Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12
RAISE CATTLE AGAIN,
MEAT EXPERTS URGE
Agricultural Department De-
Clares Small Farmer Can
Solve Problem.
USE OF WASTE LAND
MAY SETTLE MATTER
People of United States Advised It
Is Useless to Depend on I'm
ported Food.

AiOiii TIC Ctiiii dl uepOtS.
| The only way to settle the meat Ques-
ton, say these experts, is to look to the
small farmers. They must be encour-
| aged to use their waste lands-lands that
cannot be used proftably for the raising
| of crops-to again raise cattle. To en-
courage them there must be a market
| provided where they can sell their stock
with profit, for no one can expect them
to go to the trouble of producing the beef
cattle unless they are certain of a ready
| market-and this feature is lacking as a
| result of the growth of range breeding in
| the west and the consequent establish
ment of central markets. These central
markets Will now take cattle only in
large lots, and this brings about the ques-
ton of cooperation among the farmers
in a community They can grow cattle
in small lots, and then by combining the
small units, can ship in carloads to the
central markets, suggest the experts of
the department
Imports Not Dependable.
While some meat is beginning to
come in from foreign countries to help
us out in the meat supply, it is said
further, the people of the United
States should not depend on these i'm
ports, for there are other countries
can use just as much as the United
States.
Getting down to the packing house
question, bulletin just issued by the
department says that before the days
of the packing house each locality pro-
duced it's own meat. The packing house
with artificial refrigeration made 1t pos
sible to ship dressed meat long distances.
Live stock produced on the range and
finished or cheap corn supplied the pack
prC wit wi how
soon captured the markets of the coun-
try. The local butchers stopped butcher
ing and began to handle the packers
meats. This destroyed the local mar
kets for live animals, and as a result the
production of beef in the older farming
sections was practically discontinued and
the production of other meat animals was
greatly reduced.
There are many factors which enter into
the question of this reduction OF meat
supply with consequent high cost. These
include the means vi improving pastures
and dangers from diseases. Even the
very method OF distributing the meat
! products in this country is attacked by
the Agricultural Department experts.
| But. says the department bulletin,
with all these factors properly adjusted,
| the meat problem cannot be solved until
! improved pasturage and cheap feed make
farms possible. and until the farmers are
supplied with good markets for live
stock.
However the department experts know
that in recent years the high price of
corn and the reduction in the area of
the range has wrought q great change
in the live stock situation. At present the
meat supply is decreasing and the con-
sumption is increasing. This situation
has forced upon us a problem which can
not be met In but one way, they say, and
that is more live stock must be produced
upon farms. Two things, they continue,
I s,,I, H. 70,
produce live stock-first he must have
a ready market for his animals, whether
| few or many, and, second, he must be
| able to realize "a profit on their produc-
| ton
Local Slaughtering.
| When the farms become the main
| source of our meat supply, as seems in
| evitable. it is said much economy will
be gained where each community pro
duces its own meat supply. Under such
circumstances local Strengthening of some
sort on a scale sufficiently large to be
done economically seems essential to the
greatest economy. This would tend TO
steady the market as well as to increase
the economy of production, Strengthening
and marketing. At present, however, the
important consideration is good market
for animals in small numbers.
1t is useless to expect the farmers
to become interested IN livestock pro-
duction until there is IL ready market.
Al present the most fundamental fac
tor IN profitable meat production is the
cost of paSturage and feed. The ranges
of the west are falling off in meat pro-
ductiOn because their areas are de-
creasing. The farming sections have
more surplus feed than the ranges, but
they have not the pastures. If this fall
ing off in the range pasturage were
replaced by pasturage of better quality
on the farms, and if suitable markets
for the farms were created it is rea-
| sonable to conclude, it is declared that
| the normal production of live stock
/ would be restored. That will depend
/ very largely upon the cost of the farm
pastures, continue the experts
| While admitting that the solution of
the meat problem lies with the small
farmer, the department experts de-
| clare that he is doing little to improve
! his pasturage. 1t will be quite eX-
| persive at first, but after the first ex-
| pense the cost of maintenance. they de-
! clare. VIII be almost negligible. Little
! Is known as to the best methods of
| improving these waste lands. There are
! declared TO be many difficult problems
| involved, as. for example, how best to
remove or destroy the brush, what is
the best treatment of the soil for grass,
i the best mixtures of grass for certain
conditions of soil and climate, the best
systems of grazing, the best way to
prevent the growth of weeds, etc
| These and similar problems must be
solved for each locality, and in but
| few places have they received much at
tention. A large amount of informa-
ton is needed. but little is declared to
be available. since but few investiga-
| tions in this line have been made
AS to the possibility of converting a
very large per cent of these waste
! lands into permanent pastures there
| is little doubt: but as to the cost of
| doing II little is known. according to
the Department OF Agriculture.
Pastures a Necessity.
| However that may be, the establish
ment of these pastures seems to be a
necessity in order to put the live
stock of this country on sound
basis The farms of this country are
| declared to have almost unlimited pos
| sibilities for livestock production. II
| the farmers can be shown how to pro-
duce live stock at reasonable profit
| and how to get a ready market for
| il when it is produced, they will fur
| nish all the meat that is needed
Taking up the question of the high
cost of meat the Department of Agri-
| culture aims a passing shot at the
methods in the United States of dis
tributing the meat through long line
! of middlemen In this fashion: