160 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Off. DoC. 



steadily on the increase since 1885. Grouping the market prices by 

 five year jjeriods we find them from 1886 to 1891 the price paid 

 for all classes of beef cattle on the Chicago market was |4.06 per 

 100 pounds; from 1891 to 1895, l-t.lS; from 1895 to 1900, |4.56; from 

 1900 to 1905, 15.13; from 1905 to 1910, |5.80; from 1910 to 1913, 

 |7.30. This shows that during the past few years the price of beef 

 cattle has materially increased and the price is such as to make it 

 possible to produce beef cattle on the farms in Pennsylvania. The 

 decided increase in price on the Chicago market during the past 

 three or four years is a true indication of our present shortage of 

 beef cattle, and it seems to me that it is up to the Pennsylvania 

 farmer to at least try and help solve this shortage. 



Some people seem to feel that the United States has reached its 

 maximum capacity for production. 1 do not believe that this is 

 true. I believe that we are capable of producing many more beef 

 cattle by adopting a better system of farming. Such system of farm- 

 ing will also make it unnecesary for us to import beef cattle from 

 Argentine or Canada. It is true that we are importing a small 

 amount at this time, but the quality of meat that comes into this 

 country is not good enough to compete with that which we are cap- 

 able of producing. It is true that these small importations, to- 

 gether with industrial depression, has had a demoralizing effect 

 upon the beef cattle market during the past few months. I believe 

 that this will be overcome and that we will again have a healthy 

 market for beef cattle in a comparatively short time. 



Besides making use of the large amount of waste lands in the 

 State of Pennsylvania, it is important that our farmers produce a 

 better quality of beef cattle than they are doing at the present time. 

 Many of the beef cattle that are now bred and fed in this State are 

 inferior in quality and are not the most economical kind to feed. 

 We must not only consider the better type of cattle, but we must 

 study the methods of feeding and try to make beef more economically 

 than we have in the past. The high price of. farm feeds makes this 

 necessary. Twelve or fifteen years ago very little consideration was 

 given the economic side of beef production. There are very few 

 experiments that were conducted prior to 1908 that even considered 

 the cost of producing 100 pounds of grain. The cost of production 

 today is one of the most important items to consider. This means 

 that the cost of farm lands, as well as cost of feeds used, are im- 

 portant considerations. The Eastern part of the United States, and 

 especially Pennsylvania, has an unusual advantage in this respect 

 when it comes to the cost of production. We have an unusual amount 

 of natural rough and hilly grass land that is admirably adapted to 

 grazing. In the western part of this State there are many thou- 

 sands of acres that are unequalled for supporting beef cattle to 

 advantage. Much of this land today is complete waste and giving 

 no returns to its owners. Grass is the cheapest form of feed tliat 

 we can get for cattle and the best returns are made where cattle 

 can be grazed providing the land is not too costly. This is indicated 

 by the condition of the cattle from the blue grass regions in many 

 sections of Pennsylvania. Grass cattle have come to the Pitts- 

 burgh market from soutliwestem Pennsylvania in the fall of the 

 year equal to the short grain fed cattle from Ohio and other states. 



We have another advantage that should not be overlooked, namely, 

 that of our annual rainfall. The annual rainfall for the eastern part 



