42 



REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



Table showing the proportion of cattle to population, the value of cattle and beef 

 products exported, and the mean price of beef steers in Chicago. 



The above table shows that in 1880, with a steady increase in the 

 price of steers since 1878, with 490 cattle (excluding milch cows) to 

 the 1,000 of population, and with an export of cattle and beef prod- 

 ucts amounting to $31,544,360, the mean price of butchers' steers in 

 the Chicago market was $5.75 per 100 pounds. From 1880 to 1881 

 there was an increase in the number of cattle of 12 per 1,000 of pop- 

 ulation, the exports increased over $1,000,000, and the mean price of 

 steers increased 15 cents per 100 pounds. The prices during this 

 year would seem to be consistent with the cattle supply and the ex- 

 ports as indicated in the table. 



In 1882 we find a remarkable increase in the price of steers, which 

 can not be explained by the data which has been furnished. With 

 an increase of 20 cattle per 1,000 of population and' a falling off in 

 the export trade of over $10,000,000, the price of cattle not only ad- 

 vanced but reached the very highest point of the decade. The in- 

 crease of the mean price of steers from 1881 to 1882 was 87 cents per 

 100 pounds. We will return to this advance later on and endeavor 

 to furnish an explanation of it. 



The mean price of steers in 1883 was $1.10 per 100 pounds lower 

 than in 1882. The exports for the year had increased $2,500,000, 

 and the number of cattle per 1,000 of population was 14 greater 

 than in the preceding year. Here, again, the fluctuation of price 

 is much greater than the table would lead us to expect. In 1884, 

 with an increase of $11,500,000 in the exports, and with 14 more cat- 

 tle per 1,000 of population, the price advanced 42 cents and reached 

 $6.05 per 100 pounds. In 1885, with the number of cattle per 1,000 

 of population at the highest point, and with a falling off of $4,000,000 

 in exports, the price dropped to $5.15 per 100 pounds. In 1886 and 



1887, with a slight decrease in the relative number of cattle and with 

 a large reduction of exports, the price of steers decreased 35 cents in 

 1886 and 15 cents in 1887. The export trade revived somewhat in 



1888, and the number of cattle in proportion to population continued 

 to decrease; we are not surprised, therefore, to find an advance of 27 

 cents per 100 pounds in the mean price of beef steers. 



Having examined the table given above somewhat critically, we 

 are forced to the conclusion that the fluctuations in the price of 

 steers can not be explained by the simple consideration of the num- 

 ber of cattle in proportion to our population, or by combining this 

 information with the statistics of the export trade. Disturbing con- 

 ditions which have already been referred to are the average value of 



