Cuba.- In Cuba, according to the registra tions of the Department of Agriculture the number of cattle (1914, 3,395,000-official) (1916) is 4,000,000-87 per square mile and 1.62 per capita. (Commerce Reports, 20. Sept. 1916, p. 1079). The republic, due to the diver sity of its particular tropical productions, tobacco and sugar, and the high price of land, has not paid uniform attention to the cattle in dustry. At the conclusion of the War for Inde pendence there were few cattle left on the island, and importations were made from Porto Rico, the United States, Mexico and South America in 1899 of range cattle to be fattened on the domestic pastures. At the same time, and since, breeding animals have been im ported, principally from the United States, with the result that in the provinces of Camagfiey, Oriente and Santa Clara many fine ranches are found. In these provinces land is reason ably cheap, grazing is good and water is plenti ful. Most of the grazing land is fenced, and from two to three acres of native grass either Guiena or Parana - is sufficient for each animal the year around, with necessity for extra feeding during the frequent droughts. The favorable natural conditions resulted in a rapid increase in the number of cattle, and in 1905 the island was considered as being over stocked, from the fact that the supply was too limited to warrant important refrigerating plants and shipping facilities'for dressed meats, and, being grass fed, the cattle could not be exported on the hoof successfully. Since 1905, the number of cattle has increased with the population, while a steady improvement has been shown in their breed and weight, and a marked improvement in their sanitary condition.
Within the past 10 years cattlemen have recognized the advantage of proper facilities on their ranches, and numerous extensive improve ments have been made in the matter of con veniences, such as wind mills, tanks, ponds and silos, and in some rare cases efforts have been made to utilize the by-products of the sugar in dustry in the fattening of cattle. Alfalfa has, likewise, been introduced, and, when the soil is inoculated with the alfalfa bacteria, it has proven of great utility in supplementing the native feedstuffs. At present there are no packing-houses in Cuba. There is, however, at Habana a refrigerating establishment of limited capacity for supplying the local hotels and steamship companies with frozen meat. Due to this fact, the general method of meat preservation is that of dried beef, large quanti ties of which are consumed in the republic, the domestic supply being at present insuf ficient.
The exports of live cattle in 1914 amounted to $14,925; 1915, $7,715; hides and skins, 1914, $2,365,498; 1915, $3,038,429; other animal prod ucts, 1914, $148,901 1915, $76,653. With the exception of a small part, all these exports were made to the United States. During the same years there were imported, 1914, 22,808, 429 pounds of salt, fresh, canned and jerked beef, valued at $2,746,485; in 1915, the amount was 15,498,600 pounds, valued at $2,137,642, nearly all (jerked beef) coming from Argen tina; 1914, 6,829,067 pounds; 1915, 3,744,766 pounds; and Uruguay, 1914, 14,426,820 pounds; and 1915, 11,617,423 pounds.
Ecuador is mountainous over much of its area, and is industrially concerned with the production of cocoa and other tropical products, to the neglect of the cattle industry. There is, however, much available land suited to livestock, particularly on the Esmeraldas and Santiago rivers and on the table-lands to the east of the Andes. The entire stock of cattle, nearly all of native breed, is consumed at home, the hides alone being exported. These latter amounted in 1909 to $220,600; in 1910, $257,252; in 1911, $210,428; and in 1912, $294,898. Many attempts have been made by large landholders and corporations doing business in the country to encourage the industry of cattle raising, and annual fares are held at Quito. Hides to the amount of pounds.
Guate Guatemala has, according to official estimates (1915), 655,386 head of cattle - 13.57 head per square mile, and .309 per capita. The great majority are of the native strain, weighing on an average 850 pounds. Im ported breeding stock has lately been intro duced, among which were 400 bulls from the United States, in 1915. For crossing purposes the Hereford and Little Holstein are the favorites, the animal produced by the crossing weighing from 1,100 to 1,200 pounds.
All sections of the republic are suitable for cattle, but the favorite portion for fattening purposes is the Pacific Coast slope, where on an acre and a half of Guinea or pampas grass per animal they are prepared for market. The advantages of this particular section have at tracted cattle from the other parts of Guate mala, as well as Honduras. The drive from the latter country is estimated at 40,000 head annually. Meat being abundant and cheap its consumption is very high. The late ruling price of beef cattle on hoof at the principal market, Guatemala City, is $0.04 per pound. In 1914 the prices for 122,000 head of cattle slaughtered ranged from $0.0075 to $0.03 per pound. In 1915, under a special concession, three shipments of cattle - amounting to 2,198 head- were made to the United States through the port of New Orleans. They were sold to the packing-houses at Chicago and Saint Louis for $0.065 per pound. As evidence of tick in fection was found, further shipments were prohibited by the United States Bureau of Animal Industry. A recent concession for a packing plant near Quiriga, Guatemala, on which construction has commenced, promises to give an increased impetus to the cattle in dustry in both republics. Arrangements have been made for the shipment of the prepared beef direct to the United States. The exports of cattle and calf hides to the United States amounted in 1911 to $11,852; 1914, $6,871; 1915, $210,805; and 1916, $197,107.