Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1913-06-03

is its future meat supply. Govern
ment figures show that since 1900
the population of the United States
has increased twenty-six per cent,
while the supply of beef cattle has
decreased twenty per cent during the
same period. An interesting factor
in this connection is that during the
same period the slaughter of veal
calves from the farms in the United
States has increased six hundred per
cent. These conditions with drought
in many sections has caused n gen.
era shortage of all animals used for
meat production. Ten years ago the
United States was one Of the largest
exporting countries in the world.
Since 1900 this industry has grad
ually declined and today we have
practically ceased to export meat TO
Europe and other countries. Chicago,
which has been one of the exporting
centers of the past, last year ex-
ported only 23,O66 carcasses of beef.
IN comparison to l01, 66S in 1911 and
32l ,30l in 1905. The total exports
of beef from this country during the
past year totaled less than $4,000
carcasses. us compared to yearly
average of 100000 for the decade of
1899 to 1909 From these figures j.
will be seen that this country will
soon begin to import meat unless
something is done 10 meet the grow
ing demand. Such conditions midi
cate that the price of meat animals
will continue high and that the day
of cheap meats has passed. The past
few years has seen gradual in
crease in the price of all farm lands
aud farm feeds which has made the
cost of producing pound of meat
much higher than ten and fifteen
years ago. With the breaking up of
the Western ranges and the greater
scarcity of beef cattle and sheep in
the country, il will fall to the lot of
the average farmer to furnish the
future supply of beef and mutton as
he is today supplying the market
with pork. With these various
changes in the meat producing indus
try ii has become necessary 10 apply
better business principles, not only
Ia the feeding but to the marketing
of live stock The old system of mar
keting stock through local buyers
must give way to the more modern
and progressive, cooperative meth
DDS.
Rural communities have long felt
the need of cooperation in the mar
keting of their live stock. Individ-
uals have realized that better prices,
larger markets ami an impetus for
the encouragement of improved quail
ity and the production of uniform
article could be- obtained through CO.
operation and that in order 10 get
the shipping of live stock on n paying
basis, cattle must not only be eco
nomically fed, but economically mar
keted. This cannot be- done under
the present system of marketing
aud the only solution of the problem
j. cooperation. What the co-opera-
tive creamerieS have done in build
ing mp the dairy industry throughout
The Northwest, the cooperative ship
ping associations will be able to do
for the meat producing industry.
While this movement is still in its
infancy, il has been carried on ex-
tensively enough 70 prove its value
and praeticability beyond question.
Cooperation in the growing and
marketing of live stock will be the
leavening factor in the future devel-
opment of the meat industry. The
man in need of better marketing ia
cilties is not the large feeder, who
sells fat stock by the carload, but
the small farmer, who has limited
number of animals for sale at differ
ent periods of the year The large
feeder puts his stock on the central
market and gets the advantage of
The market whereas the small pro-
duccr is constantly AT the mercy of
the local dealers. Wherever the mar
keting is done through local buyers,
very little of the stock sells on its
merits, and the common practice has
been to buy most of it at one price,
with little attention 10 quality and
individuality. Many communities
have had from one to half a dozen
buyers who must be compensated for
their time, always at the expense of
the farmers, regardless of service
rendered. In many instances the pro-
iii TO the buyer for handling the
a,ock has heen rs HIGH rs fifty cents