388 Pork Production 



consumption in the different months are largely the result 

 of temperature. The prosperity of the southern farmer, 

 or the condition of the cotton crop, is an important factor 

 influencing the demand for pork during the summer. The 

 effect of general economic conditions, and the price of 

 pork, is to influence the demand, but quite independent 

 of any given season. 



Prices of dressed hogs, and wholesale and retail cuts, 

 seem to follow quite closely the price- of hogs. As a rule, 

 a rise or fall in the price of live hogs is followed in one or 

 two months by a rise or fall in the price of fresh pork cuts. 

 Prices of cured products, smoked hams and bacon, and 

 the products on which futures are bought and sold on the 

 board of trade, short ribs, mess pork, and lard, follow the 

 general trend of live hog prices, but are less sensitive to 

 the seasonal fluctuations than are the fresh cuts. 1 



Yearly variations in price. 



In Fig. 17 the average annual price of hogs on the 

 Chicago market is shown by a plotted curve for the years 

 from 1905 to 1916 inclusive. The supply curve for the 

 same period of time is also shown. At the bottom of the 

 figure the average price of No. 2 cash corn on the Chicago 

 market is indicated for each year. 



Like the supply, the price of hogs is subject to wide 

 fluctuations from year to year. Under normal conditions, 

 years of high prices tend to be preceded and followed by 

 years of low prices. 



That variation in supply is the chief and fundamental 

 factor which determines the average price of hogs from 



1 L. D. Hall, F. M. Simpson, and S. W. Doty : "Methods and 

 Cost of Marketing Livestock and Meats," U. S. Dept. Agr., 

 Rpt. 113. 



