Cattle

live stock. In its widest sense, the term includes horses, asses, camels, even goats, sheep, and swine. In stockraising, however, it signifies animals, both large and small, of the cow kind.

Cattle have been domesticated so long that it is difficult to trace their origin. Some have supposed that they are descended from the wild ox of Central Europe. The goat in mountainous countries, the camel in the desert, the yak in the high altitudes of Asia, the reindeer on the mossy tundras of the north, and the cow on the grassy plains of all countries, each in the country to which it is best suited, furnishes milk, butter, cheese, flesh, leather, and tents for multitudes of people, and has rendered the development of civilization possible.

Horses are a luxury. Cattle are a necessity. Our cattle have been imported from western Europe. They were brought first to the New World by Columbus in 1493, and were introduced into Mexico by the Spaniards in 1525. The common cattle of the Gulf States, as far north as Virginia, and the long-horned Texas cattle, are descended from this Spanish stock. Cattle were imported from England into Massachusetts in 1624. Dutch cattle were brought to New York in 1627, and Danish breeds to New Hampshire in 1631. In the early days of the colonies Devons, Herefords, Shorthorns, Polled-Angus, Galloways, and Alderneys were introduced, but no attempt was made to keep the breeds pure. Pure bred Shorthorns were introduced into Kentucky in 1816; the breeding of pure Herefords in this country began in New York in 1840; the introduction of pure Polled-Angus cattle dates from 1870. Dairy farmers have introduced the Jerseys from the Channel Islands.

The history of cattle raising may be divided into two branches, that of cattle on farms and cattle on ranges. The management of cattle on an ordinary farm is too well known to require comment. A few cattle are kept according to the amount of pasture and feed available. The steers are raised for beef, and cows are cared for as dairy animals.

On the wide, grassy plains of Australia, Argentina, and North America, however, cattle are reared in immense herds. Instead of stables, barns, and winter feeding, the cattle run wild like buffalo or deer. The calves run with the cows. No use whatever is made of the milk, except that a cow or two may be tethered near the rancher's shack for the use of the family. Under this system it is impossible for a rancher to know just how many cattle he owns. An unbranded calf old enough to have separated from its mother is called a maverick, and belongs to any one who wishes to put his brand upon it. Once a year the cattle in a given region are rounded up by riders, and the calves are branded, usually on the hip, by a white-hot iron, with a mark of ownership. They are then released, to run without attention for another year. In the winter season they live on standing grass, which in these regions has the peculiar quality of drying up into excellent hay as it stands. The United States leads the world in cattle raising. Russia comes second with 43,000,000 head.

The latest United States agricultural report gives the following as the number of cattle on farms in the United States January 1, 1909:

The neat cattle of the world are distributed about as follows:

See Packing House; Beef; Butter; Milk; Cold Storage; Chicago