64 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



otfal and hide. Of the balance, 221/2 pounds are bones. 

 Of the 128.4 pounds remaining, 73 per cent, or 94,63 

 pounds, is water. The remainder, 33.79 pounds, gives of 

 edible water-free food but a production of 6.14 pounds per 

 acre. It is probable that American data will show a better 

 ratio of edible parts and ma}^ increase the amount a pound 

 or so. The average production of wheat for this country, 

 in round numbers 12 bushels per acre, gives roundly 500 

 pounds of digestible water-free food. After making more 

 than ade(j[uate allowance, more than Hftj^-fold the nutrition 

 can be grown with wheat than is secured by steers. 



This means much now that our free areas have been over- 

 run with cattle. Population is increasing about a million 

 and a half annually, and ^vill require of increased area to fur- 

 nish it with its per capita of meat more than a million acres 

 of land or a deepening of the use of that now held. This 

 increase must come largely by the latter pr(^cess. This 

 means annually increasing costs to the regions that have 

 competed with us, and a continuing development of condi- 

 tions under Avhicli beef may be raised here. Ultimately, if 

 the population of the globe continues to increase as now, 

 beef consumption must necessarily decline. 



But may we not expect a com})etition from the agricul- 

 tural west, the corn-growing west, — with its cheap grains 

 for our markets, at rates unattractive to us? It appears 

 that range competition repressed beef production in these 

 States, as in them all there was a decline in cattle other than 

 cows from 1890 to 1900. It is sio-nificant that this decline 

 was coincident with exceedingly low prices of corn. Beef 

 production in the corn States, at rates prevailing from 1892 

 to 1900, was not satisfactory, and any material increase in 

 numbers of cattle cannot be expected under similar condi- 

 tions. But there are those that will maintain that the great 

 corn area of the United States, close to the supply of cheap 

 protein foods, gluten, bran, middlings, linseed meal and 

 cotton-seed meal, can override all competition, and at best 

 make it very discouraging to New England beef producers. 



The present cost of shipping a 1,500-pound steer from 

 Chicago to Boston is |4.20. The cost to ship the same from 



