14 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



for fertilizer. An acre of blue grass in the season 

 of 1909, when pastured with hogs at the rate of 14 

 hogs per acre for a period of 140 days, was worth, 

 after deducting the value of the corn used to sup- 

 plement the pasture, $18.80. An acre of clover 

 pastured by 12 hogs 90 days, under similar con- 

 ditions yielded $37.59; rape, oats and clover in 

 1909, 10 hogs for 78 days, $22.02; cowpeas, 12 hogs 

 for 32 days, $17.71 ; corn and cowpeas, 10 hogs for 

 32 days, $35.40. These figures speak for them- 

 selves. 



While it is true that at different times and under 

 unusual conditions, which have been unfavorable 

 for live stock production, grain growing has seemed 

 more profitable, this is not true at present, nor will 

 it be permanently true until the various grain and 

 forage crops fed to stock come into more general 

 use in the human dietary. Some of the farm crops, 

 such as the various hay crops and coarse grains, 

 will never be very generally used for human food, 

 consequently they must always be employed in the 

 production of live stock. As long as these crops 

 are grown in a country, farm animals must be 

 raised. 



If, according to popular belief, the increased popu- 

 lation eventually forces live stock production out, 

 Illinois lands may be used to produce crops suited 

 to human food. Under conditions which will pre- 

 vail for a great many decades, however, this is not 

 likely to occur. Statistics do not prove that as 

 population becomes more dense there is neces- 

 sarily a decrease in live stock. On this point a lot of 

 data collected by Professor Mumford is of par- 

 ticular interest. The following tables showing the 

 number of the various kinds of live stock, per capita, 

 for dates and countries indicated, are illuminating: 



