42 LIVESTOCK ON THE FARM 



the feeds used are considered to be worth 1 cent per pound, 

 which seems to be a fair average considering that this includes 

 both roughages and concentrates and that the farmer thus has 

 a market for these products right at home. 



A 1500-pound horse at the rate of 6 pounds of feed for 1 

 pound of Hve weight can be produced on 9000 pounds of feed, 

 which will cost $90. Nebraska Bulletin, No. 130, shows that 

 a three-year-old horse, weighing 1218 pounds, can be pro- 

 duced at a cost of $54.42. Assuming that the interest on the 

 investment of stock, fencing, and buildings, and the deprecia- 

 tion in value of these, plus the labor expended in caring for the 

 animal is 40 per cent, of the cost of the feed, a horse at maturity 

 costs $126. Such a horse can easily be sold, if the proper kind 

 has been produced, at $200. This means a profit of $74 on 

 the transaction, besides saving of labor in hauling the feed 

 stuffs to market and in harvesting a considerable portion of 

 it. The colts in pasture do the harvesting under the con- 

 dition above mentioned without any expense to the farmer. 



A 1000-pound mule produced under the conditions men- 

 tioned above would cost about $90 and can easily be sold at 

 present prices for $200, yielding a profit of over $110 on the 

 feeds required to produce the one individual. 



A good cow can be maintained for a year in a high state of 

 production on about $40 worth of feed. Her product in calf 

 and butterfat or milk may range in value from $75 to $100 a 

 year. Taking the average figures and the labor, interest, etc., 

 at 60 per cent, of the value of the feed, such a cow returns a 

 profit of $23 a year more than the grain farmer obtains. 



A ewe can be maintained annually, where a moderate-sized 

 flock is kept on the average farm and the sheep are allowed to 

 gather what would otherwise go to waste, at a comparatively 

 small cost. Sheep do not need expensive shelter in winter, 

 they eat largely of rough feeds, and can be carried through 

 without very much labor. A ewe will produce a lamb, and 

 sometimes two, and an annual fleece which will sell for con- 

 siderably more than is required for its production. 



An 800-pound beef animal at 8 cents a pound is worth $64. 

 To grow such an animal at 6 pounds of feed for each pound of 

 live weight, allowing 25 per cent, of the cost of the feed for 



