851-'.j2, 1,182,846; 1852-'53, 2,201,110; l.S53-'54, 

 2,534,770; 1854-'55, 2,124,404 ; 1855-'5G, 2,489,502 ; 1850-'57, 1,818,486; 

 1857-'58, 2,210,778; 1858-'59, 2,465,552; 1859-'60, 2,350,822; 1860-'61, 

 2.155,702 ; 1861-'62, 2,893,666 ; 1862-'63, 4,069,520 ; 1863-'64, 3,261,105 ; 

 1864-'65, 2,422,779; 1865-'66, 1,785,955; 1866-'67, 2,490,791 ; 1867-'68, 

 2,781,084; 1868-'69, 2,499,873 ; 1869-'70, 2,635,312 ; 1870-'71, 3,695,251; 

 1871-72, 4,831,558; 1872-'73, 5,400,394; 1873-74, 5,466,380; l874-'75, 

 5,500,226 ; 1875-'76, 4.880,185 ; 1876-'77, 5,072,330. 



The operations of the last winter season show a gratifying advance 

 upon its i)re<lecessor, though the aggregates are not up to the maximum 

 of 1874-75. The etdarged figures of later years are in part attributa- 

 ble to a more perfect system of statistics, embracing each year a larger 

 number of i)iicking points, but allowing a sufficient margin of increase 

 to this source, a great annual development of the pork-packing business 



