304 ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



The Animal and the Soil. Attention has already been called 

 to the importance of feeding crops on the farm to stock instead 

 of selling them. In pasturing practically all the fertilizing ele- 

 ments are returned to the soil in the form of manure. In stable 

 feeding the manure can be collected and scattered later over 

 the farm. 



The Animal and the Crops. Frequently the market is glutted 

 with grain and other crops, and the gain or profit to the farmer 

 which he has a right to expect can only be realized by feeding 

 the crops to. stock. As a rule, the farmer who sells all his crops 

 does not prosper ; while the farmer who handles stock in connec- 

 tion with his farming and exercises good judgment in buying 

 his stock is successful. 



The Animal as an Eradicator of Pests. In weedy pastures 

 sheep and goats have been found very useful in cleaning up the 

 weeds. Hogs also are very serviceable in eating up the larvae 

 and grubs in the ground and in the fallen fruit in orchards. Chick- 

 ens and turkeys are useful in catching and destroying grasshoppers 

 and many other injurious insects. 



The Animal and Work. The ox, the horse, the mule, and the 

 burro all play an important part in the work of man. It is true 

 that steam and electricity and the gasoline engine may be made 

 to do much of the work formerly required of animals, but these 

 utilities will never entirely supplant the use of animals. There 

 will always be a demand for animals in plowing, hauling, driving, 

 and as the source of power for driving farm machinery, in spite 

 of the great advances made in cheapening the use of steam and 

 electricity. 



The Animal and its Products. A great deal of our food, 

 such as pork, beef, mutton, poultry, fish, eggs, fresh milk, con- 

 densed milk, butter, and cheese, we owe directly or indirectly 

 to animals. 



Other valuable products furnished by animals are wool, leather, 

 hair, horn, bone, feathers, glue, and certain waste products 

 valuable as fertilizers. 



The Animal and Diversified Farming. Animals need a va- 

 riety of foods, and this necessitates a variety of crops. This 

 leads to rotation of crops and incidentally to diversified farm- 



