GENERAL FEEDING 475 



cheaply than they could be furnished in the milk of dairy 

 cows kept on the same farm. Again, suppose swine are 

 grown largely on alfalfa pasture and fattened on peas which 

 they harvest in the field, while being fattened, food nutri- 

 ents will doubtless be furnished more cheaply in the pork 

 thus made, than they could be furnished by harvesting the 

 food and feeding it to other animals. It is not wise to con- 

 clude, therefore, that because as stated by Lawes and Gil- 

 bert, a mature cattle beast calls for 12 to 13 pounds of 

 dry matter to make a pound of increase, and mature sheep 

 call for but 8 to 9 pounds to make the same, growing mut- 

 ton is under all conditions more profitable than growing 

 beef. Under some conditions beef can be profitably grown 

 where mutton cannot and vice versa. Again, there are 

 conditions where either can be more profitably produced 

 than milk or milk products. The important matter is to 

 produce each of these products with reference to highest 

 adaptation for producing them 



