CHAPTER III 
BEEF PRODUCERS OF THE WEST 
BreEF cattle are found in considerable numbers in every 
state of the Union and in every country on the globe. In 
the United States they are most abundant in the Missis- 
sippi Valley and on the eastern slope of the Rocky Moun- 
tains. There are not as many cattle to a. square mile in 
the West as in the central states, but more per capita of 
population, so that a very large proportion of the people 
of the West are concerned with the production of cattle. 
It must also be remembered that the West produces more 
cattle than it consumes and must market its surplus in 
the East. Both beef and dairy cattle are found in the 
West, but the former are far the more numerous. The 
dairy cattle are raised on the tillable farms while the beef 
cattle are on the ranges and big pastures. In this book 
we shall deal exclusively with the beef industry. 
We will not burden our readers with a mass of figures 
as to beef production, since up-to-date statistics may be 
obtained from the census reports, the Monthly Crop 
Report, and from the Yearbooks of the United States 
Department of Agriculture. It should be noted, however, 
that the number of cattle declined materially from 1900 
to 1910, until by the latter year there was a shortage cf 
cattle. Prices had been low but with the shortage that 
developed prices went up. With better prices every effort 
was made to increase the beef herds, until at the present. 
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