is derived chiefly from the United States, which enjoys an enormous trade with foreign consuming countries, notably England and continental Europe. Irish bacon is received with much favor in the English markets, while Wiltshire and other parts of England also furnish large quantities, specially cured, which are great favorites among consumers. Some idea of the magnitude of the foreign trade of the United States, so far as hog product is concerned, may be formed by a glance at the official figures showing our exports in a single year. During the twelve months ended June 30, 1899, the United States exported 563,000,000 lbs. bacon, 226,000,000 lbs. ham, 137,000,000 lbs. pickled pork and 711,000,000 lbs. lard, a total of 1,637 million pounds pork product. On the supposition that live hogs dress out, roughly speaking, 70 per cent product, this suggests the enormous quantity of 2,340 million pounds of live hogs taken for the foreign trade in one year. Estimating the average weight at 240 lbs., this means nearly 10,000,000 hogs sent to American slaughterhouses in the course of one year to supply our foreign trade with pork product. The United Kingdom is by far our best customer, although we export liberal quantities to Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil, Central America and the West Indies. Total value of our 1899 exports of pork product was $116,000,000. [Illustration: FIG. 34. WILTSHIRE CUT BACON.] The enormous business of the big packing houses, located chiefly in the west, with a few in the east, can scarcely be comprehended in its extent. Chicago continues to hold the prestige of the largest packing center in the world, but other western cities are crowding it. In 1891 Chicago received 8,600,000 hogs, the largest on record, most of which were packed in that city, and the product shipped all over the world. In recent years the Chicago receipts have averaged smaller, but the proportion going to the packing concerns remains about the same. It is estimated that the hogs received at that city in 1898 had a value of $84,000,000. CO-OPERATIVE CURING HOUSES IN DENMARK.