44 



PRODUCTION 



Rtr.1 



weight of the exports, including meat products (lard, oleo, etc.) 

 amounted in that year to 1,037 million Ibs. Whereas in the period 

 1900-1904 the United States exported 63 per cent, of the total 

 surplus beef supplies from all countries, in 1913 the corresponding 

 fraction was 1-6 per cent. In 1914 the United States imported 

 185 million Ibs. of beef, mainly from South America. 



The changes in the United States cattle trade are even more 

 striking, as shown in the following table : 



Years 1904-08 (average) Year 1913 Year 1914 

 Exports ... 581,815 head 24,714 head 18,376 head 



Imports ... 24,310 421,649 868,368 



In less than ten years, therefore, net exports amounting to about 

 560,000 head annually had not only disappeared, but had been 

 converted into a net imports averaging over 600,000 head for the 

 years 1913-14. This means an average downward movement of 

 about 100,000 head per annum. The recent imports consists 

 largely, it is true, of young cattle for grazing, but the earlier exports 

 were mainly finished cattle of relatively high immediate meat- 

 producing capacity. 



The changes in the total United States exports of maize, barley, 

 oats, oil-cakes and meals, and oil-seeds (mainly feedstuffs) taken 

 together, from 1881 to 1911 are shown below. The figures are 

 in millions of tons. 



1881 1891 1901 1911 



801 2-360 1-945 1-859 



Though considerable quantities of these exports are ultimately 

 used otherwise than as feedstuffs for meat-producing animals, 

 they may be taken as having a theoretical meat equivalent. Each 

 pound of concentrated feedstuffs will produce on an average not 

 less than T \ of a pound of dressed meat. If the above totals 

 are converted at this ratio, the results are as follows in terms of 

 meat : 



It will be observed that these exports apparently reached a 

 maximum in the period 1891-1901, and that although they declined 

 later, they were still considerable in 1911. 



A study of the ratios between meat-producing animals and the 

 population shows, as might be anticipated from the above facts, 

 a startling decline since the year 1900. Thus the number of 

 " cattle units " per 100 of the population, which stood at 182 in 



