32 Western Live-stock Management 
of their sustenance even under these conditions is derived 
from the range. On the other hand, the range has no 
value for hogs or dairy cattle, and if the live-stock indus- 
try was confined to these two kinds of stock, all of the im- 
mense areas of range and pasture land would go unutilized. 
Both the dairy cattle and hogs can use some pasture, but 
it must be of exceptional quality, such as is produced on 
the tillable lands and not the scattering bunch-grass and 
sage-brush found upon the ranges. 
The labor necessary in proportion to the gross income, 
or in proportion to the capital invested, is very small 
with horses and beef cattle as compared with dairy cattle, 
while sheep and hogs occupy an intermediate place. One 
man can take care of beef cattle to the value of perhaps 
$20,000, while $1000 invested in good grade dairy cows 
will give him all the work he can take care of. With 
sheep he could probably handle an investment of $3000 
to $5000 and with hogs about the same. 
The relative advantages and disadvantages of the 
various kinds of stock are also affected by their prolificacy 
and by their quickness of maturity. The time elapsing 
from the date at which the females are bred until the 
progeny are of marketable age is about as follows: hogs, 
9 months; sheep, 12 months; beef cattle, 3 to 4 years; 
horses, 5 to 6 years. The offspring of 100 head of fe- 
males of breeding age will average in twelve months as 
follows: Hogs (2 litters), 1000; hogs (1 litter), 500; 
sheep, 85; cattle, 70; horses, 50. This of course has 
much bearing on the relative investment in breeding- 
stock and the percentage of income from it. With horses 
the gross income on the investment in stock will be about 
20 per cent per annum, while with hogs it will be about 
700 per cent. All of these factors must be considered in 
