Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-07-25
data known to be reliable.
Total. iI,497,aas sl,Soa,oSi SaSs,sas,7aASO

Cattle s,ll2,H3 3llo,54a,0Oo $4,000, ,f3s 90 |
sSSSSp sSSSa sssfsi i,sss'isi 'idi'iSSsoS s,SC'ssssS
Totals iI,497.sas S,asl,s0acSl 5s,sss,72a0O
When figures as big as these are presented
TO the human mind it is about impossible for
it TO begin TO appreciate anything like their
real magnitude. SO far as a mans realika-
ton or grasp Of the full scope Of the thing
is concerned, there Is not much difference Be.
tween a million and billion. He never
saw a million men nor million cattle, and
if he were to see million to-day and bill
lion tomorrow he would not be able to tell,
Of his own knowledge, which was the larger,
because both would be beyond him. The
figures given above will strike everybody, At
first sight, as being the representatives Of
great magnitudes, and yet few simple illus-
trations will show them TO mean far larger
proportions than they even appear to.
Suppose that the entire number of 3,ll2,-
543 head of cattle, 12,45S,658 hogs, and
1925, 124 sheep we're brought TO the city 10
one monster train-allowing Is head Of cat-.
tie, 55 hogs, and 80 sheep, respeosixeIyyrss
constitute q car load--it would take III, ,e19 /
cars TO accommodate the cattle, 226, ,521 cars
to contain the hogs, and 2l ,4O1 cars to
give the sheep the barest kind of standing
room. This would make train Of 420,S41
cars, Of total length Of l2,625,230 feet,
or over 1891 miles Thirty-6ve cars con-
stitute full train for a single locomotive,
so that with the ordinary complement Of en-
gines, oar mammoth stock train would be
preceded by ll9 miles Of them.
Suppose, however, that the gentle quadr0-
peds preferred to walk, aud il is pretty GER
tain that if they possessed any previous
railroad experience they would so prefer,
they would form procession, if they walked
in single fle, of 92,972,006 feet, or 1905
miles IN length. They would form q solid
phalanx extending from New York to San
Francisco, along the lines of the Michigan
Central, North. Western, and Pacific Rail-
roads--a distance Of 1924 miles-6ve
abreast, and then have enough left to form
single column 1873 miles long. If any en-.
terprising engineers would bore a tunnel
through the center of the earth, and send
those II sos miles Of live stock through it,
in solid ranks, two abreast, when the time
came for the last pair to enter the hole on
this side the first pair would be S04 miles
away from the other end of the tunnel, and
no room to slip even a shingle between the
genial processionists anywhere.
Suppose that, tired of travelling in all its
phases, and not feeling that it was a good
day for slaughterlng, the guileless sheep, and
enterprising swine, aud philosophic horned
/" critters " should ingeniously determine to
diversity proceedings by emulating the deeds
of some gymnasts of circus sawdust renOwn,
and that, inspired by this big resolve, they
should get one upon another in single mon.
ster column, when that column was complet-
ed the lucky quadruped who happened to be
on top would be enabled to pursue meteoro-
logical Investigations 5l,524,670 feet, or
9,75S miles above the surface OF the earth.
YOU don't believe it? Take the figures and
work them out for yourself.
s,ll9s4s cattle, average high. f:st .S,ss2,Is
sSsSs i,sssS sSssp aS 3 sst isst tiGSfo tsiS,siS
Total high. in foot 5l,52I,67O
Let us suppose some more. Suppose the
day had come when the l2,45S,65S had to
20 the way which must be traversed by all
hogs-allowing the 20 per cent. of waste
they would make 1905, ,441 barrels of pork
at 200 lbs. to the barrel Or calculating
upon 100 lbs. Of solid meat to each hog, and
supposing that they all were converted into
sausages, the length Of the luscious string
would be sufficient to encircle the earth IA
times, or ifmultplied 2S6 times to reach the
sun. So far as the man in the moon is con-
cerned, if he could only turn sausagss into
telegraph wires, he could open instant com.
munication with mother earth, for that sau-
sage string would reach from here to his time
honored stamping ground, with 9S,30S miles
to spare to lay down branch lines to some Of
his celestial neighbors. The weight of meat
involved in this unique system Of telegraphy
would exceed 622, ,983 tons.
And now few words Of illustration re-
garding the weight of the live stock that has
been received at the Union Stock Yards, and
weighed upon Fairbanks scales during the
years above mentoned-that is from Christ.
mas, 1865, TO the close Of October, 1872.
The total weight, as has been previously
shown, figures up to 6,28l ,S62, ,651 pounds,
or 3,l40,93l tons. Ii we call the population
Of the United States, in round numbers, 40.
000, 900, aud that Of Great Britain 32000,-
900, and allow an average weight Of rs
pounds for each inhabitant, we shall get a
total of 5,4O0,00O,00O pounds. The live
stock in question, therefore, outweighs the
entire population of the two countries by
SSl, 1851 pounds, or 440,93l TONS The
population of North and South America, from
Patagonia to Danish America, is put down
at about 75,000,000. At the average weight
of 70 pounds per individual, this motley ar.
my of humanity would bring down the beam
at $685. 100000 pounds; but even this
weight, the live stock involved in our calcu-
latiOns could Outstrip by $50, ,S62, ,65l pounds,
or 1884 tons.