Report on the American and Canadian Meat Trade. 307 
me from Los Angelos County, California, under date April 16, 
1877, says: — "Out here we have only had 3 inches of rain 
since last May, and we expect no more till next November. The 
cattle ranges are therefore arid and baked, and the herds of 
animals are being slaughtered for their hides and tallow. In 
spite, however, of this drought, the orange and vine are thriving ; 
and as this region has a splendid ' climate attachment,' a large 
body of settlers is coming in." The planting of forests where 
needed, and a better system of farming, will in time modify this 
drought evil, but at present it operates frequently and disastrously. 
The climatic influence of America is illustrated by the dis- 
parity in the number of stock which the grass-land of that 
country carries, as compared with the British Islands. In the 
former country, in the year 1875, there were 148,680,327 acres 
of pasture and meadow land, exclusive of woodland ; in the 
latter, 30,110,555, including rotation grasses. The following 
calculations show the number of horses (in America, horses and 
mules), cattle, and sheep, per 100 acres of land under grass : — 
America. England. 
7 * 49 horses and mules 9 ' 26 horses 
18 • 74 cattle 33 ■ 75 cattle 
24-16 sheep 111 '23 sheep 
In the year above mentioned therewere in America 11,149,800 
horses and mules, 27,870,700 cattle, and 35,935,300 sheep. In 
the British Islands at the same time there were 2,790,851 horses 
of all kinds, 10,162,787 cattle, and 33,491,948 sheep. 
One of the greatest pests of the American farmer, almost if 
not quite equal to the droughts in severity, is the grasshopper 
plague. These pests exist in myriads innumerable ; they rise 
up in dense swarms, almost darkening the air. Here is a 
picture of Kansas farming, by the ' Scotsman's ' Special Reporter, 
dated Salina, Kansas, May 23, 1877 : — 
" The part of Kansas I visited first was that intersected by the Central Branch 
Union Pacific Railroad, which runs from Atchison to Washington, a distance 
of over 120 miles. This district is well watered, and though the summits of 
the ' bluffs ' or heights are bare and water-worn, it contains a great stretch 
of very fine soil — sandy loam, impregnated with lime, and ranging from one 
to three feet deep. Settlements are pretty numerous along the line, but still 
the main portion of the land is held by the railway company and land specu- 
lators, and is for sale at from one to five dollars per acre. The greater part of 
that held by speculators is land purchased from the Kansas Agricultural 
College at Manhattan (which received a large grant of land from the Govern- 
ment for support) and half-cultivated homesteads that have been deserted. 
Half-cultivated homesteads deserted ! How does this happen ? In a manner 
easily explained. A man with probably a wife and a young family, whose 
possessions and prospects at home may not be equal to the prospective demands 
of his family, is urged abroad to seek for a competence. He comes here and 
places himself on a Government section, or purchases a small piece of land. 
