The St. Johns herald., 1886-09-09
WHOLE NUMBER ST

HOU Ohly Ilo IHCIedSe Ol pOpuId-
 ton to be met but tn ,re is an as- tonishing increase of meat con
 sumption in all the countries of the
 world. In this country in 1850 there were S14 cattle to the 1000 population. Now there are only 772 to the 1000 population. This decrease has certainly occurred dur ing the period of greatest prosper ity in cattle-raising on a large scale when the free grass on the pub lie lands, the vast sums of willing capital, and the skill and energy of the ranchmen and feeders all fav- ored to the highest degree rate of production above the average of any other peri' d The total popu- lation of the United States doubles every twenty-five years, but ast of the Mississippi the increase of cat tie has been less than one-third as great. The annual increase of the population of the country is to the annual increase of the stock as 5& to 14 per cent. or an excess of in- crease of population over increase of stock of over 5 per cent.
 It is easy to see from the above data that our own requirements are more than a match for our own production under even the most favorable conditions. We can not hasten breeding operations to any appreciable degree, but must con- tent with about a slow 30 per cent annual increase or calf for every two cattle in the land. But our home demand is not the sole ab- sorber of our products. The Brit ish population is increasing at the rate of 1000 per day, which, at the present rate of consumption, would require an increase of meat supply of 40,OOO,OOO pounds per annum.
 The demand for our meat pro- ducts is not only increasing but this increase is a growing and per- manent one. Can it be met? Pro- bably not. Already we lack in numbers of productive stock and from the west-the great source of supply-for the last two years has come to us, the complaint of over stocking. At first this was received as the cry of some alarmist who was seeking to frighten some timid people into withdrawing from the cattle business and to deter others from entering upon it, but now, af- ter two consecutive winters and one summer of heavy losses it begins to be seen that really many of the ranches are overstocked. There can be no expansion therefore, in that direction. But an increase can be made in the producing areas by utilizing some of our mountain re- gions, in dividing some of the large herds and grazing the subdivisions on areas neglected to the present on account of their smallness, and an increase and possibly the largest increase in our beef feeding capac- ity, can be made in the farm dis trlci of the country. Our farms are not producing 50 per cent of the cattle food that they should and the combination of loss probably leave not over 50 per cent of the entire products to be lily utilized for conversion into meat, but of these cattlemen will take advantage but slowly because in the first the mat ter will be considered as a utiliza- ton of waste places, and the sec
 ond involves new and inn rNel system of agriculture and enlarged
 knowledge of the science of feed- ing that will require time to meet, while production halts at obstacles and speculates as to the probabili- ties the pace of demand is neither turned or retarded. It is inexora- ble and meat must be forthcoming cheaply as possible, but be the price what it may meat must come. Bar ring war prices meat is higher now than eyer, except possibly during
 some short period when they have
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