FARM ANIMALS 149 



on silage, roots, hay and soiling crops fed to them 

 in the stable or open shed with the addition of a 

 suitable grain ration. The acreage required, there- 

 fore, for the maintenance of dairy stock is not a 

 serious proposition, partly for the reason that dairy 

 cows are able to utilize legumes and other coarse 

 foods to an extent which is possible with no other 

 animal. 



Then, too, there is a striking difference in the 

 economy of milk production and beef production. 

 From a long series of careful tests it has been 

 found that a dairy cow can make a pound of 

 milk out of a pound of dry matter in her feed 

 while the best Deef steers of the most improved 

 breeds require from ten to fifteen pounds of feed 

 to make a pound of beef. In other words it 

 requires about ten times as much food to produce 

 a pound of beef on the beef steer as a pound 

 of milk from the milch cow. The relative economy 

 in these two lines of industry is not at once apparent 

 from this statement. In the first place, it may be 

 objected to this unfavorable showing for the beef 

 steer that his value for beef is much higher than 

 that of the dairy cow and that her only value lies 

 in the production of milk. On ihs other hand 

 the dairy cow at the end of her period of usefulness 

 in milk production may be fattened so as to yield 

 a fairly good carcass of beef, and she thus pays for 

 her keep during the time when she is not producing 

 milk. It must be admitted that beef is the most 

 expensive form of animal product which we can 

 produce. The beef steer requires fully one-third 

 more food to produce a pound of beef than does the 

 sheep for the production of a pound of mutton. 

 Similarly, the Deef steer requires twice as much 

 food in making a pound of beef as does the pig in 



