12 



CATTLE AND DAIRY FARMING. 



It thus appears that nearly one-half of all the foreign fresh beef con- 

 sumed in the United Kingdom is drawn from the United States. 



The foregoing estimates do not include the imports of meat " preserved 

 otherwise than by salting," under which designation considerable quan- 

 tities of "jerked' 7 or dried beef from South America, and canned and 

 smoked beef from the United States and Australasia, are imported, as 

 witness the following statement : 



Importsinto the United Kingdom during Ike year 1884 of meat preserved other than by salting. 



Here, as in cattle and fresh beef, the United States largely leads, 

 followed in quantity by Australasia, Uruguay, Canada, Belgium, &c., 

 respectively. 



Assuming that the future wants of Europe will increase proportionately 

 with the increase of, say, the last fifteen years, and that the increase in 

 its cattle, under the most favorable conditions, cannot be expected to 

 lieep pace with the expected increase of population and the constantly 

 increasing use of meat foods among the people an increase principally 

 due to the fact that the exports from the United States and other non- 

 European countries are bringing meat foods more and more within the 

 purchasing power of the general classes it may serve a practical pur- 

 pose for our stockmen, packers, and exporters to study the statistics 

 of the countries which in the near future will be likely to compete with 

 American meats in the British markets not only in the British markets, 

 but in those of nearly every country in Europe, for it is only a matter 

 of detail in the perfection of the methods for the preservation of fresh 

 beef, and its quick and regular transportation from distant countries, 

 when the breeding nnd rearing of cattle for meat purposes will be 

 wholly unprofitable, if not practically impossible, in the greater portion 

 of Europe. 



The latest official returns and estimates of the number of horned cat- 

 tle in the principal cattle-rearing countries outside of Europe give the 

 following results : 



