I Animal Life

I. ANIMAL LIFE The ability of animal life to perpetuate itself and in addition to supply man with a large proportion of his necessities and comforts has materially aided human progress. Besides being one of the most interesting and valuable of the world's resources, animals have impressed a record of their own on the pages of history. Ancient inscriptions portray the hunt, the feeding of live stock, milking scenes and the slaughter of domestic animals for food.

Man's migrations over the globe and his ability to sustain him self under diverse and adverse conditions have depended largely on animal life. With the camel or horse, man can live in the desert. With sheep he can establish himself in regions of high elevation or sparse vegetation. With the presence of wild life and a few dogs he can inhabit the frigid zones. Under the more favourable conditions prevailing in temperate climates, man has built up extensive industries, producing meats, hides, wool, milk and other animal products in commercial quantities. For such purposes he has developed breeds and types especially adapted for his own use or for the demands of his markets.

It is clear, therefore, that the greatest usefulness of animal life to man depends on his wisdom and ability in regulating the number and kind of animals under his control so that they may best serve his needs. With the steady increase in human popula tion, there has been a progressive tendency toward the raising of animals for definite human needs rather than depending on wild life. In recent years this trend has also included the breeding and raising of fur-bearing animals.

Live-Stock Production.

In the age-old struggle for the sur vival of the fittest, certain types of animal life have proved to be especially well adapted to man's requirements. These he has pre served, improved and protected until their production has be come a major part of the world's agriculture. It is important to bear in mind that crop production and stock raising are closely allied enterprises, inasmuch as animals consume most crops that are not utilized by man directly. Moreover, land that is too rough for cultivation may support vast herds of cattle, sheep and goats. (See Vegetation below.) Thus live stock serves as a useful balance wheel in the mechanism of human nutrition. Famine rarely occurs in countries where live stock is abundant.

As in the production of other commodities, however, a great number of economic factors are involved. These influence the extent of animal breeding and feeding operations, thus determin ing the number of animals produced and their age and condition when marketed. As a consequence, animal life as a natural re

source is the basis for an industry which, though of great magni tude, varies in extent from year to year, depending on supply and demand. Animal life is an elastic resource, responding closely to the demands made upon it. In most countries the principal do mestic animals are counted or estimated periodically and this in formation serves as a guide for breeding and feeding operations.

Extent of Live-Stock Industry.

As a world resource, cattle exceed all other domestic animals in number and value, aggregating about 698,0o0,000 head, according to current estimates. This term includes all bovine animals, whether kept for beef production, dairy purposes or as draft animals or beasts of burden. In some countries, notably India, buffaloes are included in cattle esti mates. Of the world total, Asia possesses about two-fifths, Europe about one-fifth, with South America, North America, Africa and Oceania following in the order given. Oceania includes Australia and New Zealand. Sheep are the next most numerous domestic animals of economic importance. The world's supply is estimated at about 684,000.000. Of this number Europe has nearly a third, Asia about a fifth and Oceania slightly less than a fifth. South America, North America and Africa follow.

Swine, though much fewer in number than either cattle or sheep, are noteworthy as a food resource owing to their fecundity and early maturity. The adaptability of pork for curing is also worthy of mention as it permits storage and long shipments without refrigeration. Throughout the world, swine are estimated to number about 295,000,000, of which Asia, Europe and North America, respectively, have the largest supply. On the other continents, the swine industry is relatively undeveloped. Though the world's animal resources include a great variety of other stock utilized for food, work and sundry purposes there is a dearth of dependable information regarding their numbers. Even in the case of cattle, sheep and swine, which have just been mentioned as of outstanding prominence, numbers alone give scarcely a true picture of their value to the populations of the various countries. The improved bovine animal, as found in North and South America and in the British Isles, where much attention has been given to breeding for beef production, is vastly different from the beast of burden types in India or Mongolia.