Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1917 — THE MEAT QUESTION [ARTICLE]

THE MEAT QUESTION

The present exorbitant prices of meat, together with the reported scarify of hogs and cattle, • should cause the farmers of this -country some concern for the future. True the scarcity is not so great in this country as in others, but on the other hand our export demands are inordihantly heavy. It is estimated that since the war began there has been a decrease in the world’s meat producing animals of 1 15.000,000 head. This has diad its logical effect. '2 Taken all around, this country has increased its supply of meat producing animals; but, as we have -stated, the demand on us has also increased many times. Exports of meat from this country are nearly three' times as large now as during the period immediately preceding the war. Now it is perfectly evident that if we are to continue to meet the heavy demand upon our resources we will be compelled to conserve the source of supply. In plain words, we musj. bend our energies to breeding- more live stock- of all kinds. The feeding season is close at hand, and the farmers and stock growers will £pon begin to sort out the stock that is to go to the slaughter. In this sorting, care should be taken that all likely females be saved. With the present high prices, the temptation will be great to let many of them go, but this temptation should be resisted. Each man should study for the future, and do his best to keep up the available supply. During the l past two or three years many good breeding animals have been sacri-' ficed that, if kept, would now put l

their owners on easy street. AU authorities agree that there is absolutely no danger of prices falling to any great extent for some years to come, so that each grower should plan to get the most increase possible out of all his- ani Another ruinous, practice that should be stopped, by law if necessary, is the practice of slaughtering very young animals, particularly calves and lambs’. The waste of material is too great to be co mtenanced under present conditions. If all the calves, pigs " and lambs, in this country are allowed to grow to maturity it will go a long way toward remedying- the present great shortage. But above all things do not destray the source of supply—the females. Intelligent attention to this detail is absolutely negessary if our -meat supply is to be kept up to the great demand that will continue to be made upon it for some time to come.