PORK, PROHIBITION OF AMERICAN". 



647 



was 9,342,999, of which 4,222,780, or 45 per 

 cent., were slaughtered and prepared at Chi- 

 cago, 813,834 at Kansas City, 532,180 at St. 

 Louis, 507,316 at Cincinnati, 405,510 at Mil- 

 waukee, 388,417 at Indianapolis, 327,163 at 

 Cedar Rapids, and 218,885 at Cleveland. 



The supply of pork depends on the corn- 

 crop, and consequently varies greatly. The 

 failure of the corn-crop in 1881 made pork 

 very high in 1882. The supply of corn has 

 been below the average since that year. The 

 hostile foreign legislation has therefore not 

 had the effect of bringing about low prices 

 for swine products. The number of hogs 

 slaughtered during the period of diminished 

 corn supply and high prices for pork, reduced 

 the stock considerably. When there is a super- 

 abundant corn-crop, the price of hogs rises, on 

 )unt of the demand for stock purposes to 

 up the surplus corn, while immediately 



after a crop failure large numbers are killed 

 off. The average value of hogs in 1884 is $5.57, 

 against $6.75 in 1883. 



Exports of American Pork Prodoete. The ex- 

 portation of hog products from the United 

 States is one of the most important branches 

 of the export commerce, and fur surpasses that 

 of all other countries. In 1881, the year of 

 greatest exportation, the value of pork exports 

 was only exceeded by breadstuffs and cotton. 

 The exports average about 20 per cent, of the 

 annual product. The supply is exceedingly 

 variable, while the home demand is firm and 

 constant, and increases with the growth of 

 population in the West. The foreign trade 

 consequently, while showing a remarkable 

 development, varies greatly from year to year. 

 The quantities and values of the pork exports 

 for the past fifteen years were each fiscal year 

 as follow : 



The average prices of mess-pork per barrel, 

 and lard per 100 pounds, at Chicago, were for 

 "le past six calendar years as follow : 



on the preservation of. the foreign trade, and 

 that the maintenance of remunerative prices 

 in years of abundant production, and to a 

 considerable extent the success of hog-growers, 

 depend on the same condition. 



The value of the exports of hog products to 

 the principal foreign countries in the years 

 ending June 30, 1881, 1882, and 1883, was as 

 follows : 



The percentage which the exports of pork 

 products constituted of the total quantity 

 packed for commercial purposes in the West, 

 not including the hogs slaughtered on farms, 

 in villages, and by city butchers for local con- 

 sumption, was for the years ending October 

 31st, from 1878 to 1883 inclusive, as follow : 



In the exports are included those manu- 

 factured in Eastern cities, in the product only 

 the out-turn of the Western packing-houses. 

 From 1 the above figures it is evident that the 

 pork-packing industry of the West is dependent 



The largest exports of bacon are to Great Brit- 

 ain, amounting to over $38,000,000 in 1881 and 

 1882 and nearly $27,000,000 in 1883. The ex- 

 ports to Germany amounted to $2,982,852 in 

 1881, then fell off in consequence of the high 

 prices to $295,856 in 1882, and rose again, part- 

 ly stimulated by the prospective exclusion, to 

 $1,374,432. These figures do not take account 



