THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVE STOCK 13 



The significant thing is simply to realize the vastness of our 

 live-stock industry, and the enormous sum of money here 

 invested, besides the value of the animals themselves. The 

 greatest live-stock producing section of the country includes 

 the states of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, 

 Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, 

 South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas. The two 

 states of most importance in numbers of each kind of live 

 stock in the United States in 1910, are as follows: 



Horses /Iowa first, with 1,489,000 



\Illinois second, with 1,450,000 



Cattle /Texas first, with 6,722.000 



\Iowa second, with 4,468,000 



Sheep /Wyoming first, with 5,397,000 



\Montana second, with 5,381,000 



Swine /Iowa first, with 7,527,000 



\Illinois second, with 4,684,000 



We see from the above that Iowa ranks first in numbers 

 of horses and swine, and second in cattle, which gives this 

 state the leading position in live-stock production; Illinois 

 holds a close second place. 



The importance of our live stock may also be seen from 

 another point of view in connection with our local markets. 

 The city of Chicago is the largest live-stock market in the 

 world. The Union Stock Yards of that city cover 500 

 acres, and received in 1911 a total of 16^ millions of farm 

 animals, valued at about 340 millions of dollars. Nearly 

 272,000 car loads of live stock were received in these yards in 

 1911. This is equal to 745 cars a day. At an average 

 length of 34 feet to a car, these cars would make one 

 solid train of live stock about 4^4 miles long. There are 

 300 miles of railway in and about the yards to handle all 

 this great traffic. Some 50,000 people live about the yards 

 ~^d get their daily incomes from them. Here are immense 



