No. 4.] BEEF PRODUCTION. 67 



have mentioned with similar conditions, as in New England, 

 dairy production and meat production go hand in hand. Short 

 Horn cows produce a very large part of the dairy products in 

 England. The Dutch farmer depends upon his veal calves, 

 his surplus young cows, his bulls and an occasional steer as 

 an important supplement to the cheese and butter that he 

 makes from his cows. Cow beef, I am well aware, is tabooed, 

 and perhaps, with the great attention we have given the ex- 

 treme development of the dairy cow, justly so; but the matter 

 keeps coming up with increased force as to the possibility of 

 producing a cow that shall yield enough dairy product to 

 give a profit to her owner, and at the same time produce a 

 calf and carcass that will make a good amount of meat of at 

 least fair quality. The increased interest in the so-called 

 "Dairy Short Horn" is only one indication of this possibility. 

 The fact that the highest type of development of dairy and 

 beef animals up to the present time has been in separate 

 individuals does not, to my mind, preclude the possibility of 

 a profitable combination of these qualities in a single animal. 

 It is undoubtedly more difficult of accomplishment, but the 

 fact that it is difficult should be an incentive rather than a 

 deterrent to the enterprising New England farmer. 



The question of meat supply should not be closed without 

 some reference to the smaller animals. Chart No. 2 shows 

 how the value of all the farm live stock increased between 

 1900 and 1910. 



Chart No. 2. — Value per Head of Live Stock in United States, 



1900. 1910. 



Dair}' cattle, $29 68 $34 56 



Other cattle, 21 78 24 50 



Swine, 3 69 6 88 



Sheep, 2 77 4 44 



The history of other countries has been that as the popula- 

 tion increases in density a larger proportion of the meat 

 supply comes from the smaller animals. So it is likely to be 

 in the United States. I want to call your attention to Chart 

 No. 3, which shows that beef is the most expensive animal prod- 

 uct to produce, and milk the cheapest — the other products 

 ranging between these two extremes. 



