Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 87, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1918 — NEED BIG HERDS [ARTICLE]

NEED BIG HERDS

Europe’s Meat Supply Must Come From America. Warring Nations Have Depleted Live Stock at Enormous Rate, Evex Killing Dairy Cattle For Food. American stock breeders are being asked to conserve their flocks and herds in order to meet Europe’s tremendous demands for meats during the war and probably for many years afterward. The United States food administration reports tiiat American stock raisers have shown a disposition to co-operate with the government In increasing the nation's supply of live stock. Germany today is probably better supplied With live stock than any other European nation. When the German armies made their big advance into France and then retreated virtually all the cattle in the invaded territory approximately 1,800,000 head—were driven behind the German lines. But In England—where 2,400,000 acres of pasture lands have been turned into grain fields —the cattle herds are decreasing rapidly. One of the reasons apparently Is the declining maximum price scale adopted by the English as follows: For September, $17.76 per 100 pounds ; October, $17.28; November and December, $10.08; Janlary, $14.40. The effect of these prices was to drive beef animals on the market as soon as possible. In France the number of cattle as well as the quality have shown an enormous decline during the war. Where France had 14,807,000 head of cattle in 1013, she now has only 12,841,900, a decrease of 10.6 per cent. And France is today producing only one gallon of milk compared to two and one-half gallons before the war. Denmark and Holland have been forced to sacrifice dairy herds for beef because of the lack of necessary feed. Close study of the European meat situation has convinced the Food Administration that the future problem of America lies largely in the production of meat producing animals and dairy products rather than in the production of cereals for export when the war will have ceased.