The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-15
CENSUS OF LIvEsTook.
Special Attention IL to BE Paid 10
This Feature.

| Special Attention In to BE Paid 10
This Feature.
The live stock interests of the United
States are to be given special attention in
the twelfth census, In previous enumera-
tons the live stock on farms and ranges
have been enumerated on the farm sched-
ue but all other live stock have been
disregarded This limitation interfered
with the correctness OF the census figures
and resulted in misrepresentat.on OF an
important element in National wealth. To
remove the difficulty congress has passed
law. approved February 1, 1900, which
allows the director of the census to col
lect information concerning the number
and kinds of live stock not on farms"
For this purpose a special schedule has
been prepared by the census office, On
which all live stock not on farms or ranges
are to be reported by the barns or en-
closures in which they are kept. BY COM
bining the results OF this schedule with
those on the farm schedule the office
should obtain full and accurate picture
Of tie live stock conditions of the United
States, June /, 1900.
This improvement viii be OF value not
merely for itself, but because the depart
ment OF Agriculture each year makes an
enumeration or estimate Of the number OF
live stock In the country, by correspond
ence with its thousands Of special agents
scattered over the United States, Now In
January. there are few young animals ana
prices OF live stock are high For both
reasons the average valuation per head OBJ
tanned by the department OF agriculture
enumeration tends TO exceed the truth. on
the other hand that department confines
its attention TO farms and ranges, emitting
live stock in barns and enclosures, The
latter class are worth rather more on the
average per head than tho former These
two sources of error thus tend 10 counter
balance.
The animals are to be classified by age.
somewhat as the people of the United
States. but OF course with much less de-
tail. The special schedule CLASHES the
meat cattle into those under one year and
hose ovsr one. The second c.ass is d.
yided into steers. bulls and COWS, the steers
being subdividcd into those one aud under
TWO. two and under three and over three:
the COWS being CLASSIFIED into those one
and under two. and those over two, the
latter being subdivided into those kept for
milk and these not kept for milk.
Horses and mules are classified as those
under one, those one and under two, and
those over two. sheep are classified into
those under one and over one with the
distinction in the latter class into ewes and
Jams and wethers. The other classes OF
i've stock, namely, asses and burros. swine
and goats. are not classified by age
The object OF this grouping OF live stock
is TO furnish some basis for estimating
the probable increase OF horses. mules.
cattle or sheep 10 the nsar future. The
widening OF the Inquiry 10 include live
stock not on farms or ranges has the
same end in view. namely, 10 afford a
survey OF the whole live stock Interests
OF the country. since animals are con-
stsntly passing from he farms or ranges
TO the barns or enclosures and back.
The following table derived from the |
statistics of the department OF agricul-
ture shows the way In which the NUM- |