SUMMARY 



1. INTRODUCTION. American beef production naturally divides into two 

 epochs, which may be termed "Early History" and "Recent Development." This 

 division is marked by the adoption of refrigeration in shipping dressed meat. 



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2. EARLY HISTORY. Corn-fed cattle were first produced near the begin- 

 ning of the ipth century in southern Ohio and were driven overland to 

 be marketed in Baltimore. Increased eastern demand led to a gradual extension 

 of the industry thruout the Mississippi valley until checked by the Civil War. 



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3. RECENT DEVELOPMENT. The extension of railroads and the invention 

 of the refrigerator car in 1868, followed by the use of the tin can in packing 

 meat, extended the beef production industry to* remote western states and made 

 it possible to slaughter cattle in the West and to market the salable product 

 considerably cheaper. Page 5 



4. NUMERICAL INCREASE OF CATTLE. Statistics show that the number of 

 cattle on farms and ranges in the United States increased from 20,000,000 in 

 1867 to 68,000,000 in 1000, but that during the last ten years the rate of increase 

 has diminished rapidly, and the last part of the decade shows an actual de- 

 crease in numbers. Page 8 



5. RATIO OF CATTLE TO POPULATION. The number of cattle has decreased 

 but little; however, the proportion of cattle to population was only 75 percent 

 in 1910 compared to 84 percent in 1890. This decrease has been accentuated by 

 the rapid increase in population. Page 9 



6. RATIO OF BEEF PRODUCTION TO SURPLUS. The value of the cattle in the 

 United States has increased $129,000,000 in seven years. On the other hand, 

 the decline in the number of cattle in proportion to population has reduced the 

 export of meat products from $72,435,000 to an almost negligible amount dur- 

 ing the same period. Page 9 



7. CATTLE CLASSIFIED BY AGE AND SEX. A census of the cattle by age, 

 sex, and value indicates among other facts that approximately 60 percent of 

 the cows of breeding age are 1 considered dairy cows. Page 10 



8. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF CATTLE IN THE UNITED STATES. A com- 

 parison of the distribution of the cattle (other than milch cows) and the 1 popu- 

 lation shows that while more than two-thirds of the cattle are west, more than 

 two-thirds of the population is located east of the Mississippi river. Page H 



9. DEVELOPMENT .OF THE GREAT CATTLE MARKETS. Cattle markets develop 

 in the wake of the producing areas. This is indicated by the growth of Chicago 

 and cities west of Chicago, as cattle markets, while eastern cities have declined 

 as cattlef markets. Page 13 



10. LOCAL SALE AND SLAUGHTER OF CATTLE. The large central markets are 

 of primary interest to the feeder. Reliable statistics gathered in 1903 indicate 

 that only half the 13,000,000 cattle marketed for slaughter that year were slaught- 

 ered in large central markets. Page 16 



11. THE PASSING OF THE RANGE. The range country is undergoing a 

 transition during which the number of cattle is decreasing, but an increased 

 production is promised in the future. Page 17 



12. MEXICAN AND CANADIAN CATTLE RANGES. Mexico offers opportunities 

 for great development, but a decade or more will be required to reconstruct the 

 country and develop its latent possibilities. Western Canada is rapidly being 

 taken up by homesteaders who give little attention to stock raising at present. 

 Eventually Canada and Mexico should become important factors in the world's 

 beef supply. Page 23 



13. BEEF PRODUCTION IN THE SOUTH. Various handicaps have prevented 

 the southern states from exerting much influence upon the beef industry, but 

 better conditions, the need of crop rotation, and the many natural advantages 

 for stock raising are now tending to promote the southern cattle industry. 



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NOTE. This is the third of a series of circulars dealing with economic fac- 

 tors in cattle feeding. (I. Relation of the United States to the World's Beef Sup- 

 ply. II. Argentina as a factor in International Beef Trade.) Following publica- 

 tions will treat of cattle-feeding conditions in the corn belt, and cattle feeding in 

 its relation to farm management and soil fertility. 



