CHAPTER I 



THE CONSUMING POPULATIONS 



AS has been already noted, 1 considerably more than one-half 

 of the population of the world lives almost entirely upon 

 foodstuffs other than those of animal origin. In this class 

 stand practically the whole population of Asia outside Siberia, the 

 native populations of Africa, a considerable part of the population 

 of tropical South America 2 and the large aggregate population of 

 numerous tropical and sub-tropical islands. Some uncertainty, 

 however, exists as to the consumption of animal foodstuffs among 

 the Chinese, who are known to raise great numbers both of pigs 

 and of poultry, 3 the produce of which enters chiefly into domestic 

 consumption. In view of the enormous population it is never- 

 theless certain that the average per capita consumption is very 

 low. The probability is that the majority of the people never 

 taste meat other than poultry, and the latter but seldom. 4 Eggs 

 appear to be more widely consumed in China wherever poultry 

 are raised. 5 Among the Chinese, as among the rest of the 

 populations above mentioned, dairy products are either unknown 

 or are of inferior quality and are consumed in relatively small 

 quantities. 



The populations among which animal foodstuffs form an 

 important part of the dietary are those of Europe and Siberia, 

 temperate North and temperate South America, and Australasia, 

 to which should be added the relatively small white population of 

 South Africa. In the year 1911 the total estimated population of 

 these regions was about 587 millions, of which 462 millions were 

 in Europe and Siberia, about 105 millions in temperate North 

 America, 6 about 14 million in temperate South America, 7 and about 

 5J millions in Australasia, while the white population of South 

 Africa amounted to less than 1J millions. When allowance is 

 made for the meat-consumers outside these areas, the total of 600 



1 Part I., p. 4. 



2 In tropical South America meat appears to be consumed in considerable 

 quantities by the people of European descent, inhabiting the coastal districts 

 and the highlands. The native and the mixed populations of the interior 

 probably eat little meat other than game. 



3 U.S. Dept. Agric. Office of Secretary, Bureau of Crop Estimates Report 

 109, 1916, p. 56. 



4 See U.S. Daily Commerce Kept., Aug. 7th, 1911. 

 ' See Part I... Chap, iv., pp. 9V, 98. 



Some addition should perhaps be made for stock-rearing populations of 

 Northern Mexico. 



7 There are. besides, a considerable number of meat-consumers in tropical 

 South America, HS above observed. Animal foodstuffs are also consumed in 

 Onh including the Southern part of the Mexican plateau. 



