Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-15
SHORTAGE In MEAT.
SHEEP AND CATTLE PRICES WILL
BE HIGH FOR YEARS TO COME.

While there is yet ample time for the
cattle and sheep growers Of Montana to
face serious weather conditions, never
the less the season SO far has been SO
favorable that they are looking for
ward to its end with few misgivings. says
the Helena Independent. What is now
giving the cattle owe more thought
than a hard spell Of weather, or the
grass crop next summer, or the market
next fall, is the prices they will have to
pay for animals to restOck their ranges.
All reports from the southern country
are to the effect that the Texas and Ari-
IONA growers have their figures up to
the top notch, and they are not inclined
to grant any concessions to the northern
range men. Their argument Is that beef
cattle will be up not only next year. but
for several years to come, and they pro-
pose to make as much money out of their
yearlings n 2-year-Olds in proportion
as the northern cattle men will make off
the finished animals. Another thing that
makes them particularly Independent is
the demand for southern cattle for Cuba
and Porto Rico. This demand has been
large for some time, and appears to be
as strong now as 1T was several months
&
Their prediction that cattle will bring
good prices for several years to come ap-
pears to be borne out by the reports of
the shortage not only in the beef supply,
but also In that of sheep n hogs as
well. In fact, the high price of meat has
become a serious thing in all Of the great
industrial centers Of the country, and it
Is q problem which many minds are now
trying to solve. While the meat pro-
ducing capacity Of the country has been
steadily declining for several years, the
consuming capacity of the nation and
the foro3On dornQnd hos honn 1o~c<r~%N.
growing. This country. according to re-
cent figures Of the national bureau of
animal industry. now has 20, 000, 900 more
meat eaters than 10 years ago, while the
number of beef cattle Is H. O0,O 900 less.
But not only has there been a great
%shrinkage in the supply of beef. There
are today in the country 14,OOO, 900 hogs
less than in 1889. and II, 0OO, 900 fewer
sheep tha in 1883. the greatest sheep
year in the history Of the country. This
country has today 1000. 900 less sheep
than in 1869, when the population was
only 40 per cent of what it is today. We
are consuming and selling meat faster
than we are producing it, and the result
is correspondingly high prices, and the
breeders are taking advantage of the
fact by selling not only the yearly in
crease Of their flocks and herds, but their
breeding stock as well.
According to the figures of the bureau
of animal industry the beef stock of the
country has decreased 30 per cent in the
last 10 years, against an approximate in
crease in population Of about 30 per cent.
The drought in Australia a few years
ago made the demand for American beef
worldwide, while the Industrial
revival the last two years has increased
the meat consumption Of almost every
household in the land. The Spanish
American war added to the demand, and
the war in South Africa has added an
other factor.
The decrease in sheep has been lust as
pronounced as that in cattle. 1t is esti-
mated that there are now in this country
$4,000, 600 sheep, as compared with So
626,OOO In 1888. In the latter year the fir-
ures show that Texas had 5000, 900 sheen.
whereas today she has but 2,45O, 900. In
1888 Texas had on her ranges 7.167. 900
head of beef n stock cattle. Now she
has 100000 head, according to the latest
figures.
As in cattle n sheep, so in hogs. In
1890, when the population of the country
was 62,5OO, 900, this country had Is, DOC, 900
more hogs than now. when the estimates
900. ~