Cattle liaising in the Americas
HEN the United States ceases to bo an exporter ot boot
and pork from whence will Europe get Its meat ?
Will the United States , with Us large ratio ot In-
crcaso la population , with which the meat produuctlon
by no means keeps pace , be able In the future to feed
itself ?
Must Europe and the United States curtail their meat
consumption ?
There Is no need to take a pessimist's view In an-
Bworlng any of these questions. . Thn meat proposition
Is already serious , It Is true ; but this Is because we ure at the turning
ot the ways nnd not because the Immediate future , or oven the future
for some hundreds of yearn at least , presents any real difficulty to the
solution ot this proposition.
Leaving out of consideration all questions Involving the so-called
meat trust , the tariff , etc. , and looking at the matter simply as a
question ot economy In meat production , there Is no need to fear n
famine , nor ought there to bo any fear ofhish prices to limit the con
sumption.
A number of factors enter Into the world's present meat problem ,
one of the most Important of which Is the change In conditions under
which meat has been produced In the United States. The change from
range to farm production of beef cattle and the improved shipping fa
i cilities for corn , which latter has revolutionized the hog industry , have
\ together upset the balance in the moat market. Unlimited free rnngo
on government lands made cheap meat , but the taking uj > of these
lands by settlers , and particularly the taking up of land around water
sites nas cnangeu uio wnoiu sii.ua.uun. 1 I1U t-.MUM'
filon of railways and an improved service has given
the western farmer a choice , either to sell his corn or
to feed for meat , where formerly ho had no choice ; It
was either hogs or cease raising corn. He raised hogs
tccauso he was forced to It , and he bought rnngo boot
cattle to put thorn in condition for the market by feed
ing for a few months with a part of his surplus grain.
The raising of cattle on the free ranges of the west
was the cheapest "method of moat production at The
time practised In the United Stales , but It Is a question
whether beef may not now bo produced , and Is not now
produced by a few farmers , even cheaper than on the
western ranges in the past.
The poor quality of range meat , which necessitated
several months of farm fof > < ing ! anil care In order to
bo gotten In condition for the market , the great losses
In the herds duo to Insufficient food and water , nnd
the lack of winter shelter made the business of cattle
raising on the western plains a more or less uncertain
and precarious industry. It was an exotic , and as such
It will die with changing conditions.
The future of moat prodiictiton In the United
States is a farming proposition , and like all other
questions connected with the national agriculture de
pends for its satisfactory solution upon the Improvement of farm moth-
ods. To remain a meat-exporting country , lands must bo brought up
to the European standard of production. At that standard , or oven
considerably below , farming in the United States pays , and pays well ,
nnd In no way better than by turning grass and grain into meat But
until the United States adjusts Itself to the changed conditions and can
again enter the European market aa a competitor with Argentina , Uru
guay and Australia for the meat trade , where will Europe , and erron
the United States , should it have a temporary need for meat , secure
their supplies ?
The answer to this question Is not. difficult It Is only surprising
that It has not been more fully recognized.
The broad plains ot Mexico and Central
America , of Venezuela and Colombia , the Ama-
eon region of Brazil. Bolivia , 1'eru ana
dor rival , if they do not excel the famed pam
pas of Argentine and Uruguay as cheap meat-
producing districts.
In the country of the Oronoco alone , Vene
zuela and eastern Colombia , there is an area
of territory more than equal to France , Ger
many , the Netherlands , Belgium and Denmark ,
or ten times the size of the state of NQW York ,
which has its superior as a cattle country In
no part of the world , If Indeed it has anywhere
Its equal.
Mexico offers many advantages to the stock
raiser. The conditions there are those with
which Btockmon from the United States are
more or less familiar , which last fact , in part ,
accounts for the large Investments of Ameri
can capital made in this Industry within the
last few years In Mexico. Cattlemen own the
land in largo tracts of from 100,000 to 1,000,000
acres , acquired from the government by grant
f
and at a very low figure. This prevents the ,
shutting off from water , which has done so
much to destroy the range industry In the
United States. The winters are mild and there
Is no danger of loss from blizzards In fact ,
the grazing is good all the year round.
The character of the ranges on the Pacific
coast sldo in Jalisco , Mlchoacan. Guerrero ,
southern Oaxaca and Teplc are similar In
character to the northern ranges but not so
ivoll watered , and the grass Is scantier.
On the gulf eldo there are entirely differ
ent conditions. On the slope of the eastern
Cordilleras In the states of San Luis Potosl ,
Tamaullpas and northern Vera Cruz Is the re
gion known ts the Huasteca Potoslna , the
country of the Tamesi , Panuco. Temporal and
Tarnasunchalo rivers. This is an almost Ideal
grass country. It is a succepslon of valleys
separated by grass-covered terraces or hills
increasing In height from the low plains near
the coast to the borders of the central plateau
C.OOO feet. This slope receives the moist
breezes from the Gulf of Mexico In the form
of rain during the summer months and dew
la winter , and is always free from frost ,
drought and excessive heat. The natural pas
turage of this country Is as fine as any in the
world , except on the Oronoco and in the up
per Amazon country. Cattle In good condition
can bo sent to market at a cost of less than
$10 gold a head. On the northern and west
ern ranges lean cattle cost to produce from
$2 to $5 n head and can be fattened for mar
ket to cost In all about $10 a head.
The latest Mexican statistics show about
6.250,000 beef cattle In the whole country , of
an estimated value of about $8 gold per head.
Chihuahua nnd Vera Cruz lead with about
100,000 head for each state. As compared
with Argentina with Its 30,000,000 beef cattle
It can bo seen that Mexico is but at the begin
ning of the industry ; in fact , as present the
country produces but little meat above Ha own
needs , yet it could , on natural pasture alone ,
carry twice the number of cattlg now grazing
in Argentina , and could easily supply to the
European markets from Ha surplus an amount
of meat twice what the United States has
even been able to supply from its surplus.
South of Mexico In Central America and
In parts of Mexico not above mentioned there
la yet another cattle country , where the cli
mate is more tropical. On the Pacific sldo the
area suitable for cattle Is limited. It is simi
lar to the Pacific slope ot Mexico , but the
country is more thickly settled , a larger pro
portion of the load is devoted to agriculture ,
>
and consequently there is l ss room for beef
cattlo. The country offers /Ino opportunities
for dairy stock and will undoubtedly devdlop
along this line. In the uplands and on the
Atlantic slope there are large areas of fine
open country In Guatemala , Honduras , Nica
ragua and Costa Rica , where cattle can bo
produced ns cheaply as anywhere In the
world. It Is a known fact that hi Guatemala
nnd Honduras four-year-old stock can bo pro
duced on the ranges to cost less than $2 a
head. The native stock needs improving. It
is the same which was formerly known In the
United States as the Texas long horn. When
crossed by Shorthorn bulls the resulting prog
eny Is a first-class beef animal. Hereford ,
Galloway and Aberdeen-Angus crosses also
produce good results. ,
At prcpent the Industry Is almost entirely
local. Millions of acres of the finest pas
turage In the world , where the native grasses
stand from knee to shoulder high , are unuti
lized. A tithe of the capital and enterprise
which have produced such largo results in
Argentina and Uruguay would make Central
America , although limited In area , an Impor
tant factor In the world's meat market and
would pay to the investors a handsome return
on their Investment.
In South America there are three creat
natural cattle regions which In area nnd
adaptability for cattle production are tine-
qualcd In any other part of the world. . The
plains of the Oronoco , of the Amazon and of
the Plata rivers are without doubt the best
adapted for producing beef cattle cheaply and
on a largo scale of any other sections of cither
the old or the new world.
Behind the Venezuelan coast range of
mountains lies the basin of the Oronoco. This
river has nearly 500 tributaries nnd at its
greatest length Is 1,500 miles long and is navi
gable from the ocean for about 1,200 miles.
For about half Its length it flows north nnd
then turns almost directly east and continues
in this line to the Atlantic. Near the bend
of the Oronoco it is Joined by the Apure , one
of its chief tributaries , which has come down
, from the eastern Cordilleras of Colombia
through the heart of the region of the llanos
or prairie lands. These lands continue on to
the east to the vertex of the delta of the Oro-
noca. They comprise about 150,000 square
miles in Venezuela and about 120,000 square
miles In Colombia. It Is the largest single
compact area of high-class natural pasture In
* he world. In the luxuriance of its grasses It
Is as far ahead of the pampas lands of Argen
tina as are these ahead of the short-grass
lands ot Kansas or Nebraska. It is one Im
mense level prairie , thickly carpeted with
para and guinea grass , growing twice as high
as broom sedge on a neglected Virginia farm.
It is crossed and Interlaced by hundreds of
rivers ilowlng Into the Oronoco or Into Its
larger tributaries , the Apure , the Araucn , tlip
Meta , the Vlchada nnd the Gunvlare. From
these rivers spread out smaller rivers , creeks
and guts Joining one river to another so that
the whole Is one great water mesh. In some
places for a hundred miles one must cross
water every half mile or less. The creeks and
guts , when wide enough are navigable for
launches nnd flatboats and offer tho. best and
cheapest possible system of highways loading
directly down to the Oronoco nnd the sea.
From the earliest days of the Spanish con
quest this country has been famed as a cattle
land. At the time of the war of Independence ,
In 1312 , It was estimated that there were
3,000,000 head of cattle In the country. The
Industry has never since been so flourishing.
These natural cattle lands comprise about
170,000,000 acres nnd could easily carry ISO-
000,000 beef cattle and not be overstocked.
In the past the industry lias boon much
hampered in both Columbia nnd Venezuela by
government restrictions , monopolies nnd taxa
tion , and the estimates as to the cost of cattle
production In consequence vary much. Under
the same favorable conditions as exist in Mexico
ice , Argentina and Uruguay the llanos of
Colombia nnd Venezuela can produce cattle
ready for slaughter at n cost which ought not
to exceed $2 gold per head.
In the valley of the Amazon there are no
such great prairie lands as exist on the Ore
noco , yet on Che whole there Is ns much or
even more first-class cattle country , a consid
erable part of which Is In easy deep-water
connection with the world's markets.
The Amazon basin comprises one-eighth of
the habitable earth and one-half of the most
fertile portion thereof. In a territory so largo
as this It would bo unreasonable not to expect
to find many varieties of soil and soil cover , and
such Is the fact Between the rivers tributary to
the great river and back from the bottoms are
here and there large tracts of open land simi
lar to that found on the Gulf coast ot Mexico ,
in the prairlo lands of Louisiana nnd In Hon
duras and in Guatemala. This is all fine cattle
country ; there could bo no bettef.
Near the headwaters of the great rivers
that flow down to make the mighty Amazon ,
on the eastern slope of the Andes , are mil
lions of acres of fine grass lands In Colombia ,
Ecuador , Peru and Bolivia , as well as In Bra
zil , that are more Immediately available for
cattle raising than are the lands farther cast
in the great basin.
The third great river basin of South
America is that of the Plato river , with which
must be included the southern half of Argen
tina , whose rivers drain directly Into the At
lantic. Any account of the cattle industry
of Argentina must of necessity bo less a story
of what can be done than of what has been
done. Included in the Plato basin in addition
to Argentina are Uurguny , Paraguay and
southern Brazil. The cattle conditions are
similar over all this area.
Argentina ranks third In the world as a
cattle-producing country. Russia and the Uni
ted States alone lead It ; but Argentina has
only about 0,000,000 inhabitants to feed , which
accounts for the fact that It is the leading
country in beef exports. Russia and the Uni
ted States must consume most of what they
raise ; Argentina ships the greater proportion
of what it raises , not only beef cattle , but
horses , sheep , wool , corn , wheat nnd flaxseed.
At the last census , taken about two years
ago , there were 29,110,020 cattle In Argentina
and about 0,000,000 in Uruguay. This Is nearly
all grade stock of the best English blood
Shorthorn , Hereford and Aberdeen-Angus. Ar
gentina and Uruguay cattle are reared under
conditions somewhat peculiar to the locality.
They are not range cattle nor yet exactly farm
cattle , and but little or no grain is fed , yet
the export steers of Buenos Aires or Monte
video are fully equal In size and will cut t n
much prime beef and as little waste ns the
best steers of Kansas , Pennsylvania or south
west Virginia.
In the central provinces of Buenos Aires ,
Cordoba , Santa Fe , Entro RIos and Corrlentea
the native grasses are bettor and more alfalfa
Is grown. Those flve are the principal cattle-
producing provinces , ns they are also the prln-
clpnl grain producers. Next 'to these come
Ln Pnnipn , Santiago nnd Salta , each ot which
provinces carries from about 700,000 to 1,000-
> 000 cattle. Then come San Luis , Mendozn , La
Rlojn and Cntnnmrcn , averaging about half
of those numbers. In the north , Mlslonos ,
Formosa and El Chaco , and In the south Rio
Negro nnd Chubut are rapidly becoming Im
portant cattle districts. Even San Juan and
Neuquen , on the Andean slope , nnd Santa
Cruz and Tlorra del Fuego , in the extreme
south , are finding that cattle as well as sheep
can be raised with profit. In fact , there lo
but little territory In the Argentina Republic
which Is not suitable for either cattle or sheep.
Beef is exported from the La Plata region
on the hoof , as salted or as meat extracts , and
frozen In quarters.
England is the principal market for South
American beef. The frozen-meat Industry in
the Argentine Republic has grown up slncu
the closing of the English market to llvo
cattle.
In the year 1908 the Argentine Republic ex
ported 00,910 head of llvo beef cattle , throe-
fourths of which went to Chile. It exported
2,295,781 quarters (573,940 ( whole beeves ) of
frozen beef , and from the uniting works 155-
400 beeves as salt beef , meat extract or Jerked
beef.
beef.In
In this latter Industry Uruguay In addition
exported 751'JOO and southern Brazil 425.000
head , respectively.
As a field for Investment In the cuttle In
dustry the La Plata region offers the very
best of chances. In fact , It Is without a rival ,
and will remain such until n llko enterprise
and capital which has there produced such
marvelous results shall seek a now opportu
nity on the Oronoco ami In the upper Amazon
country.
The field for cattle growing Is largo ; there
need bo no scarcity though the United States
should cease to export and become an im
porter of meat.
No Corsets at West Point
Col. K. B. Collins , a retired army officer wh *
was seen at the Raleigh , in discussing West
Pointers said to a reporter of the Washington
Herald : "I have often heard n question as
to whether West Pointers were corsets. It Is
absurd , In a way , because should any effem
inate youngster resort to such a thing if
would bo an impossibility to keep the affair
a secret , and , once known , his school life would
become n burden to him on account of the
endless amount of criticism he would receive
from his fellows. Ho would bo made the
laughing stock of the school nnd would soon
find himself the possessor of any number of
effeminate nicknames that would grate upon
his ears in any but a pleasant manner.
"It is true , " continued the old soldier , "that
many West Pointers acquire a figure the per
fection of symmetry nnd a carriage the acme
of manly grace , but these are duo not to any
ingenious appliance , but to the systematic
drills and exercises that make every cadet , tea
a certain extent , an athlete. At the outset
these young fellows are put through what are
called the 'setting up' exercises , their object
being to straighten the body nnd develop the
chest. One might suppose that it would re
quire a great amount of such exorcise to make
any marked showing , but three long hours
of such exercise dally will soon produce bene
ficial results In the most stooped forms.
The cadet uniform Is also a great help In
this direction. The dress coat is tight , very
tight. The shoulders are heavily padded li :
order to give thorn a square effect. The ches
Is made thick , BO that there will bo no danger
gor of wrinkling. And In size , a now dress
coat seems always to be designed for a boj
several sizes smaller than the ono who Is to
wear it. A new dress coat , in fact , is always
a source ot suffering to Its owner. When h
first puts It on , it buttons readily about th
neck , but seems to lack about six inches a
the waist. The owner may squirm and wri&
glo and attempt to reduce his waist to n mini
mum circumference , but his maiden efforts are
never sufficient to button the now dress coat
Experience Is a great teacher , though , nnd the
young fclloy laughingly requests ono or two
friends to lend their assistance , and with their
combined tugging and squeezing ho finally suc
ceeds in buttoning the coat All this for the
sake of looks ; comfort has no place in the
makeup of a West Pointer ; It is discipline and
looks. "
LEADING MISTAKES IN LIFE
Writer Has Recorded Tan , of Which
Most of Us Assuredly Have
Our Share.
Some ot us may be glad to bo told
that there arc only ten Ufa mistaken ,
for there ucem to bo so many more ,
but n recent writer has catalogued
them , Perhaps these arc only the ten
lending ones from which the .nmallor
errors arise. Let's look over the list
nnd see ho\v many of them are ours :
First , to set up our own standard ot
right and wrong nnd judge people ag ;
cordlngly ; second , to measure the en
joyment of others by our own ; , third ,
to expect uniformity of opinion In thin
world ; fourth , to look for judgment
nnd experience In youth , fifth , to en
deavor to mold nil dispositions nllko ;
sixth , to look for perfection in our
own actions ; seventh , to worry our
selves nnd others with what cannot
bo remedied ; eighth , to refuse to yield
*
In immaterial matters ; ninth , , to re
fuse to alleviate , so far ns It lies In
our power , all which needs allevia
tion ; tenth , to retime to mulct ; allow
ance for the Infirmities of others.
EPIDEMIC OF ITCH IN WELSH
VILLAGE
"In Dowlnls , South Walon. about fifteen -
teen years ago , families were .strick
en wholesale by a disease known u
the Itch. Uollovu me , i ! In lliu monf
terrible disease of Hn kind that t
know of , as it itches nil through your
body nnd makes your life an Inferno.
Sleep Is out of the question and you
feel ns If a million mosquitoes were
attacking you at the same tlmo. I
know a dozen families that were so
affected.
"Tho doctors did their best , but
their remedies were of no nvnli what
ever. Then the families tried a drug
gist who was noted far nnd wide for
his remarkable cures. People came
to him from all parts of the country
for treatment , but his inoillcltin made
matters still worse , as n last resort
they were advised by n friend to use
the Cutlcura Remedies. I urn glad to
tell you that after n few dayu' treat
ment with Cntlcura Soap. Ointment
nnd Resolvent , the effect was wonder
ful and the result was a perfect euro
in nil cases.
"I may add that my three brothers * ,
three sisters , myself nnd nil our fam
ilies have been users of the Cutlcura
Remedies for fifteen years. Thonum
Hugh , 1CCO West Huron St. , Chicago ,
111. , Juno 29 , 1903. "
TOO SHORT A TIME.
Wise Why did that woman's club
disband ?
Sharpc The majority adopted n
resolution limiting the time of each
member for speaking on utiy tonic to
two hours.
A" Dreamer. . .
"Van say your boy .Josh In a dream
er ? " said the literary lady. "Doea tin
write poetry or romances ? " -
"Oh , " replied Fanner Cornto sel ,
"ho don't write anything. Hut ho Jos'
nntchernlly refuses to got up till 1)
o'clock. "
Why He Believes Her.
Evangcllne Rachel never can tell
anything without exaggerating It.
John That's why I believe her
when she tolls her ago. '
Remember , girls , that pinning a H ?
liat on a 17 cent head doesn't Increase
.he value of the head.
The follow who buries the hatchet
may still have a knife up his sleeve.
There's vitality , snap and "go"
In a breakfast of
Grape-Nuts
and cream.
Why ?
Because nature stores up
In wheat and barley
The Potassium Phosphate
In such form as to
Nourish brain and nerves.
The food expert who originated
Retained this valuable
Element in the food.
"There's a Reason"
Read the famous little book ,
"The Road to Wellville , "
Found in Packages.
PO3TUM CEEKAL COMPANY , Limited ,
Battle Creek , Michigan.