wasted. This is especially true in the more
densely settled sections of the world.

On account of their prolificacy, the returns obtained for the amount
of capital invested is greater than in the case of sheep, cattle or
horses. Ten sows, worth $100 to $150, are sufficient to produce 100
pigs; 75 to 80 ewes, worth from $300 to $500, are required to produce
an equal number of lambs; 110 cows, worth $4,500 to $6,000, to produce
100 calves; and 200 mares, worth from $20,000 to $30,000, to guarantee
100 foals. To put the matter in another way, the capital invested in
swine may be reproduced in the offspring ten times in one year; the
capital invested in horses not more than once in five years.

In general, 500 pounds of maize will produce 100 pounds of pork, which
is equivalent to eleven pounds of pork from a bushel. Since hogs are
so largely produced from maize, the price of maize and the price of
pork are very closely related. For example, if maize is worth fifty
cents a bushel, the grain required to produce a pound of increase in
live weight will cost about 5 cents; if 40 cents a bushel, 4 cents; if
30 cents a bushel, 3 cents; and so on.

COST OF PRODUCING SHEEP

In the classic investigations by Lawes and Gilbert, food containing
100 pounds of dry matter produced a live-weight increase of nine
pounds in steers and 11 pounds in sheep. At the Wisconsin station,
sheep required less food than steers per pound of gain. During rapid
fattening of sheep 500 pounds of clover hay and 400 pounds of maize
may produce 100 pounds of increase in live weight. While swine require
a less weight of food for a pound of increase than sheep, on account
of the more digestible character of the food eaten, yet the Wisconsin
station found that the expense of producing a pound of increase was
less in sheep on account of the less expensive character of the food.

MEAT AND MILK PRODUCTION COMPARED

A summary of the investigations of American experiment stations shows
that 100 pounds of dry matter produced ten pounds of increase in live
weight of steers. The same quantity of food when fed to milch cows
produced 74 pounds of milk, plus one pound of increase in live weight.
This 74 pounds of milk contained 3-1/4 pounds of fat. In general,
therefore, the food required to produce a pound of butter fat is about
three times that required to produce a pound of increase in steers.

COST