268 AGRICULTURE 



Cereals and their products 31% 



Vegetables and fruits 25% 



All other foods 10% 



It is therefore seen that we derive more than one-third 

 of all our food in this country from animals, either by con- 

 suming their flesh or other products from them, such as 

 milk, butter, cheese, etc. 



Animals used for meat. The animals whose flesh is 

 chiefly used for food are cattle, hogs and sheep. So great 

 has the industry of preparing their flesh for food become, 

 that every city has its great stock-yards and slaughter- 

 houses, where hundreds of thousands of animals are killed 

 every year. Cold storage vaults are provided in which 

 meats can be kept at a temperature below freezing for 

 months at a time. Much of the meat that is now used on 

 the farms is first shipped to the city packing houses for 

 slaughter, and then bought back from retail dealers as 

 needed, in the form of bacon, ham, canned or dried beef, 

 or as fresh meats shipped in refrigerator cars. Many small 

 towns also have their local slaughter-houses, where animals 

 purchased from the farms are killed for home consumption. 



Other food products from animals. The other food 

 products from animal life, such as milk, butter, eggs and 

 cheese, are even more important. Milk and eggs contain 

 more of the different food elements needed by the human 

 body than any other foods; and butter is as necessary as 

 meat. 



The dairy and poultry industries are therefore among 

 the most important connected with agriculture. Milk and 

 butter are shipped to the cities in refrigerator cars or special 

 trains. Hundreds of creameries are operated to save time 

 for the farmer and insure him greater profit. Many train- 

 loads of eggs and butter are collected during the summer 



