94 THE NEW BUSINESS OF FABMING 



era may kill off a drove of hogs ; liver-rot may 

 devastate a flock of sheep. Scarcity of food 

 may put the price of hay and grain at a figure 

 that spells loss; for live stock cannot be held 

 indefinitely but must be sold as soon as they 

 are finished or they will eat their heads off. 



But live stock is needed on the business farm 

 to provide continuous work for the men, to con- 

 vert low-grade food-stuffs into high-grade, and 

 to keep up the fertility of the land in as eco- 

 nomical a manner as possible. 



Animals require more care in winter than in 

 summer. The winter care comes at a time when 

 the farmer would not otherwise be employed 

 and therefore may be considered as cheap la- 

 bor. Much of the summer "chore" time comes 

 before and after regular hours of work in cul- 

 tivating and harvesting the crops and so sum- 

 mer care of the dairy does not come into direct 

 competition with labor done within the ordinary 

 hours of the day. 



Cows will eat hay that would not command 

 a market price and convert it into milk and 

 cream ; sheep will clean up what the cows leave ; 



