1908.] Cost of Producing Beef in Winter. 259 



Table III. — Cost of Gain. — Increases with Length of 

 Fattening Period. 



Period. 



Gained 



per 

 Week. 



. 



Cost 

 per 

 Week. 



Cake 

 per 

 Week. 



No. of 

 Beasts. 



Winters. 



•J 



Cost per 



14 lb. 

 Increase. 



1st month 



2nd ,, 

 3rd ,, 

 4th „ 

 5th „ 



Lb. 



I3'9 

 13-6 

 17-1 

 7'4 

 5*5 



% d. 



6 6 



7 4 



8 2 

 8 2 

 8 2 



Lb. 



42 



56 

 70 

 70 

 70 



60 | 



60 

 60 

 60 

 30 



1896- 97 



1897- 98 

 ?> 



3> 



1896-97 



s, d. 



} 6 6i 



5 9i 

 10 6 

 17 9 



The result in the last week is perhaps too bad to be applied 

 generally, as it is only one winter's trial. We may assume 

 that the increase of carcase-weight in gain of live-weight will 

 have risen to 80 per cent., as a bullock fed for 20 weeks 

 will be riper than one, which, as in the previous calculation, 

 had only been fed for 16 weeks. Taking then the figures in 

 Table III slightly modified as a basis, the following statement 

 may be given : — 20 weeks' keep yields 18 stone, or 252 lb., 

 live- weight ; 80 per cent, of 252 lb. gives 201 lb. dead- weight, 

 which at ys. 3d., costs £y 5s. or just over 8^d. per lb., or 9s. ud. 

 per 14 lb. If we assume that the increase in live-weight yields 

 88 per cent, of carcase, it will cost just over y\d., or gs. id. a 

 stone. 



Price of " Stores." — -We now come to the most salient point 

 of all : the price paid for the store cattle put up to fatten. 

 It has been put on record* by Messrs. Albert Pell, Mcjannett, 

 and Clare Sewell Read that in their opinion stores are often 

 bought at more per cwt. live-weight than they realise per cwt. 

 as lat beasts. Observation leads one to endorse that view. 

 Moreover, the cost of beef will be greater than the estimates 

 given unless the carcase-weight of the store beast is bought 

 at the same price as the fat bullock makes for beef. The 

 following statement shows what a feeder may pay for the 

 carcase-weight of a lean store if he gives the same price per 

 cwt. live-weight for a store as he receives for the fat bullock : — 



* R.A.S.E. Journal, 1889, " On Weighing Live Stock," by A. Pell, 1902; The 

 Farmer and Stock- Breeder, " The Margin of Profit between Store and Fat Cattle," by 

 J. D. Mcjannett; Bath and West Journal, 1896-1897, " Store Stock," by Clare 

 Sewell Read. ; 



R 2 



