16 
BULLETIN 1440, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
kinds, have come into year-round use in all of the principal cities, 
and there have been remarkable increases in the consumption of 
many kinds of fruit. The general low level of the prices of other 
staple foods, such as wheat and potatoes, during the period from 
1921 to 1923, also may have been responsible indirectly for the 
weaker demand for hogs. 
There was some recovery in the demand for hogs and hog products 
in 1924 and 1925, although not enough to bring demand up to its 
pre-war trend. Whether this recent upward movement will con- 
tinue over a long period, or whether changes in dietary habits will 
alter its direction, can not as yet be foretold with any degree of 
confidence. After several years have passed, the longer series avail- 
able for observation will give a much better basis for forecasting the 
future trend. 
VARIATIONS IN EXPORT DEMAND 
In addition to the factors, such as growth of population and changes 
in dietary habits, which may cause the general level of demand to 
have a regular upward or downward trend over long periods, there 
Total Quantity of hog products exported monthly 
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Fig. 15.— Exports of hog products monthly from 1904 to 1925, in terms of pounds of pork or equiv- 
alent. Although there were wide variations during the whole period, the pre-war period shows 
no very marked- trend. Exports were very heavy in 1923 and early in 1924 
are other influences which cause demand to be stronger at some 
times and weaker at others than the normal trend would indicate. 
The demand for pork products for export has been one of the most 
important of these variable influences. 
As shown in Figure 15, from 1907 to 1914 there was no perceptible 
trend in the quantity of hog products exported from this country, 
though there were great variations from month to month and from 
year to year. During the period of the World War there was a 
tremendous increase in the volume of exports, but soon after the 
armistice exports fell back to something like the pre-war level, 
(fig. 16.) 
Volume of exports alone, however, does not tell the real strength 
of the foreign demand for our hogs. It has already been pointed 
out that when prices were low our own consumers used more pork 
than when prices were high, without this meaning a real increase 
in domestic demand. The same thing applies in the case of the export 
demand. At times when prices were high the export movement fell 
away to a very small quantity; yet demand remained as strong as 
ever, as shown by the prompt increase of exports when prices declined. 
