378 
Extracts from British and Foreign Journals. 
ON THE PRODUCTION OF ANIMAL FOOD.* 
By E. de Dampierre. 
( Translated from the French of i Le Journal d? Agriculture 
Pratique •) 
No one disputes the importance of the bovine race of ani- 
mals in connexion with the slaughter-house ; nor, on the other 
hand, does anybody appear to doubt that we have taken 
a wrong course in that great question — the production of 
meat. 
Both the consumption increases and the price advances 
continually. People are uneasy at this, and inquire the 
reason, which is very simple : production remains stationary, 
and is not in accordance with consumption ; and it has 
remained stationary because it is not sufficiently profitable 
to the agriculturist. 
The remedy for so serious a state of things is not easy of 
application ; for, in some degree, it requires the co-operation 
of every one, and, above all, the vigorous support of autho- 
rity, which should have the sole power of effecting a re- 
action in the tendencies of the market. 
The most liberal encouragements lavished upon the 
breeders of cattle would not be too much, at this time; and 
they should, undoubtedly, bring the consumption to modify 
itself to something like what it is in England, which is at 
once more profitable to agriculture and to the public health 
that what is taking place in France. 
In France, the number of horned cattle amounts, in 
round numbers, to ten millions ; that of cows being four 
millions, and of calves three millions Of these latter they 
kill two and a half millions per annum, which do not yield 
more than 30 kilogrammes of meat (about 66| lb.) per head. 
We slaughter, besides, 1,300,000 Of large cattle; and this 
total of four million head yields four hundred million kilo- 
grammes (886,070,000 lb ) of meat. 
In England, with eight million head, they slaughter only 
two million; and that number yields five hundred million 
kilogrammes (or 1,107, 387,500 lb.) of meat. 
* Taken from the second edition of * The Principal Bovine Races of 
France, England, and Switzerland,’ by the Marquis of Dampierre. 
