PART ONE. 

 CATTLE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Cattle are useful to man because they produce meat and 

 milk, both of which are in such demand that the production 

 and marketing of them engage the attention of many thou- 

 sands of people in America. Over two-fifths of the expendi- 

 tures of families of medium income is for food. About one-third 

 of the national dietary is composed of meat. Milk, butter, 

 and cheese are produced in vast and increasing quantities, being 

 staple articles of food. 



America has been an exporter of beef and dairy products 

 to the value of many millions of dollars annually. During the 

 last few years these exports have declined markedly and we 

 have now begun to import beef from South America. The 

 United States practically dominated the world's export trade 

 in fresh, chilled, and frozen beef with its contribution of over 

 63 per cent, of the total export trade of the nine surplus countries 

 for the ten years 1895-1904. For the next five years the average 

 fell to 33 per cent., and in the next year, 1910, the fraction was 

 9.4 per cent ; in 1911,4.9 per cent.; and in 1912, only 1.6 per cent. 

 While the United States was experiencing this downfall in exports 

 of beef, Argentina grew from 17 per cent, of the total export 

 trade in the earlier years to 80 per cent, in 1912. If to this be 

 added the 15 per cent, due to Australia, and 3 per cent, due to 

 New Zealand, in 1912, almost the entire export trade in this 

 class of beef is accounted for. 



The decline in America's exports of beef is partially due to 

 a decrease in production, but is chiefly due to a population in- 

 creasing at such a tremendous rate that the increase in home 

 production of food does not keep parallel with it. The United 

 States had 7 millions of people in 1810, 17 millions in 1840, 

 38 millions in 1870, 76 millions in 1900, and 93 millions in 1910. 

 Will it not be 150 millions in 1940, and 200 millions in 1960? 

 Furthermore, only one-third of the population having census 

 occupations is agricultural, and the fraction has declined from 



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