Cattle
a collective term, denoting all animals of the bovine or ox kind.
In the United States vast areas of grazing land in the Western States and Territories have been acquired by syndicates for the breeding and rearing of cattle; and with the view of improving the stock of native cattle, large numbers of well-bred bulls of the leading British varieties, either imported from the United Kingdom or descended from imported stock, have been sent to the West for use on ranches.
The production of cattle in order to insure an adequate meat supply was one of the most important problems to be solved during the World War. The total amount of cattle in nine important countries of Europe before the war was 65,- 205,000. After the war the total had been reduced to 58,163,000. On the other hand, in the United States before the war there were 56,592,000 cattle and after the war 67,866,000, or an increase of nearly 20 per cent. Increases were also shown in Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand, while there was a loss in Australia. The total number of cattle in the countries named numbered before the war, 102,157,000 and after the war, 118,895,000, or an increase of nearly 16 per cent. There was a total gain in the number of cattle in all countries considered, of 9,096,000 cattle. The condition of cattle in Europe, however, was such that the stocks were not available either for dairy or meat production, on account of the prevailing shortage of food supplies and the widespread prevalence of foot and mouth disease. For consideration of the meat industry in the United States, see PACKING INDUSTRY.