AMERICAN MEAT SUPPLIES

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3871, 6 March 1915, Page 3

AMERICAN MEAT SUPPLIES

The number of milch cows is inereaxiu«- in tiro United States, according to t-lie official figures the estimated number now being no fewer than 20.737,000, equivalent to an increase of about naif of one tier cent nnii j-c.mrd to meat amnia's—that m •‘other cattlq,” sheep, and sw.ine—the estimates indicate a steady ami fairly uniform decrease in the number of cattle and sheep, a slight mcroas° in the number of jugs, -and a considerable advance in the average farm price of cattle, and swine since the census year of 1910 . Relatively to the increase of population during the past four years, the accumulated shortage in the ease of milch cows amounts to 905,000, or about 4.4 nor cent. —that is, in order to have tinsame number of milch cows for every JOO inhabitants in January, 1914. as there were in the hist census year would require a total of 21,(02,000, which is 905,0-00 more than the returns from the various correspondents throughout the United States, indicate. -..iC shortage of meat animals, according to sound official authorities, is probably due to a number of contributing causes such as the encroachment of farms upon the range territory the absence of a proper range leasing law permitting economial mrmincement and utilisation of ranges, the shortage of the corn and forage crop in tluf middle west, the decline of liy« stock breeding in the cast and . south because of "our marketing facnties as a result, of many local slaughtering establishments having been driven out of business by the great centia slauglitcring houses of the west and middle-west. .

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