M.— AGRICULTURE. 



221 



states that ' 1894 practically marked the beginning of the passing of the 

 aged range steers, due to the rapid introduction of pure-bred bulls which 

 contributed the ability to make market weights and finish at increasingly 

 younger ages.' 



Further evidence of this change in the United States of America may 

 be found in the data from twenty-nine States in the 1920 and 1925 census. 

 This comparison is shown in the following table : — 



The significance of the foregoing figures is that the older fattening 

 cattle decreased by 8-4 per cent., the breeding cows increased by 21-2 per 

 cent., and the total number of beef cattle increased by 2-2 per cent., while 

 at the same time the total slaughter for the whole of the United States 

 increased by 5-9 per cent. 



The decrease in average age really increases the effectiveness of. the 

 live stock population. 



Dealing with the change in market ages in the United States, Mr. 

 Wentworth records that ' from 1895 up to the war there was some reduction 

 in age due to the rapidly increasing use of pure bred sires in the beef-breed- 

 ing grounds of the range country. . . . Since 1921 there has been a marked 

 reduction in the age of cattle slaughtered if we exclude the dairy type and 

 the breeding cows.' It is estimated that the decrease in the average age 

 of beef steers at Chicago from 1921 is from 12 to 14 months, although some 

 authorities put it as high as 18 months. The reduction in age from 1895 

 must, therefore, be somewhere between 18 and 24 months. Pigs will 

 average from 4 to 6 months younger than 25 years ago, while sheep 

 will average a full year younger. 



Dr. E. J. McFall of the Massachusetts Agricultural College holds the 

 view that productivity in cattle, sheep and swine has been greatly 

 increased, due to the more rapid rate of turnover resulting from the 

 modern practice of marketing lambs instead of sheep, baby beeves instead 

 of older steers, increased numbers of calves as veal, and pigs at an age of 

 from 6 to 8 months instead of 10 to 14 months, as was characteristic 

 twenty-five years ago. 



Market Weight of Live Stock. 



The average weight at which cattle are slaughtered in England and 

 Wales is estimated to have decreased by 6 per cent, since 1913 and 

 during the last thirty- five years from 10 and 12 cwt. to 8 and 9 cwt. 

 In the United States the decrease is from 10 cwt. to between 8 and 

 9 cwt.. in the same period. From an economic point of view the most 



