Evening star., 1914-02-10
CATTLE INDUSTRY
OF j. S. DECLINES
New Foundations Must Be
Built. Says Department of
Agriculture.
CAUSES OF HIGH-PRICED
MEATS ARE REVEALED
Statistics Also Show Fallaey of the
Passing of the Horse

81 foundations must be constructed
i,5.s wilica to rebuild the cattle indus
trv of tie country This seems TO be the
sslIct contained in a bulletin on meat
Storage. just issued by the Department of
Agriculture. and which sets down in plain
figures the great decline in the cattle
laisins and meat producing industry. Be
ginning with cattle statistics in 1870, the
bulletin goes on to show the enormous de-
crease in cattle raising since Most un-
satisfactory is the stamp put upon the
Showing. Causes for the decreased pro-
duction and increased value are cited.
After giving a concise history of the
Ups and downs of the cattle industry the
buIletin SAYS that by 1890 the number of
cattle had increased to 3fS,2.6o. When
the census OF 1900 was taken the number
of cattle was 5H.5s4,ot9.
Lands Increase in Price.
Then" the bulletin continues. follow
cd the exhaustion of the supply of public
and railroad lands for grazing purposes,
the encroachment of settlers upon the
ranges, the no fence law the practice of
dry farming and the upward movement
OF the general price level. in which farm
animals. products and land moved up
ward i'll price in greater degree than most
other products and property did. The
upward movement of prices. especially OF
corn aud land, greatly increased the cost
of making beef, and although farmers
rt.y,ts-ed high prices for beef cattle. these
prices often brought little o. no profit
Farmers have never regarded Them
: !seS Is having = mission to supply the
l,,ii,iic with beef al a low price. They
Lavv tsttaraly treated this industry
Is.rttV fTc1n .au economic viewpoint, and
whel4@VaT taey have found that they
""r.t.i make more profit or prevent loss
H.. rs rIiIs -1're selling of cattle, or by
seII5G- some uf their production stock.
az t-y selling calves, they have done So
The raising of beet cattle on old-tilne
ranges, oll cheap pastures, and on low
Ilttcd corn has ceased, and well-in-
formed iarIIers perceive that the rals-
ing of beet cattle must be established
.argelS on new founda lions.
Shows Decline of Cattle.
From the highest point reached in
number of cattle oa farms other than
milch cows about 1900, when the num-
b,,r was more than $4,000. 010 the num-
Der declined To 41,11s.o0o in 1910 ana to
:;5.S55,GGo in 1914. according to the fig
ures produced in the bulletin. There
was ~ of one animal per capita of the
population in 1850. and IA of one ami
NAL in 1860. This average was not sur
passed until 1880. when the per capita
ratio 80 of one animal. The
highest point reached, as far as is
known, IS 90 of enc animal pe- capita
OF the population. IN 1880 from which
time the ratio declined rapid V and
81 ~ikiugly to is of one animal per cap
ita IN 1910. and SO of one animal in
1914. or but little more than half as
much as the ratio of 1900.
The shortage of meat animals is prob
ably due to a number of contributing
causes. the bulletin says, such as
the encroachment OF farms upon
the range territory: absence of a
proper ranGe-ieasing law permitting
economical management and utilization
of ranges: the shortage in the corn and
forase crop due to the severe drought in
Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma in 1913.
which caused the farmers in those states
crease in the value of land and the in
creased cost of labor and stock feed. re-
sulting in grealy increasing the cost of
production.
Other Causes Cited.
Other causes are the decline in stock
raising on farms in the east and south
because of poor marketing facilities re-
sultins from many local siaushtering es-
adjustments having been driven out of
business by the competition of the great
central siaughtering establishments of
the west and central west: the tempt;-
ton 10 sell live stock at the prevailing
high prices rather than to continue to
carry them with hiSh-priced stock feed,
possible loss from disease or accident and
uncertain prices the following year: in