156 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



instance, the figures of which I have happened to come across 

 within a few days, to show how much we are mistaken if we 

 beheve that it is entirely a question of unlocking the available 

 supplies which we have. Taking the beef industry, which is 

 one that comes to our minds as quickly as any, when we speak 

 of the high cost of living, in 1900 we had 62 beef creatures in 

 the country at large for every 100 persons. Thirteen years 

 later we had, through an increase in population and a decrease 

 in supply, instead of 62, 37. In other words, a proportionate 

 decrease of 40 per cent or of one creature for every four men, 

 women and children in the country at large. Now we say that 

 we are going to open up our markets and look to the rest of the 

 world for the supply which we are failing to create ourselves, 

 but let us see where we are going to find it. In the last ten 

 years, in 11 of the great beef producing countries of the world 

 there has been an increase in population of 20 1-2 per cent. In 

 other words, under equal conditions there has been an average 

 increase of 20 1-2 per cent in demand, but the increase in sup- 

 ply in that particular line of food stuffs, against the 20 1-2 per 

 cent of demand, was only 8 per cent. The only real increase 

 was in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In the case of 

 the countries of Soufh America, Australia and New Zealand 

 are called upon first by the European markets, which are suf- 

 fering in the same 'manner that we are ; and in Canada the in- 

 crease in supply was 20 per cent, while her increase in popula- 

 tion, or demand, was 35 per cent. So instead of being able to 

 supply our wants she is falling behind in her own market. 

 And when we take the South American countries that are par- 

 ticularly held out as our land of promise in this respect, as 

 Brazil or Argentina, we find that Brazil increased her popula- 

 tion 20 per cent and she decreased her supply 20 per cent ; so 

 we cannot expect much from her. And Argentina, which is 

 especially referred to as our hope, during that time made no 

 substantial change in the supply but increased her population, 

 or her demand, something over 20 per cent. I have seen it 

 estimated that we might expect eight million pounds of meat 

 products a year from Argentina. Those are large figures, but 

 when you spread them out over our population, just how much 

 do you think it increases our supply? Just about 1-4 ounce per 

 person per year. And that is the Argentina supply of meat 



