THE PORK TRADE OF CINCINNATI.

[FROM THE CINCINNATI PRICE-CURRENT.]

More than any other branch of business connected with the Agricultural industry of the West, the pork trade has contributed to build up and extend the Commerce of our city. A brief reference to its progress will, therefore, be likely to prove interesting to our readers.

Since the production of pork in the west became a matter of much importance to farmers or commercial men, Cincinnati has been the center of operations as regards the amount of the business transacted, though for three years past she has been a considerable distance from the geographical center, and with each year this distance is increasing, though practically our numerous railroad enterprises are diminishing it, and thus the advantages that the natural increase of population has been depriving us of, art and enterprise are replacing. A hundred miles now is, as regards the time or labor necessary to travel it, no more than fifteen miles was ten, or even five years ago. But, whatever may be said with reference to the center of packing operations, it is evident that the producing business is rapidly extending Westward-and although Cincinnati will continue to do a larger business thau any other city in the country, the trade must increase greatly at various points in the West.

Before proceeding farther, however, with these remarks, we will give a statement showing the number of hogs packed in this city from 1832-3 to 1851-2, inclusive, covering a period of twenty years, and Cincinnati having been, as already remarked, the center of operations, the extent of the trade here will indicate its progress throughout the West:

It is seen that the number packed for three years past has not varied materially, though, as is well known, there was a great falling off in the whole number packed in the West in 1851-2. As near as can be ascertained, the number of hogs cut in Cincinnati has been equal for four or five years past to one-fifth of the whole number packed in the West, but prior to that time the proportion was considerably greater in favor of this city. This affords good and satisfactory grounds for the belief already expressed, that the trade must increase at points adjacent to the districts of country where hogs can be produced to the best advantage. As railroads are extended the value of lands is increased, and whenever the latter are in this way brought near to market, hogs have been found to be not generally the most profitable product. Consequently, the business of rais ng hogs is extending Westward, and increasing there much more rapidly than the population of those sections of country. In the same directions railroads are being extended, and it is to the latter that we must now look, to some extent; and in a few years to a still greater extent, for a considerable portion of the supplies for this market.

The pork business is a branch of Commerce deemed of such importance, that the merchants of neighboring cities have, for several years past, been exerting themselves to attract the trade from this point, and since railroad communication has been opened with the East, New York has also entered the field, and the pretensions of the latter are decidedly more extravagant than those of our smaller neighbors down the river.

That a large number of hogs will be transported to the East we do not doubt, but we are satisfied that, notwithstanding the railroad facilities, the number that can be forwarded will be little more than sufficient to supply the current demand. It must be remembered that railroads cannot transport an unlimited number of hogs. The New York and Erie Railroad, which is relied upon to supply the New York packers, has, during the summer, been employed to the utmost extent of its accommodations, and yet the number of hogs transported has been no more than equal to the demands

of the citizens of New York for fresh pork; and we are decidedly of the opinion that the same road will not be able to carry very many more in the winter than they have delivered during the summer.

But supposing, and admitting that the immense droves of hogs which pass through our streets could be transferred to the railroad cars, and carried through to New York without delay, the experience of those who have some knowledge of the business satisfies us that Western packed meat can be shipped to New York and sold for less than the first cost of that packed there. In cold weather a considerable portion of hogs shipped from the West would perish during their passage, and we are assured that nothing can be done prevent this. Here, then, would be a heavy loss to encounter in the outset. In addition to this, the hogs would lose a great deal in weight, and we are told that those taken to New York by railroad produce little, or no gat fat. Here is another very heavy loss. Then, again, the expense of doing business in New York is very nearly double what it is here. To offset all these losses, the only advantage the New York packer has is, that a trifle more is obtained for city than Western packed meats; and even this advantage they do not possess over Cincinnati brands. It has been stated that the offal commands a great deal more in New York that in Cincinnati, but this is not so. There is a market here for everything that is marketable, belonging to the hog. The heads, feet, tails, and hair are sold at very good prices, and for the hair and gut fat our slaughterers pay from 25 to 50 cents for each hog, and do the killing besides.

But the experiment is about to be tried in New York, and of its failure, so far as it is intended to transfer the winter packing business from the West to the East, we do not entertain a doubt. In one respect, however, New York will do a business which must affect, to some extent, the Western trade, and it is important that this feature should receive proper attention. We refer to the business that is done during the

summer.

There has been a much greater number of hogs shipped to the East this season than in any previous year, and, as a consequence, we will have but few still fatted hogs to commence the season with at this place, while last year some fifty to seventy-five thousand head were cut. The supplies of fresh pork which are thus obtained on the seaboard during the summer cause a great falling off in the consumption of salt meats and, in calculating for the wants of the East this fact should be taken into consideration. It has had an important effect upon prices this season, and it must so operate in years to come, especially when prices of hogs and their products rule high. With regard to the tendency of the trade in the West we may remark, that statis tics do not show that the business has been attracted, to any extent, from this city. Our information of the business at Louisville, and Madison, extends back only four years; and we give the statistics for those seasons in connection with the business at this place:

When it is remembered that extra exertions have been made by the merchants of of Louisville and Madison to secure hogs for that market by contracting in the country, and that last season both places had the advantage of railroads-one passing through the interior of Indiana, and the other into Kentucky, and farther, that fully one-third of the entire products of last year were purchased by Cincinnati dealers, and much of them brought to this market, it must be admitted that the progress made by our neighbors has not been very rapid. This sea on we are told that heavy contracts have been made for both markets, amounting to more than the entire business of last year; but we have been informed by reliable dealers, in both Madison and Louisville that this statement is not correct. This business of contracting, however, must soon lead to its own end. Most of the contracts this season have been made at high prices, and a great many of them at a figure that could not be realized now, and should prices rule below $5, summer purchasers must loses largely.

Last season hogs ruled 25 cents per 100 lbs. higher here than in any other Western market, owing to the competition among slaughterers, arising from the enhanced value of the offal. That such will be the case again this year is quite probable, and should it be so, hogs will come here as naturally as the rivulet flows to the river.

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES.

CONDENSED EXHIBIT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1849-50, COMPARED WITH THE CENSUS RETURNS OF 1839-40.

THE TRADE ANd revenue of ireland.

A series of returns, furnished by the Treasury Chambers, and ordered to be printed by the British House of Commons, on the motion of Sir Robert Ferguson, having reference to the revenue, expenditure, imports, and exports of Ireland, during the year 1851, have been printed. It appears that the net produce of the Irish revenue paid into the exchequer in the year ended the 5th of January, 1852, was £4,000,681 17 4. This amount was contributed from the following sources:

The money remaining in the Exchequer at the commencement of the years was £621,891, and if this sum be added to the net produce, it would make the income for the year £4,622,572. The expenditure during the year amounted to £3,847,134, leaving a balance in the Exchequer on January 5, 1852, of £775,434 18 1. The expenditure for the year is thus made up :

Dividends, interest, and management of public debt....

Other payments out of the consolidated fund...

Payments on account of grants of parliament for the army.
Miscellaneous grants of parliament.

Money advanced out of the consolidated fund for public objects....

66

£1,394,097

854,272

585,000

611,382

300,493

Although the gross expenditure is stated at £3,847,134, the real expenditure was only £3,745,245, as a sum of £101,888, remitted through the customs and excise, to the Exchequer in England is, by a curious mode of calculation, charged as an item of expenditure." The account, however, does not include the whole expenditure of the United Kingdom on account of Ireland; but, on the other hand, the receipts from the crown lands in Ireland are brought into the general account of the Commissioners of Woods, &c., and do not appear as part of the income of Ireland. The amounts received from rents and other sources of land revenue in Ireland in 1851 was £62,776 16s. 5d., but the return does not state what is the amount expended by the United Kingdom on account of Ireland against which the sum of £62,776 is a set off. The largest excise collections in Ireland appear to be those of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Droheda, and the ports in which the greatest amount of customs duties paid are Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Londonderry, and Waterford. There is a small "port," called Strangford, where the customs duties collected during the first year amounted to only £141. It appears by returns furnished by the Inspector-General of Imports and Exports that there was retained for home consumption in Ireland in 1851

The consumption of coals cannot be exhibited, the coasting duty on that article having been discontinued since 1830. The view which this statement affords of the consumption of imported commodities into Ireland is, to a certain extent, defective, inasmuch as the coasting regulations by which the cross channel trade has been governed since the year 1825, prevent the keeping of any record of goods imported duty free from Great Britain, either in the case of British productions or of foreign merchandise

upon which the duty has already been paid in a British port. The exports of Irish productions and manufactures during the last year, as compared with former periods, exhibit a very great decrease, owing in great part to the failure of the potato crop, and also to the depopulation of the country. The exports of live animals and provisions to foreign parts has almost wholly fallen off, while the returns of the exports to Great Britain present a similar result. The total quantity of Irish spirits exported to foreign countries within the last year was only 8,687 gellons, while of linen manufactures, 50,964 yards only were exported. Of cotton manufactures the imports were 191,066 yards. The quantities of provisions (live and dead) exported to Great Britain within the year was as follows:

The stamp duties collected in Dublin amounted to £350,308 14 3, whilst all the other stamp districts put together did not contribute much more than one third of that sum.

RECEIPTS OF PRODUCE BY THE NEW CANAL AT NEW ORLEANS.

The subjoined statement of produce received in the New Basin, for the year ending August 31st, 1852, is derived from a statement furnished the New Orleans Price Current by Captain JAMES STOCKTON:

SHIPMENTS OF BRANDY FROM CHARENTE TO GREAT BRITAIN.

We compile from an official source the following statement of the shipments of Brandy from the port of Charente (France) to Great Britain, in each of the years from 1843 to 1851, inclusive :

Showing a total of 192,932 puncheons shipped in nine years. In the above table,