THE YOUNG FARMER 



if maize is worth fifty cents a bushel, the 

 grain required to produce a pound of 

 increase in live weight will cost about 5 

 cents ; if 40 cents a bushel, 4 cents ; if 30 cents 

 a bushel, 3 cents ; and so on. 



COST OF PRODUCING SHEEP 



In the classic investigations by Lawes and 

 Gilbert, food containing 100 pounds of dry 

 matter produced a live-weight increase of 

 nine pounds in steers and 1 1 pounds in 

 sheep. At the Wisconsin station, sheep 

 required less food than steers per pound of 

 gain. During rapid fattening of sheep 500 

 pounds of clover hay and 400 pounds of 

 maize may produce 100 pounds of increase 

 in live weight. While swine require a less 

 weight of food for a pound of increase than 

 sheep, on account of the more digestible 

 character of the food eaten, yet the Wiscon- 

 sin station found that the expense of produc- 

 ing a pound of increase was less in sheep on 

 account of the less expensive character of 

 the food. 



1 88 



