ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



there has been a marked increase. In 1850, 

 the value of all the Hve stock in the United 

 States was a little over five hundred millions 

 of dollars. The increase in value from 1850 to 

 1860 was 100.2 per cent; from 1860 to 1870, 

 12.9 per cent; 1870 to 1880, 28.2 per cent; 

 1880 to 1890, 46.4 per cent; 1890 to 1900, 29.1 

 per cent. While the value of the live stock 

 of the United States has now risen to nearly 

 three billions of dollars, and while, with a rap- 

 idly increasing population, the home demand 

 must remain large, the opportunity for Amer- 

 ican meats abroad is great and must become 

 larger year by year. With increased demand 

 must come increased prices, and the vital ques- 

 tion now before the producer of these supplies 

 in the United States is, how he may receive 

 his fair share. Rapidly growing up in these 

 years of the New Earth has been a conscience- 

 less monopoly in meat products in America. 

 Some method of controlling this monopoly 

 and counteracting its brutal rapacity must 

 speedily be devised, if the animal-husbandry 

 interests of the United States are to escape a 

 danger imminent and of colossal magnitude. 



231 



