The glory once enjoyed by this industry is rapidly changing color.
Formerly, a predominating feature of the state was its
[Page 25]
big herds feeding gratuitously on government lands. This condition
still exists to an extent, the forests being utilized, under regulations
by the government, but the herds are limited.
Individual farms and small herds are now the order of the day and,
incidentally, better breeds are developing. This is true of horses,
cattle and sheep. The demand for horses is chiefly for the heavy
draft animals for use in the logging camps and on the streets of
the cities, and the demand is fairly well supplied, chiefly in
eastern Washington.
Good cows and fat steers are always in demand, and Washington's
market for them is not fully supplied from the home farms. The
same is true regarding sheep and hogs. The phenomenal growth of
the seaport towns on Puget Sound and the difficulty in clearing
the lands in western Washington combine to make the consumption
exceed the home grown supply, and many are imported from neighboring
states.
There is abundant room for expansion in stock raising in the state.
Conditions are admirable. Grass is abundant for pasturage, hay is
a prolific crop, the climate is mild, no pests afflict the cattle,
and the markets are at the door and always hungry.