312 Report on the American and Canadian Meat Trade. 
growth up to a state of well-fed beef, may be well and cheaply 
carried on and completed. 
The new commerce in dead-meat suggests in this place another 
consideration. As in England, so in America, the production of 
beef and mutton, as compared with dairying, admits of diminished 
labour-bills, and of smaller general expenses of the farm. This 
consideration will no doubt influence many of the dairy-farmers 
in the Eastern States to turn their attention, at all events in part, 
to the fattening of cattle for the butcher rather than to the pro- 
duction of cheese and butter in such large quantities as has now 
for some years been the practice in some of the Eastern States ; 
and it may therefore follow, that we shall for a time receive less 
dairy produce from them than we have done in late years. 
Such being the case, the production of milk for cheese and 
butter making, and for the supply of our cities, will in England 
regain some of the ground it has lost. And it is not improbable 
that these two branches of agricultural enterprise — the production 
of beef and mutton on the one hand, and of milk on the other — 
will alternate in the two countries, as to the estimation in which 
they are held by farmers ; that is, when cheese-making is in 
favour in America it will be in disfavour in England, and vice- 
versa. This, however, is necessarily conjectural, and need not 
be pursued any farther now. But, be that as it may, the new 
outlet for their fat-stock will cause American farmers to turn 
their attention more to the production of beef and mutton than 
they have hitherto had inducement to do. 
It may be thought now that, at all events until three years 
hence, America will not be able to send us very much flesh-meat ; 
but the following considerations seem to me to demonstrate the 
fact, that America is already in a position to spare immense 
quantities of animal food. They are given on the authority of 
" W. G.," in ' The Country ' newspaper, in March last : — 
" By roughly estimating the statistics which we gave last week, we find 
there are in America about nine acres of land ' in farms ' to every head of the 
population, and about three head of cattle to every four people estimated in 
the last census. In Canada there are four and a half acres of the best grazing 
land of the Dominion to every head of the population, and about two head of 
cattle to every three persons. But in Great Britain and Ireland there are 
about three-quarters of a cultivated acre to every person, and only one head 
of cattle to every three of the inhabitants. These facts show that, while our 
own proportionate produce of beef is comparatively restricted, the supply in 
both Canada and the United States will be practically unlimited for many 
years to come." 
That these conclusions, for all necessary purposes of com- 
parison in this connection, are substantially correct, will be seen 
by the following comparisons, Avhich are from Returns made in 
1870 in the different countries : — 
