The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-12-17
Meat and Grain Consumption COM
pared.


1t is universally the belief that meat
is more expensive as food for man than
a vegetable diet; yet, referring TO our
remarks in the October number of the
journal, regarding the increased con-
sumption of meat, we would add, that
an English writer, Mr.. Axon, whose
essay, read before the British Associa-
ton, condensed in the agricultural
Gazette, gives extended figures show
ing the comparative value of given
surface for the production of human
food, when devoted to grain growing,
as compared to n like surface devoted
to the production of meat. The essay
list reasons that each acre devoted to
growing butchers meat will produce
fifty pounds, and that, allowing three
pounds to each person, the acreage
named would feed Pip, 90S persons.
This is on the supposition that the pop
ulation would make up the deficiency
with other food, as they could not sub
sist on meat alone. 1t is said that
Canadian boatmen and the EsquimauX
consume six to eight pounds each per
day when deprived of other food. 1t
is argued that each acre devoted to
grain raising will produce l, 42O pounds
per acre, which, at two pounds per day
to each person, would sustain popu-
lation of 81, 702, S96. Thus he reasons
that upon a grain diet, leaving meat
out of the question, the land will pro-
duce enough food for their own people
The wish may, to a degree, be father to
the thought in this case. He argues that
the remedy for over-population is food
reform, and brings in the statement of
Dr. Hunter that forty-four men could
be sustained on 100 acres devoted to
sheep raising; fifty-three on a dairy
farm; 250 on farm devoted to wheat,
and 6S3 on q farm devoted to potatoes.
We imagine that the 6S3 on potatoes
would hardly have strength enough to
dig and eat the potatoes after they were
grown.
The British farmer. it is claimed, has
been mainly driven from grain into
cattle growing by the extensive ship
ments to England of foreign grain; and
now foreign meats are pressing upon
them, and it really looks, taking Mr.
AXon's figures as basis, as if English
acres devoted to cattle and sheep grow
ing would leave their population more
dependent than ever upon the grains
and meats of other countries. The
English people are fully aware of this,
and it is reasoned that the British
farmer and feeder will continually, iB
the future, encounter very strong COM
petition from cur cheaply-grown meats.
They argue very strongly that the real
food value Of cereals is enormously
greater with them than the best yield
that can be obtained through stock
growing. it is claimed, also. that the
production of stock is strictly limited,
while through a better system of farm
ing, applied with care to the produc-
ton of grains and vegetables, these
articles could be considerably added to,
1t is claimed also that the poor, pat
terning after their more wealthy neigh
bors, spend their money for the more
expensive meats, whereas formerly
they ate but very little meat-very lit
tie even of the cheapest-and that il
they would depend more upon 1.-THE
kindly fruits of the EARTH" it would be
full as we'll for them, and much cheaper.
But the poor people having got taste
OF American grown meat, and finding
it pretty good, Notwithstanding the Wig
orous efforts made last year, through
slurs, to place is in the background, viii
quite surely continue to clamor fol
more, because they find it agreeable tC
the taste, and satisfying; and when i
comes to doing hard bodily labor, they
of course, find that bread and potatoes
while they constitute pretty good diet
especially good for tilling-stil the
well-fatted flesh of the beast of the tielC
is quite necessary to make one strong
in battle, whether this battle be in tht
harvest field with the sickle in hand, OF
in carrying carbine and knapsack il
the iungles of South Africa. We con
clude from all this that sophistry viii
fail utterly in changing the taste of tn,
English working and middle classe
back to potatoes, after having had ;
few good fills of American high-grade
well-fatted and well-marbled meat
Therefore, we say there is no risk il
breeding plenty of high grade steers
the higher the better, as the quality
gained proves-as the taste for meat il
"A grOwing one, and the population o
the earth is a thing of growth and no
of decay. -NdttOnaL LiUe Stock JOurHuL