LIVESTOCK FARMING 31 



Waste Feeds. Kitchen slops, damaged and scattered grain, 

 and similar things would often be wasted were it not for meat- 

 producing animals. Slops from the kitchen, when used 

 fresh and not loaded with broken glass, soap and washing 

 powders, make the best kind of hog feed. They are usually 

 rich in all the substances that are necessary to make hogs 

 grow and fatten. Many times, again, a farmer has soft corn, 

 caused by an early frost which is practically worthless on the 

 grain market, but which makes good hog feed. Sometimes 

 grain spoils in the bin by dampness or by heating or sometimes 

 great quantities of grain become damaged by elevator fires. 

 All such grains make good hog feed, and, indirectly therefore, 

 human food. On most farms also by shattering, lodging, 

 hailstorms, etc., a good deal of grain is left in fields after 

 harvest. Without stock this would be wasted while with 

 livestock it becomes a source of profit and adds to the suste- 

 nance and comfort of the human race. 



The Labor Problem. On the livestock farm there is rela- 

 tively more work in winter and less in summer than on the 

 grain farm. This makes a much more equal distribution of 

 labor during the year and enables the livestock farmer to 

 employ a higher class of help at a lower wage than the grain 

 farmer. This gives economy of production also, and con- 

 sequently more profit. 



Expense of Harvesting. The expense of harvesting machin- 

 ery for the grain farm, already mentioned, consists of the origi- 

 nal investment, repairs, depreciation, interest, taxes, storage 

 room, etc. There is also the work of harvesting, caring for, 

 gathering in, threshing, and marketing grain to be counted. 

 With the grazing of livestock most of this work and expense 

 is eliminated though the construction and maintenance of 

 fences must be considered (and will be later). Stock or 

 feeder cattle and sheep obtain the greater part of their sus- 

 tenance by grazing. The grain they are fed and the shelter 

 necessary for winter are very small items when compared 

 with the expenses of grain farming. 



FENCES 



The cost of fencing is considered by many a serious handi- 

 cap in establishing a livestock farm. Many, therefore, fence 



