348 Cattle Industry of United States. 



henceforth undoubtedly operate to check the decline in cattle 

 numbers, and may be expected eventually to reverse it. But 

 it must be remembered that the country's general stock of 

 cattle cannot be materially increased from one year's end to^ 

 another, as is practicable, for instance, in the case of hogs. 

 That must be a matter of more than one year, or even two or 

 three years ; and in the meantime we have to deal with a 

 stock of cattle which has lately been felt to be distinctly 

 short in relation to the requirements of buyers. 



The strongest reason for supposing that the deficiency of 

 stock cattle tends to become more decidedly felt is certainly^ 

 to be found in the state of the supply in Texas, taken in con- 

 nection with the increasing difficulty of importation fromi 

 Mexico. The great resources of Texas and the south-west 

 generally have hitherto sufficed to make good a large pro- 

 portion of the deficiency in other portions of the country. 

 But the increasing demands made on the stock of south- 

 western cattle, together with the exhaustion of the range., 

 have told heavily on the cattle numbers throughout this, 

 region. The strength of the herds has everywhere been, 

 greatly reduced ; young stock cattle, which not long aga 

 were forthcoming in unlimited numbers, are now short of the 

 requirements of purchasers, and it is becoming increasingly 

 difficult for northern cattlemen to obtain the supplies of 

 southern cattle which they need. It may be noticed also-- 

 that in the course of the last two years there have been some 

 shipments of Texan cattle from New Orleans to England 

 direct — about 2,000 head in 1897. 



As regards the demand, it is thought that the recovery 

 during the last two years does not represent the whole 

 improvement which was to be expected ; and the prospects- 

 of a stronger demand in the cattle market are encouraging. 



The following table (taken from the British agricultural 

 returns) gives the numbers of live cattle exported from the 

 United States to Great Britain in the years 1894 to 1897 



inclusive : — 



Year. Number. 



1894 381,932 



1895 - - - - - - - 276,533 



1896 393,119 



1897 416,299 



