3o8 READINGS IN RURAL ECONOMICS 



industry in France, one-quarter as large as in Great Britain, oc- 

 cupied a comparatively small position in the nation. But, in this 

 connection, we must not consider France by herself : she was a 

 member of a combination, more or less strong, desirous of recog- 

 nizing the Confederacy ; and this combination, as a whole, could 

 not dispense with American grain. 



The shipments abroad had a pronounced reaction, also, on this 

 country ; for in the early part of the war, when we were producing 

 more than was necessary for our own wants, and when, therefore, 

 our home markets would naturally have been overstocked and 

 prices for the farmers very low, the strong foreign demand tended 

 to remove the surplus and prevent that disappointing result. 



The other leading activities of the Western farmers, hog, 

 cattle, and sheep raising, were also flourishing. According to 

 the Cincinnati Price Current, the number of hogs packed in all 

 the West, which never before the war had been above 2,500,000, 

 in 1862-1863 rose to 4,000,000, and in 1863-1864 was 3,000,000. 

 This increase was represented most graphically by the record of 

 Chicago, where the number jumped from 151,339 in 1859-1860 

 to 970,264 in 1863-1864, and to a less degree by that of Cincin- 

 nati, St. Louis, and other cities. In 1862 Chicago outstripped 

 Cincinnati, and wrested from her the title " porkopolis of the 

 West." Most of the packing was done in the cities, where the 

 industry was fast becoming centralized, but a part of it was still 

 done in the small towns and in the country. Despite the progress 

 of packing, however, we are informed by the statisticians of the 

 time that the number of hogs raised each year was no greater 

 than in i860. The change is to be explained rather by the fact 

 that the farmers sent to the market more of their stock than usual. 

 Cattle raising was normal, and cattle packing was in its infancy. 



In the nation at large the progress of sheep raising was most 

 remarkable, inasmuch as wool was the most important substitute 

 for cotton. The production of wool increased gradually from i860, 

 when it amounted to 60,000,000 pounds, to 1865, when the total 

 production was 140,000,000 pounds ; while in the latter year 

 there were 32,000,000 sheep in the North, double the number of 

 1 860. The Western states shared the progress along with all the 



