The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-28
Topeka STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, D. c.
THE WORLDS LIVESTOCK.
Washington, D. c.

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destroying the four-footed and feath-
cred population of the earth even fast
er than it is destroying men. One of
the greatest after-war problems will
be the restocking of the civilized
world with domestic animals Two
important facts stand out. In the
first place, meat is going to be scarce
for many years to come, and in the
second place, the raising of livestock,
ARD especially of blooded breeding
stock, is going to be a very important
and profitable occupation.
We shink our own situation in re-
gard to meat is rather desperate, now
that We are beginning to slaughter
mustangs, burros and billy goats,
while meat prices remain high, Yet
our livestock shows a recent tendency
to increase. and we have both fodder
and pasture land for II. In European
countries, belligerent and neutral,
livestock is being almost exterminated
because pasture land has all been put
under the pillow, and every bit of grain
is needed for human food. In both
Germany and Denmark they are maxi
ing celluiose folders out of straw and
wood, and in Germany Gull potatoes
arc fed to livestock, but there is not
enough to go around.
No class has suffered more by the
wal than the German pigs. There
Germans are fond of pork sausage. 1t
soon became apparent that there was
me- place in the German war economy
for the greedy and omniverous hog.
He was editorialized against, speeches
were made about him in the reichstag
1t was made compulsory to kill pigs
no. only the fat ones but the lean
ones and the stockings. There are
hardly any left. The cattle supply
has been cut down to fraction of
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slaughtered are only about two-thil DIS
or normal weight. Sausage is now
made rom horse meat mixed with
RABBIT neat
Game is on the decrease in Ger
many. The country people kill it and
eat it at every opportunity. PoIecats
foxes and other game-destroying YER
min are on the increase. Whenever a
landed proprietor holds a battue or
hunt, he is compelled to announce his
intention, and to give a certain pro-
portion of what he kills to the food
administration for sale to the people
A study of the German press leaves
no doubt that a year or two more of
war will see that country almost de-
nuded of beasts and birds, wild and
domestic. And it takes a long time to
restock a country.
In the neutral countries the situa-
ton is as bad, or worse. Sweden had
Freindeer in her forests. The order has
gone forth for the slaughter of all of
these, many of them to be exported
The long-suffering pig is almost ex-
tlnct in Sweden, too. At Kristianstad
where usually five or six hundred
pigs are slaughtered every week, the
killings have been reduced to thirty
pigs week. The lichens which grow
in the northern forests, and were
formerly the chief forage of the rein
deer. are now being gathered and ex-
periments made in their use as human
food and fodder.
In Norway and Denmark meat for
the time being is exceptionally plenti-
full. The reason for this is that the
herds of cattle in both of these coun-
tries are being rapidly slaughtered be-
cause of the high price of folders
The Norwegian government advises
everyone to salt meat and to Eut it up
in tins, so that they will. have a
supply when the herds are exhausted.
In these countries most of the pigs
have already been led. Norway has
''housewifery schools which issue
booklets on household economy and
these are devoting their attention
largely to methods of preserving
at the fact that the consumption of
meat shows a tendency to increase as
fast the supply.
These countries are now feeling the
effects of the excessive slaughter of
cattle in the scarcity of milk and
dairy products. Despite the high
prices offered, not enough milk can
be obtained. The farmers say that
fodder is too expensive to make dairy
ing profitable even at high prices.
Herring meal and herring guano are
being fed to cattle in large quantities.
These northern coastal countries
have always depended largely upon
the sea for food, and it might be
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the fisheries would make up for the
decrease of meat. But the contrary
| is the case. Scarcity of coal has
caused inactivity of the fishing fleets,
and the amount of fish coming to
market has fallen off. sometimes in
heavy percentage.
The meat supply in Germany has
suffered from disease. Foot and mouth
| disease broke out recently in the prov
| ince of Hanover, and SO districts were
| affected In the South swine fever has
caused further losses among the deci-
mated ranks of the pigs. Chambers
| has killed some horses. The govern
ment claims that all of these epi-
\ denies are now under control.
| In Austria the killing of cattle has
caused severe shortage of milk. and
! especially in Vienna. In fact, milk is
| the most universally scarce article Of
/ diet in the world. In Vienna, in order
| to conserve milk for children and in
valids, an order was recently issued
prohibiting cafes from serving milk or
giving milk with coffee. except under
special permit at certain hours of the
day. This at once brought a protest
from the inn-keepers, who complain
| that first they are prohibited from
selling rum with tea, which has linn
| tied their popularity, and now they
are expected to offer substitute coffee
without milk. This, they assert, is
nothing less than disaster
| In Bulgaria all animals have been
put on rations, just as the people
| have, work animals being allowed
more.
| In Greece the government has ar
ranged for large importations of meat
from Abyssinia. which will be sold at