AMERICAN' STOCK.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1602, 20 November 1912, Page 10

AMERICAN' STOCK.

' BIG CATTLE AND PIG SHORTAGE. • A_fUrther indication of the shortage of ' '%• cattle and pigs in America is given in the I , . latest' issue, of the "Breeders' Gazette" i to hand. According to a writer in this , journal, Missouri reports a great scarcity ■: of live-stock. Estimates by more than 600 correspondents for the ' Missouri Stato ' '■ Board of Agriculture state that tho mim- , her of pigs on feed as' compared with an ■ average year is.but Gl'per cent.; number I .of spring pigs on farms as compared with ; 'normal, 69 per cent.; comparative number ofvsows for fall farrow, 71 per cent, i . : Cattle, too, are few in number. The number on feed as compared with an /ordinary, year is only 54. per. cent., while ' V- : the percentage of stock cattle, is 7i. The shortage of pigs and,'.cattle on .feed ,is f : least in the north-east .section of the V •State. . 'T.. i Viewing tho pig situation from tlio meat consumer's standpoint the one'hopeful fea- , ... ■ turo is the decrease! in hog cholera. Cor-, respondents of tho Missouri Board figure that'there is now,, only one-half as. much ' : , cholera in tho State, as. existed a year ago. The north-east section reports only 46 per ' ccnt. as much; north-west, 57; central, fi6; south-west, 40; south-east, 55. A few individual comments, which fol- : , 3ow, give a fair insight into tho livestock ; situation:--: ,■■ , ' Macon.County: "Cattle scarce and get- - ting scarcer. Brood sows sold make pigs very scarcs. Most farmers sell old-sows nnd depend upon gilts for' pigs and get 3 to 5 pigs per sow." DeKalb:' "Stock cattle 'Shard to get and high." Hickory: "There I are: but few pigs- or'cattle'left in this /pounty." Douglas: "Fewer cattle and pigs 'than ever before." Johnson: "Pigs ■ and ■cattie very scarce, and high." ; Ray.: "I«ts !. of grass and nothing'-.to.oat Howard: "Stocker and-feeding cattle scarce, 1 ; and high.. Very few hogs on feed. Spring . crop of pigs small." Holt: "Feeders are ' scouring the' country-for cattle ' -sort, but cannot find them." Chariton: i "Cattle and pigs scarce-compared with I , '<avera-ge year. Not many on feed." Moms' t°au: "Stock cattle scarcer than I ,ever i . liefore knew, them." "Farmers Shave felt compelled, 1 tp sel{ everything in the pig line,', as but little-com was-to be Itoad, and such ascpiild'.b'e'bdugit'was too i iliigi to feed w'ith hope of' getting tho , ijnoney. back. Cattle 1 are scarce owing to . 'the hiffhi prices, which have served as big ' (inducements to almost everyone to sell." i . . Those familiar with Missouri must ro- : -cognise. iii the-list, of counties mentioned '"{ many of the leading cattle and hog-feeding <counties, of the .State. Of the several liun-.. . I dred-correspondents from whose figures i., 'the.Missouri State : ; 'repprts.are "poriipiled,; ■only one reported -.the' present; supply; of . hogs as. above normal.-The'cattle.short - 'Bge report is agreed upon. by .the' entire •J number of farmers making .reports.-There ;' r .is'no doubt about there being a big cattle ;.,V Wdi hog shortage in the-State. _• • ———~r~~ ——'