The United States leads the world in the production of swine. In an official estimate of January 1, 1915, she is credited with 64,618,000, which is more than three times as Germany, her nearest competitor. In the United States swine are produced chiefly in the central section of the country, generally spoken of as the "corn belt". This is largely due to the profitable returns made from corn when it is fed to swine. Sixteen per cent of the nutrients of corn fed to the average hog is returned in pork, while only three per cent is returned in beef.