Farm Animals in the United States. 



37 



years 1893-5 ; there had been a sharp rise from 1880 to 1884 ; 

 but the decline in the next ten years, although practically 

 continuous, was very gradual, while the recovery since 

 the minimum in 1897 has been only slight. Horses were 

 estimated at their highest value (£15 us. per head) in 1884, 

 the lowest being £6 1 is. in 1897. So sharp was the fall that 

 the value in the last mentioned year was less than half what 

 it was five years previously ; the chief drop being trom 

 £12 15s. in 1893 to £9 19s. in 1894 and £7 us. in 1895. In 

 the case of mules, the maximum, £17 11s., occurred in 1884, 

 and the heaviest fall in any one year was from £12 19s. in 

 1894 to £9 1 8s. in 1895. Mules, it may be noted, are usually 

 put at from 30s. to 40s. more than horses. The total value of 

 all the horses, which had been as high as ^209,915,000 in 

 1892, was only ^106,474,000 in 1899. Mules, estimated at 

 about ^38,000,000 in 1890, were only ^19,992,000 at the 

 beginning of the present year. 



The two following summary tables exhibit the estimated 

 number and value per head of farm animals in the Republic 

 at different dates during the past twenty years, as given in 

 the Year-book of the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture : — 



Year. 



Cattle other than 

 Milch Cows. 



Milch Cows. 



Sheep. 





Number. j 



Value. 



Number. 



Value. 



Number. 



| Value. 



1880 

 1885 

 1890 

 1895 

 1897 

 1899 



2 r, 231, coo 

 29,866,573 

 36,849,024 

 34,364,216 

 30,508,408 

 27,994,225 



£ s. 



3 7 



4 T -7 

 3 3 



2 19 



3 9 



4 15 



12,027,000 

 13,904,722 

 15,952,883 

 16,504,629 

 15,941,727 

 I5,990,n5 



£ s. 

 4 17 



6 4 

 4 12 



4 12 



4 17 

 6 4 



40,765,900 

 50,360,243 

 44,336,072 

 42,294,064 

 36,818,643 

 39,114,453 



s. d. 



9 3 



8 11 



9 6 



6 7 



7 7 

 11 6 





Year. 



Swine. 



Horses. 



Mules. 





Number. 



Value. 



Number. 



Value. 



Number. 



Value. 



1880 

 1885 

 1890 

 1895 

 1897 

 1899 



34,034,100 

 45,142,657 

 51,602,780 

 44,165,716 

 40,600,276 

 38,651,631 



s. d. 

 17 10 

 20 1 1 



19 8 



20 9 



17 1 



18 4 



1 1,201,800 

 11,564,572 

 14,213,837 

 15,893,318 

 14,364,667 

 13,665,307 



£ s. 

 11 8 



15 7 

 14 7 



7 11 



6 11 



7 16 



1,729,500 



1,972,569 

 2,331,027 

 2,333,108 

 2,215,654 

 2,134,213 



£ s. 

 12 15 

 17 3 



16 6 

 9 18 



8 14 



9 7 



