ECONOMY IN FEEDING LIVE STOCK 



113 



mals who wishes to develop the best there is in his young stock will 

 feed the concentrates needed to keep them growing rapidly. On the 

 other hand, the western beef producer may find it most profitable to 

 carry young stock thru the winter on roughage alone or with but a 

 small allowance of concentrates. Thus fed, they will gain in frame, 

 and, tho losing in flesh, will be thrifty enough in the spring to make 

 good gains on the cheap pasturage. 



Finish animals to meet demands of the market. — The wise stock- 

 man will keep in close touch with the demands of the market and ad- 

 just his feeding operations accordingly. If. the market pays a suf- 

 ficient premium for thoroly fattened animals, he will finish his stock 

 well before marketing them. On the other hand, for local markets 



Fig. 30. — A Beef Farm in Northeastern Kansas 



On this farm the bottom lands are in corn and the sloping hillsides in hay, 

 while the broken limestone hills in the background are suitable for pasture. 

 Here beef calves are raised and also fattened for market. (From U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture.) 



which pay no more for a prime carcass than for one carrying less fat, 

 it will not pay to prolong the fattening process or to feed as heavy an 

 allowance of concentrates as is necessary to make the carcass "ripe," 

 or thoroly fat. 



Adapt type of farming to local conditions. — It is outside the field 

 of this volume to discuss in detail the many factors which the stock- 

 man should take into consideration in deciding the type of live-stock 

 husbandry in which to engage and the systems and methods to follow. 

 The foregoing paragraphs serve to illustrate how the farm operations 

 and practices should be suited to local conditions, taking .into consid- 

 eration prices of land and labor, nearness to market, and available 

 crops. For example, the beef producer on high-priced land in the 



