The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-10-01
AMERICA FACING A
BEEF SHORTAGE,

Washington, Sept. 25.--In his forth
coming annual report, James Wilson,
Secretary of Agriculture, will call the
attention of Congress and the country
in graphic way to some startling con-
ditions in the beef trade in.the United
States The fact that there has been
a decrease Of 2,187, 900 in the number
of cattle in this country in the last two
years, and that the exports of cattle
have dropped off nearly 100000 in the
last eight or nine months, is giving the
Department of Agriculture a great deal
of concern.
| The price Of beef has gone steadily
higher in the United States, while it ap-
pears to have remained at fairly rea-
sonable standard abroad. Last year,
for the first time in history, the ship
ments of South American beef into
England exceeded the shipments from
America The European market for
that produce is said to be growing by
leaps and bounds.
Although the Secretary of Agricul-
ture probably will make no reference in
his report to the rumors that persons
interested in cattle raising in Uruguay
and Argentina are preparing to invade
the American market with frozen beef,
he undoubtedly has been apprised OF
them and may have some views to ex-
press concerning such trade innova-
tion later. For the present it can be
said that the Department of Agricul-
ture is we'll cognizant of the state of af-
fairs existing on the cattle ranges in
this country and proposes at least to
open up the subject for discussion be-
fore the beef prices climb out of sight
SOUTH AMERICA RIvALTY FELT.
Liz utClIuS Ill tllC UcCl tApOICS, Iuo
Bureau of Animal Industry believes, is
due to economic conditions at home
coupled with increased supplies in the
English markets from other sources,
chiefly Argentina. The fundamental
cause, it is thought, is the shortage in
our own supply of beef cattle with the
resulting high prices in the home mar
kets.
Restrictions on the range and the
high prices in the feeding districts are
assigned as the chief cause for the big
cattle shortage. The free public range
now Il a limited affair, owing to the ex-
tent of the forest reservation
and the grazing regulations inn
posed by their arrangements. Hay for
winter range feeding is expensive, and
in the feeding grounds of the Middle
West the stock raiser is now paying
from 56 to 50 cents for corn, which two
years ago cost him from 39 to &C cents.
The consequence has been discourage
ment to cattle raising, if the figures in
this connection are to be believed. In
1907 the estimated number of cattle in
the United States was 81 ,566, 900. In
1908 this figure dropped to 50,073, 900,
and on January of this year it has
gone to 49, $3.50
The report of Secretary of Agricul-
Eure will show a decrease of 500, 900, 900 |
in the cattle business in the two years
Of 1907 and 1908. The expectation of
cattle in 1906 was valued at $2S, ,273, 1872
and in 1907, $33, ,766, ,425 and in 1908,
s24, 034, 1913. The reports for the first
seven months of 1909 shows decrease
If nearly $4,000 in the number of cat
lie exported as compared with the SINH
ar period of 1909.
1t has been ascertained by the de-
1artment that while the price of beef at
chicago rose perceptibly in 1908, the
prices of meat produced by the smaller
such as hogs and sheep, have
hanged little.
AMERICANS COLLECTING DATA.
In connection with the rumor that
he South American countries soon will
,egin struggle to get into the Ameri-
an markets with their beef is special
eport received this week from Consul
Frederick w Cooling at Montevido,
Uruguay, in which he says that
Americans have been collecting data