AGRICULTURAL CANADA.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 967, 7 November 1910, Page 10

AGRICULTURAL CANADA.

THE DOMINION'S PEOGEESS. A summary of a report of the Cana-. dian Government on tie value of Cana-, dian live stock in 1909 gives some interesting information. Although the values of farm animals (as given in dollars) are .very close to those, of 190S, they show'a steady increase: for;, all classes in:all the\proviiices. 'The.-ayer-age value ;of horses at -the end of 1 the past year is 49.29 dols. for\thbse;'under one year old as against "46 dols. in 1908; 106 dols. (as against 100 dols.) for one to three-year-olds, and ISO dols. (as against 143 dols.) for three years and over? Horses of the last class have the highest valuesin,>jthe',Western provinces—namely, 187 idols, in Manitoba,' 180' dols: in Saskatchewan, 165 dols, in British Columbia, and 150 dols. in Alberta. In Ontario and Quebec they are 144 dols. In the maritime provinces they are 126 dols. to 137 dols. Milch cows have an average value in'the Dominion of 36 dols.,\ as against 34 dols. in 1908. In the maritime provinces they have.a value of 31 dols., in the north-west provinces 30 d015.,-in Quebec 33. dols.y in Ontario" 40 dols., and in British Columiba 51. dols. Other horned cattle'"have an average value for the Dominion of 10 dols., as against 9 dols., for cattle under one year; 23 dols., against 21 dols., for one to three', years'old; and 33 dols., against 32j dols., for three years and over. The average value of swine is given at 7.90 dols. per 100 lbs.; as against 5.86 dols. in. 1908. The. average value, of ] sheep for the Dominion is 5.89 dols;, as against 5.23 dols. in" 1908.' They-.'are above the average in the north-west, provinces, British' Columbia and; . On : tario, and below the average in Quebecj and the maritime provinces. From '.the' general trend of remarks by • correspondents it would seem that the-sheep-; breeding industry is decreasing'in'con T sequnce of the ravages by. dogs;in' the eastern provinces and by wolves in./the western.

DEAR MEAT. 'AMERICAN: EXCUSE FOE HIGH . PRICES. . ' _ New who are in business; in the stock-raising or meat-handling lines have a very keen eye on the United States at present. In the States matters have not been satisfactory for 6ame time on the meat market. The following, from the "Breeders' Gazette," Chicago, touches on matters as thoy stood when the mail left late in August:— "Delegates to a national- convention- of retailers of meat are in session at Chicago, and one problem is. the elimination of credit losses. ..The retailer claims that bad debts compel him to maintain a scale of prices out of proportion to wholesale cost of meats. Packers long smwj abolished • bad debts. Their credit system bos been so perfected that they are able to sell their product at a very narrow margin of profit. "Retailers admit that the wholesale cost of meats is conformable to the stock, yard'cost on the hoof, and allege as one reason for the failure of retail prices to follow that bad • debts eat. a large hole, in profits. There are . other reasons, such as . the .multiplied cost of service where consumers insist on a telephoneorder meat shop in almost- every city Mock; but just now the bad debt excuse is played up prominently. Declines of about 4s. per hundred in cattle and twice that in hogs find small reflectidn'in retail market prices, but any advance in Chicago is quickly registered over the' retail counters. It is easy enough to . eliminate bad debts by the application of modern credit system methods. Tho butcher' should take pattern from the -iig merchants." .............