CHAPTER IX. 

 BREEDING FOR THE MARKET. 



There were 67,866,000 cattle on farms in the United States 

 in 1919. Of this number, 23,467,000 were dairy cattle and the 

 remaining 44,399,000 were reported as "other cattle." The 

 average value of dairy cows was given as $78.24, and of "other 

 cattle," $44.16. The leading states in numbers of cattle other 

 than dairy animals on farms were as follows: 



I.Texas.. ..3,961,000 G.California.. ..1,650,000 



2. Nebraska 2,940,000 7. Minnesota 1,632,000 



3. Iowa 2,861,000 8. South Dakota 1,496,000 



4. Kansas 2,401,000 9. Oklahoma 1,444,000 



5. Missouri 1,782,000 10. Wisconsin 1,436,000 



. The distribution by geographical divisions was as follows: 



North Atlantic 2,337,000 



South Atlantic 3,390,000 



North Central, East of. Mississippi River . . 5,414,000 



North Central, West of Mississippi River . . . T , 13,724,000 



South Central 9,518,000 



Far Western 10,016,000 



Total United States 44,399,000 



In the United States the cattle slaughtered in 1910 were 

 42 per cent, of the stock of cows on hand. The slaughtered 

 calves as related to the stock of cows on hand were 20.3 per cent. 

 For cattle and calf slaughter combined, the ratio to the number 

 of cows was 62.3 per cent. An average of 249 pounds of beef, 

 including veal, was produced during the year per head of stock 

 cows. If veal is excluded, the ratio of beef to stock of cows was 

 228 pounds. The veal production was 21 pounds per stock cow. 



Market cattle are bred on the farms of the East and Central 

 West, and also upon the large ranches of the West and South- 

 west. A national shortage of beef cattle, together with a world 

 shortage, has served to elevate beef prices, and the breeding of 

 beef cattle for the market has become increasingly attractive 

 both in the cornbelt and on the range. The first live-stock 

 census was taken in 1840, at which time the number of cattle, 

 excluding calves, to each inhabitant was .88 of an animal. It 

 was .81 of an animal in 1860, .72 in 1880, .82 in 1890, .89 in 1900, 

 and .71 in 1910. By the use of better and better animals for 



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