Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-10-24
The Cost ofProducins Meat.

40 OVoe VA 1VSA4CA0X A00Gs
When. with the aid of science, the
farmer can 90 govern his operations a
to regulate the cost of production, and
adapt his pastures and crops to special
objects, he will not only be enabled to
convert his produce into the most salea-
bic commodities, but understand how to
secure the greatest amount at the lowest
cost. In order to determine the relative
value OF different feeding materials, Pro
lessor Brown, of the Ontario Expert
mental Farm, devoted nine years to care
ful experiments for that purpose, and
his results show that while q greater and
more rapid increase OF flesh is secured
from certain feeding materials, yet they
are not always the cheapest. The heav-
lest weight per day is obtained by feed
ing sugar peet, assisted by hay and q
mixture of grain, which gave go pounds
at cost of III cents per pound, while
permanent pasture produced 2O5 pounds
at cost of only 2 cents per pound.
No doubt the difference in cost was the
labor of preparing the food, the pastures
being ready for the stock, while the
mixed diet was prepared. There was al
SO difference in the quality of the pas
ture. Permanent grass gave better re-
suits than pasture from which crop Of
hay had been taken, as the hay pasture
produced only l Is pounds at cost of
cents per pound.
Even when using hay it's value de.
ponds upon its preparation ard qualit
Hay, roots and bran, without grain
gave daily gain of pa pounds, at a
cost of 9 cents. per pound; but the most
costly food, though apparently the
cheapest, was uncut hay and roots, with
bran and corn, which produced LIE
pounds, at cost of IA cents per pound
while cooked hay, roots and bran, with
knocked grain, gave $50 pounds, at a
cost of only cents per pound. Thus il
appears that cutting the hay added to
the profit and lessened the cost; for
while the uncut hay and roots, with bran
and corn, gave l.76 pounds, at cost Of a
fraction over II cents a pound. Here
we have more labor employed in order
to cut the hay, but the daily gain was
sufficiently large to more than compen-
safe for the labor and lessen the cost of
production. Although turnips and man.
Colds are considered cheap feeding ma
terials, and gave large daily gains when
used in connection with other foods, yet
they did not lessen the cost to the ex-
tent expected, for when mangolds were
fed with hay and mixture of grain, al
though the daily gain was 23S pounds,
yet the cost per pound was 1O3 cents.
Turnips fed in the same manner gave
nearly equal results.
The concentrated food gave good re-
suits on the gain, and in some cases were
cheaper than was supposed, but much
depended upon the manner in which
they were fed. Corn, with hay, roots
and bran, produced two pounds daily, at
a cost of 81 cents per pound. As this is
almost the same food that gave 1.76
pounds, at "a cents per pound, it is ow-
ing to the difference in proportions that
the cost varied. Oats fed in the same
manner as corn gave 1.64 pounds, at a
cost of 10 cents per pound.
From the above it is deduced that pro-
fit does not depend upon the rapidity of
gain in weight daily, but on the cost
per pound, and that the cost is regulated
not only by the labor required and the
value Of the food put upon the mode of
feeding and the preparation of the feed.
1t must be so varied as to attain the best
results in the cheapest manner, and the
kind of food does not effect the result 30
much as improperly mixing them or
giving an excess of something not re-
quired while emitting that which may
be very important. The value of feeding
materials should be studied by all farm
ers. The experiments mentioned above
show that a farmer may have valuable
amount of feeding material that might
be converted into beef, and yet such beet
would be costly unless the materials were
ed in such manner as to cause rapid in
crease at the least expense. The addi-
ion of single material may alter the
result, and even the character and quail
ty of the stock are important factors in
he matter.