Nutrition Studies. 



79 



ox or sheep, but its food is much more concentrated and digestible. 

 Therefore a smaller proportion is consumed in the work of diges- 

 tion and assimilation, leaving a larger surplus for producing gain. 

 102. Returns from feed. The following by Jordan 1 shows the 

 amount of food suitable for man returned by the different classes of 

 farm animals for each 100 Ibs. of digestible matter consumed. 



Human food produced ~by farm animals from 100 Ibs. of digestible matter 



consumed. 



The table, which presents one side of a most complicated problem, 

 shows that for 100 Ibs. of digestible nutrients consumed: 



The cow yields about 139 Ibs. of milk, containing 18 Ibs. of solids, 

 practically all digestible. 



The pig produces about 25 Ibs. of dressed carcass. Allowing for 

 water, bone, and gristle, there remains over 15 Ibs. of edible dry 

 meat. 



The steer and sheep yield less than 10 Ibs. of dressed carcass, 

 nearly half of which is water. Deducting this and the bone and 

 gristle, there remains only from 2.6 to 3.2 Ibs. of water-free edible 

 meat. 



The cow easily leads all farm animals in her power to convert the 

 crops of the field into human food, with the pig second, poultry fol- 

 lowing, and the steer and sheep coming lowest. 



1 The Feeding of Animals. 



