1 88 Twenty Years' Agricultural Development. 



relation to the whole meat supply, I think this is a smaller element than it was 

 and a rapid increase of the supply of meat from the United States is not to be 

 expected. 



4. New countries are much more fully occupied than they were. The spread of 

 live stock over them cannot bring an increase of numbers, such as took place 

 when so much new pasturage had to be occupied. 



5. The special causes for the rapid growth of the supply of beef and mutton for 

 the last twenty years being thus at an end, the only question is whether the 

 increase of population, with or without an increased consumption per head, is 

 likely to go on. I am sure the increase of population will, although the 

 consumption per head is not so likely to take the form of an increased weight 

 consumption per head as an increased consumption of the good qualities at the 

 expense of the inferior. 



From a broad view of the statistics and general history ot 

 the last twenty years Sir R. GifFen thinks that the future 

 generally is not without hope for the agriculturist. But some 

 points, such as the probable increase of the consumption of 

 meat, are necessarily most speculative, and he suggests that 

 it is for agricultural experts to form opinions on such points 

 as an increased supply of meat through an improvement ot 

 the breed of live stock in countries where there is much room 

 or improvement. 



