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Show Including horses, mules, milch cows, beef cattle, sheep and swine, there were on January L, 1915, 7,712,000 more farm animals in the United States than on January 1, 1014. The increase in the total value was $7S,024,O00, or 1.8 per cent. It is quite true that this increase is not yet proportional to the increase in population, which is approximately approxi-mately '2 per cent; but- the fact that there is 'an increase, that the tide seems definitely to have turned, is regarded as a sufficient answer to alarming exaggerations ex-aggerations and misleading figures. MODERATE PRICES. It does not seem probable that, generally gen-erally speaking, foodstuff prices will be abnormally high during the approaching winter. Wheat is selling under $1 per bushel and livestock quotations are rather .low under the circumstances. The Europeaus are less apprehensive of famine conditions as a result of the war. d addition the peop'e over there have increased their foodstuff crop area wherever possible. It might be added that they are living as .heapl;. as they can sustain life in order to conserve their supplies. The United States is still "the land of Egypt'' for those countries in need of food, but the rush to buy has aliat It may be that lack of money is in part responsible for tho falling off in demand, de-mand, bur, as shown above, this is not the sole reason. The outlook is more cheerful from the viewpoint of the American consumer than the producer and the exporter. Abnormally high prices for products we sell abroad bring much money into the country and prosperity pros-perity for part of the people results. But if foodstuffs get too high and out of reach of the poorer classes there is certain to be much suffering. Claims have been made for several years past that all classes of livestock in the United States were decreasing in num hers, and the figures collected showed that the claims were founded on farts. With these figures in mind, predictions predic-tions were freely made for several months following the outbreak of the war that meat would rise to 50 cents per pound and shoes be worth $10 a pair, shortage of cattle resulting in a scarcity of hides. The agricultural department's figures reassurod the public. pub-lic. On January J, for example, the number of beef cattle showed an increase in-crease of 3.4 per cent over the number a year ago. and an actual in-crrase in-crrase of 1.212,100 head. Hitherto the number of beef flattie in the United States has declined steadily since 1910. There are also more milch cows in the country than last year, the increase being be-ing 2.5 per cent, or in numbers 525,000. Swiru?, however, showed the greatest in crease of all classes 9.6 per cent. On January 1, 1914, there were only 58,-933,000 58,-933,000 swine in tho country; on January 1, 1915, 64,618,000. This is accounted for by the fact that the production of swine can be increased more rapidly than that of other classes of livestock and consequently an enlarged demand can be met more readily. We do not know what the figures will show on the 1st of January, 1916, but it is certain that the country has not been entirely denuded of its livestock As a matter of fact the foreign trade of the meat packers was practically paralyzed by the continual seizure ot meat Cargoea by tho cruisers of the allies. So it may bo that the govern ment statistics will show a still further IntfreaM la t,b number of livestock in the country. Even if there shouM be nn lqcreased demand from the warring countries, the United Bt at.es is now in :i better condition con-dition to face flnh a situation than for yen re pant. According to tha report of the bureau of animal Industry, the tiila has turned. Enetead of tWeetoo). steadily decreaeins vear after year, tliis year ffir the first time, as has been aaid, all Cluiaaa1 show an aprf;ciublo incruasn |