FARMERS INSTITUTES. 



273 



Table 'II. Cattle — Cost of Gain Compared with Pigs. 



station . 



Kind of cattle. 



Feed for 100 lbs. gain. 



Corn, 

 lbs. 



Hay, lbs. 



Kansas . 

 Kansas . 

 Kansas . 

 Kansas . 

 Missouri 

 Missouri 

 Missouri 

 Missouri 



126 heifer calves.. 



4 steers 



4 steers, same lot. 

 4 steers, same lot. 

 4 steers, yearlings 

 4 steers, yearlings 

 4 2-year old steers 

 4 2-year old steers 



7 months. 

 26 montiis . 

 36 months. 

 26 months. 

 20 months. 

 20 months. 

 31 months. 

 31 months. 



408 

 900 

 900 

 900 

 813 

 900 

 1,150 

 1.197 



210 



56 



140 



1>S2 



80 



80 



119 



119 



503 

 730 

 910 



1,000 

 605 

 300 



1,140 

 837 



.508, alfalfa 



Alfalfa daily 



Alfalfa dally 



Alfalfa daily 



1,420, timothy.... 



909, clover 



470, timothy 



220, cow pea hay. 



In Table I the facr t' at gains are niiifcnniy made for less expendi- 

 ture on young animals than on older and larger ones is clearly shown. 

 A great many experiment stations have tested this matter, and in the 

 table is shown that pigs weighing 25 to 50 pounds make a gain of 100 

 pounds for a little over one-half the amount of grain required to make 

 the same gains on pigs weighing 300 pounds and over. The same prin- 

 ciple holds good in cattle feeding. Referring to Table II, you notice the 

 cheapest gains are on calves and the most expensive on the large steers. 

 But the purpose of introducing the table on cattle feeding is to make 

 the comparison of cost of putting on gain as between cattle and pigs. 

 The cheapest gain made on pigs, average of 41 trials of different sta- 

 tions, averages 293 pounds of grain, not necessarily corn in every case, 

 but as a rule a balanced ration was fed. Compare this with some of the 

 cheapest gains made by cattle. In the case of the calves reported by 

 the Kansas Station it is claimed to be the cheapest production of babv 

 beef on record, yet it took 503 .pounds of corn plus 508 pounds of alfalfa 

 hay to produce 100 pounds of gain, amounting to at least the equivalent 

 of 750 pounds of grain such as was fed to the pigs. Look through the 

 tables and you will find the general testimony verifies the statement as 

 to the productive uses the pig makes of his feed. Take the highest re- 

 quirement for the pig at the weight of 320 pounds, viz., 537 pounds : 

 compare with the requirement of the large beef steer, viz., 1,140 pounds 

 of grain plus 470 pounds of timothy hay, equal to a total of at least 1.300 

 pounds of grain, such as was given to the pig to produce 100 pounds of 

 gain. 



CHEAPENING PORK PRODUCTION. 



But the main problem that confronts us now is how may we cheapen 

 production of pork? Or, in other words, and more directly stated, how 

 may we make the feeds we give our pigs more efficient? More produc- 



.d.— 18 



