Cattle Exports in 1905 321,301 Exports in 1912 23,006 Exports in 1913 260 Exports in 1914 182 This table shows that the export trade was virtually extinct a year before the European War began; and if revived, it will be because of exorbitant prices brought about by the abnormal European demand, due to the depletion of the cattle herds abroad. Official statistics show that prior to the European War 90.55 per cent of all the European cattle were within the boundaries of the now-belligerent countries. The records at that time, covering both beef cattle and dairy-herds, were as follows: Russia 36,237,000 Germany 20,944,000 Austria-Hungary 17,787,883 France 12,286,849 United Kingdom 12,030,789 Turkey 6,726,000 Italy 6,198,861 Rumania 2,667,000 Belgium 1,831,000 Even prior to the war, the world-supply of cattle was diminishing, and now the herds of these nations, representing nine-tenths of the European supply, are depleted as never before, while the one-tenth remaining supply of the neighboring neutral nations is reduced by the drafts of the warring powers. The immense demand in recent years has caused the marketing of vast numbers of the best improved cattle in the United States, including great inroads upon the breeding herds, as cattle growers have marketed their stock without regard to the future, looking solely to the large immediate profits. The depletion and deterioration of the breeding herds is a source of great danger, as it cannot fail to result in a still further decrease in production, and threatens to seriously impair the meat supply of the American people. As an infinitely worse condition prevails in the other cattle-producing countries of the world, it is obvious that we cannot look to any outside source of supply, either to replenish our herds, or to provide our meat food requirements. The increased cost of production in the North has resulted in the great advancement of the dairying industry, to meet the American food requirements. In 1850 the milch cows on American farms numbered about 6,000,000. This number was increased to 8,500,000 in 1860, and to about 13,000,000 in 1880; and the census of 1900 showed 17,100,000. In 1907, they numbered 20,625,000, and January 1, 1917, 22,768,000, or more than one-third of our entire cattle herds. The change from beef-cattle raising to dairying is most noticeable in the Eastern and the North Central States, where the lack of pasturage and the increased cost of forage make the production of beef less profitable than formerly, while the proximity to large centers of population and great cities has greatly stimulated the demand for dairy products.