406 . The Feeding of Animals 



Relation of food to product— continued 



Produced by 100 lbs. digestible or- 

 ganic mattei in ration. 

 Marketable Edible 



product solids 



lbs. lbs. 



Swine, general average, carcass 25. 15.6 



Pigs, Iowa, carcass 25.7 16.1 



Calves, live weight 63.7 



Calves, carcass 36.5 8.1 



Fowl, large, live weight 19.6 



Fowl, small, live weight 19.6 



Fowl, dressed carcass, average 15.6 4.2 



Broilers, live weight 28,7 



Broilers, dressed carcass 23.8 3.5 



Eggs 19.6 5.1 



It may properly be said of the foregoing figures 

 that they are only averages and that the relation of 

 food to production varies with different animals of tlie 

 same class and with the conditions involved. While 

 this is true, the relations shown in the preceding 

 calculations represent differences too wide to be ex- 

 plained on any other ground than that the various 

 animal products have greatly unlike food cost. 



The most noticeable fact brought out by this com- 

 parison is the low relative food cost of milk and other 

 dairy products. The growth of a pound of edible 

 beef solids requires a food expenditure nearly seven 

 times as great as is necessary for the elaboration of 

 a pound of milk solids. On the other hand, swine' 

 are fed with nearly as great economy as are milch 

 cows. In fact, when proper allowance is made for 

 the period of growth of the cow and for the annual 

 periods when she is giving no milk, she seems to have 



