REASONS FOR ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



as well as the capital originally invested in 

 the animals. Many a farmer has seen the 

 gradual accumulations of years rapidly melt 

 away in the presence of some contagious 

 disease. Tuberculosis in cattle, cholera in 

 hogs and liver rot in sheep are striking ex- 

 amples of diseases that have caused the 

 farmers of this country untold losses. 



(3) When an animal has been properly 

 fattened he must be sold. If held for any 

 great length of time, not only is there a con- 

 stant outlay for food to maintain the animal, 

 but the condition of the animal may actually 

 deteriorate. Hence it is not possible to hold 

 animals for a better market for a long 

 period of time, as is possible in the case of 

 the cereal grains. 



(4) Serious losses may occur where profit 

 was expected through a rise in the price of 

 foodstuffs. Scarcity in food supplies, due 

 to an unfavorable season, often compels the 

 stockman to sacrifice animals that he has 

 been raising for two or three years. It is 

 sometimes asserted that, although society 

 suffers from short crops, the farmer is bene- 



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