state Dairy Associatio7i. 59 



BEEF COSTLY TO MAKE AND SELLS AT A LOW PRICE. 



There is another and perhaps a more fundamental reason why 

 the beef industry is the first to go. This reason, however, has not 

 as a rule been made clear in our discussions of this subject. 



The cost of producing a pound of meat from the three prin- 

 cipal sources would be about in this order: First, beef; second, 

 perhaps, mutton; third, pork. In other words, pork costs less to 

 produce than either of the others, although the difference between 

 it and mutton is not large, and on the average is much less than 

 the difference between either of these and beef. 



On the other hand, however, these animals bring on the mar- 

 ket, when fitted as they usually are, taking the experience of the 

 last twenty-five years as a basis, prices in just the reverse order. 

 That is, hogs have perhaps sold highest, with sheep a very close 

 second, and cattle considerably below either. 



It is evident, therefore, that in a strictly agricultural region, 

 such as the Mississippi Valley, the margin between the cost and 

 selling price has been lowest in beef of any of our meat animals. 



It is a striking fact that during the last twelve months there 

 was not a sheep sold at the St. Louis market for less than $5.00 

 per hundred, while thousands and thousands, in fact, the majority 

 of the cattle sold on that market, brought less than $5.00 per 

 hundred. 



We have not yet, however, approached the most cogent reason 

 for the elimination of the beef industry when great economy must 

 be exercised in production and consumption. 



THE EFFICIENCY OF THE BEEF STEER AND THE DAIRY COW AS A PRO- 

 DUCER OF HUMAN FOOD COMPARED. 



The most striking fact in connection with this whole question 

 is the inefficiency for the production of human food of the beef 

 animal as compared with the dairy cow. 



Let us assume that we full feed a steer for 300 days, and that 

 his average daily gain for that time is 2^4 pounds, making a total 

 gain of 675 pounds. In the same leng-th of time a dairy cow of 

 quality equal to that of the steer above assumed would produce, at 

 the very least, 6,000 pounds of milk. The dairy cow will require 

 for the production of her annual milk output less grain, less hay, 

 less grass and less range than will the steer in the production of 

 its 675 pounds of gain in weight. 



