Live Stock Breeders' Association. 203 



of great value. The feeding of mixed or balanced grain rations 

 comprised more work than all the others combined. When mixed 

 rations, mostly balanced rations, were fed in connection with roots 

 or silage, it required 712 pounds of grain to make 100 pounds of 

 gain with cattle. With hogs it required only 359 pounds of grain 

 to 100 pounds of gain, and with sheep it required 370 pounds grain 

 to 100 pounds of gain. The cattle required 572 pounds of hay and 

 the sheep 382 pounds. When the same kind of rations were fed, 

 with the addition of roots and silage, the average is 914 pounds of 

 grain per 100 pounds gain for the cattle, 435 pounds for the hogs 

 and 383 pounds for the sheep. 



Now, we were considerably surprised at the results of our 

 investigations, and so much so that we went over the matter a 

 second time, in order to get at the truth of this matter; but so 

 far as I am able to compare the information gained, this is a fairly 

 accurate comparison. Now some one may offer the suggestion 

 immediately that we do not know how old these animals were, 

 which is true. As it happens, however, most of the cattle fed were 

 two years old, and most of the sheep fed were lambs, and most of 

 the hogs fed were hogs under 200 pounds. The hogs and sheep 

 were comparatively younger than the cattle ; but in answer to that 

 it may be said that this represents the actual conditions. The 

 greatest amount of mutton produced in the United States is pro- 

 duced from feeding lambs, and the greatest amount of beef from 

 feeding two-year-old cattle, and the figures represent fairly the 

 average kind of hogs fed. So these figures are comparable as 

 representing the particular kinds of animal machines that are used 

 to make over the products of the farm into the finished product: 



TABLE II— YOUNG ANIMALS— GRAIN>EQUIRED FOR 100 POUNDS GAIN— ALL RE 



CEIVED SKIM MILK. 



The above table (II) illustrates the relative efficiency of cattle, 

 sheep and hogs of similar ages. It must be said, however, that the 

 number of experiments on this point are limited, and I do not, 

 therefore, place the same weight upon this table that I do upon 

 the results in table I. 



It is then a comparison between calves, pigs and lambs. The 

 Iowa Experiment Station found that calves fed on skim milk re- 



