Chicago Live Stock Market. 



61 



The prices during the last half of 1896 were about 

 £20 12s. 6d. per car of twenty horses lower than in 1895 on 

 common and medium grades. Good horses averaged very 

 favourably with the prices of 1894-95. Horses perfectly- 

 mannered, of good style and action, colour, size, and sound- 

 ness, command good prices, and will sell on the Chicago 

 market for as much as £371, and teams as high as ^515 to 

 ^"618 both at auctions and private sales. 



In point of volume the aggregate receipts of live stock in 

 Chicago in 1896 were not the largest in the history of the 

 trade, but were large enough to be highly satisfactory to 

 both exporters and producers, when all the circumstances 

 are taken into consideration. The supply amounted to 2,600,000 

 cattle, 7,700,000 hogs, and 3,600,000 sheep, which, compared 

 with 1895, shows a gain of 12,000 cattle, a loss of 185,000 

 hogs, and a gain of 200,000 sheep. Prices, however, were 

 not altogether satisfactory. The demand was not up to 

 expectations, hard times having thrown many persons out of 

 employment, and so lessening the general consumption of 

 meats. When the year opened native beef cattle sold at 

 12s. nfd. to 18s. n|d. per 100 lbs. The range at the close 

 was 14s. 5d. to £1 2s. 8d. 



In the export line business was good. In the course of the 

 year 243,000 cattle were exported abroad alive. The average 

 weight of cattle for the year was 1,118 lbs., the heaviest on 

 record. The supply of Texas and Western Range cattle 

 decreased nearly 200,000. The quality of Texas cattle was- 

 better, while Western rangers were poorer than in 1895. 

 The average price of native cows and heifers was 10s. njd. 

 per 100 lbs. or iod. lower than the previous year. 



The year 1896 will be recorded as being the lowest 

 for hog prices since 1879. This was not brought about 

 by excessive supplies, but by a lack of demand on the part 

 of the packers. The stringency of the money market was 

 the principal cause. Hog cholera had much to do with the 

 lessening of receipts. The year opened with sales at 

 14s. ojd. to 15s. 3^d. per 100 lbs., and reached 16s. id. t©> 

 17s 9d., but declined c-n August 1, to a low point, viz.^ 

 10s. 6d. to 14s. The average weight of hogs was 246 lbs., the 



