viii FEEDS AND FEEDING 



total value of all the horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and swine on January 1, 

 1922, was estimated to be about $4,780,000,000. 



As the population of our country becomes more dense, most naturally 

 and properly a smaller portion of the crops raised will be fed to animals 

 and a larger part consumed directly by humans. This change must come 

 with the increased demand for human food, since even high-producing 

 animals are able to convert only a part of the feed they eat into food for 

 our consumption. However, the actual condition is surprising. While 

 our population has increased 39 per cent during the 20-year period, 1900 

 to 1920, the number of beef cattle and sheep has actually decreased 

 during the past 20 years, and the number of swine has increased but 

 15 per cent. Dairy cows alone kept pace with the increase in population. 

 These data show clearly that if meat is to continue to hold its place in 

 our diet, first of all consumers must fully understand the importance of 

 meat as a food and be willing to pay a price fair to the producer. Also, 

 American farmers must more thoroly appreciate the advantages of stock 

 farming and better understand the principles and methods which are 

 essential to its success. 



2. Live-stock farming and soil fertility. Lured by the high prices 

 which ruled for grain and other crops during the World War, many 

 farmers all over the country have sold their crops for cash, rather than 

 following the wiser plan of marketing a portion thru the feeding of live 

 stock, and thereby maintaining a balanced agriculture. Seldom have 

 they realized that with every ton of grain thus sold they are removing 

 from their farms $8 to $10 worth of fertility. The loss thru such mining 

 of the soil is gradual, but in a comparatively few years there will result 

 none the less surely worn-out fields, lacking in plant food and humus, 

 which must ever afterwards be fed with fertilizers to secure fair crops. 

 However, if a part of the crops is fed to live stock and proper care 

 taken of the resulting manure, most of the fertility may be retained on 

 the farm, and the need of commercial fertilizers long delayed. Under 

 intensive stock farming, where more or less milling by-products rich in 

 fertilizing constituents are usually purchased and fed on the farm, the 

 land will even become richer and more productive year by year, with 

 but little need for commercial fertilizers. 



3. Utilization of waste feed and land unsuited for tillage. In exclusive 

 grain farming the large amount of roughage, such as straw and corn 

 stover, which results as a by-product in the growing of the cash crops is 

 not utilized in most instances. Such materials are merely in the way and 

 are disposed of in the easiest manner, often by burning, without regard 

 for the loss of vegetable matter, so much needed by the soil. In a well- 

 planned system of stock husbandry all these materials are utilized for 

 feed or bedding. Much forage which can not be consumed by humans 

 and would otherwise be wasted is thus refined thru the agency of animals 

 and converted into a form suitable for the nourishment of man, while 



