BREEDING BEEF CATTLE 173 



per acre for raising beef calves as other land valued at 

 llOO, or even more. In considering the question of the 

 market value of the land in reference to the cost of pro- 

 ducing calves, it is, therefore, necessary to know what 

 makes the land valuable. If it is its exceptional adapta- 

 bility for the production of beef, all well and good, but 

 if its high value is due to its location, or its expensive 

 equipment, these things, which may add greatly to the 

 market value of the land, also materially add to the 

 cost of rearing calves. Undoubtedly, there was a time 

 when the market value of land in the corn-belt appre- 

 ciated because of its discovered unusual possibilities for 

 growing corn, which was almost exclusively used for 

 live-stock production, and more particularly used for 

 fattening cattle. In recent years, however, lands in the 

 corn-belt have not risen in value primarily because of 

 their ability to raise more corn, to feed more cattle, to 

 buy more hogs, etc. Cattle feeding has become but an 

 incident in the corn raising and marketing territory. 



As a result of these changing conditions, it is ob- 

 served that cattle production is shifting from the high- 

 priced corn-belt farms to the cheaper lands of the East, 

 West, North, and South. Especially is this true of the 

 raising of feeding cattle, a subject of which the present 

 discussion forms an important part. High-priced corn- 

 belt farms have long since ceased to possess advantages 

 in cattle raising as distinct from cattle fattening. 



To intelligently discuss the cost of production of a 

 beef calf it is necessary to assume that certain conditions 

 obtain. It must be known, for example, that the land 

 has a definite market value, upon which valuation it is 

 reasonable to demand a fair interest. It must be as- 

 sumed also that the land selected to illustrate the poin* 

 in hand must be fairly well adapted for cattle raising. 

 That is, it must produce satisfactorily a variety of 

 grasses and clovers for pasture and hay, and corn, oats 

 or other feeds suitable for the production of cattle. That 

 is to say, whatever value the land possesses, the value 



