OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE OF LIVE STOCK 367 



decrease in the number of sheep in the section east of the Missis- 

 sippi, the shrink amounting to about 8,000,000 head in 20 years. 

 In 1880, 51 per cent of the sheep were west of the Mississippi; 

 in 1900, 68 per cent were found there. The west showed an increase 

 of five and a half million head of sheep in these twenty years. 



Live-stock Countries. Live-stock production follows the open 

 country, not only in the United States, but also in other countries. 

 Thus it is that the five other surplus meat countries, besides the 

 United States, are Argentina, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, 

 and Uruguay. Denmark, by reason of her bacon export is a factor 

 of importance, but Denmark is unimportant as a beef or mutton 

 producing country, and hence is no exception to the above rule. 



Decrease in Number of Live Stock. In the United States it 

 was a matter of much comment, prior to the World War, that live- 

 stock population was not increasing at so fast a rate as the human 

 population. While maintaining large exports of pork products, 

 we also became in certain months a large importer of meat. 



Using the figures published by the United States Department 

 of Agriculture in its Report on the Meat Situation in the United 

 States, we have the following facts regarding live-stock production : 

 On the basis of the number of animals per 100 people, the returns 

 for 70 years are as follows: 



I. CATTLE 



III. HOGS 



1840-154 animals 1870-65 1900-83 June 1. 



1850-131 1880-95 1910-63 April 15. 



1860-107 1890-91 1914-60 January 1.* 



* Figures for January 1, 1914, omit crop of calves, lambs, and pigs, and hence are not 

 comparable with figures for 1910 or 1900. In this connection mention must be made of the 

 tremendous increase in livestock production from 1914 to 1918, under war conditions, show- 

 ing the possibilities in this field of agriculture. 



In the United States, and in the rest of the world, meat is 

 becoming a relatively scarce article of diet. However, this may be 

 merely a temporary reaction from our glutting the markets thirty 

 years ago. 



Outlook for the Future of Live Stock. With the passing of 

 cheap lands and of the great open ranges of the West,, the question 

 of our future live-stock supply becomes a serious one. Will we 

 maintain our live-stock production? And if so, how? The packers, 



