FACTORS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION 165 



According to a writer in Country Life in America for 

 July, 1905: 



It is a demonstrated fact that as the fattening period is prolonged the 

 cost of each pound of gain increases. In one experiment 730 Ib. of grain 

 we "e required for I oo Ib. of gain during the first two months (of the fatten- 

 ing period), while 1000 Ib. of grain were required for the same amount of 

 gain at the end of six months. It has been shown that in some cattle it 

 costs four times as much to produce a pound of meat at the end as at the 

 beginning of the feeding period. 



Again, according to the same authority : 



It is true that the cost of gain increases with the age of the animal (aside 

 from the period of forced fattening). From statistics covering feeding 

 experiments with more than 50,000 cattle of different ages, it appears that 

 the average daily gain in cattle at \ year of age is 2.3 Ib. ; at ii years, 2.09 

 Ib. : at 2\ years, 1.58 Ib. ; at 3! years, 1.44 Ib. ; at ^\ years 1.2 Ib. 



From these figures it ought to be sufficiently obvious that the 

 way to increase the supply of meat is not to allow animals to 

 grow to maturity, but to slaughter them as early as is consistent 

 with the tastes and desires of the consumers. Our pastures and 

 cornfields will yield more meat by supporting a larger number 

 of animals and slaughtering them at an early age, than by 

 supporting a smaller number for a longer period. Veal in 

 particular, since it is a by-product of dairying, is a cheap form 

 of meat. 



It is not in the matter of food alone that land may be econ- 

 omized by a change of habits. The substitution of cotton for 

 woolen clothing effec'ts also an enormous saving of land. As 

 much clothing can be made from the product of one acre of 

 coti:on as from the product of ten acres devoted to wool grow- 

 ing. Granting that the woolen clothing will last twice as long, 

 there is still a great saving of land. To be sure, cotton clothing 

 doc s not always serve the same purposes as woolen ; neverthe- 

 less, within certain limits or for certain purposes, the two are 

 substitutes for each other. Within these limits the preference 



