36 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



meal at 1 1-16 cts. per 11)., or $5.40, or total of $12.15, plus pas- 

 turing $5 more, or total of $17.15. The first of November thej' 

 averaged 500 lbs. at 4 cents per lb. The mothers were worth more 

 than the fall before by growth, and the two or three months of 

 milking remaining. Spring calves could be fed undoubtedly to 

 better advantage on skim milk, grain and pasture crops up to 400 

 or 500 lbs., and then sold for veal. I weighed everything for two 

 calves in barn and on costlier winter food ; skim milk at 4 mills, hay 

 at $10 per ton, and mixed corn and cotton seed meal and bran. 

 The gain for 86 da3'S ending Februar}- 24, was 4^ lbs. daih'. The 

 average cost 3 1-17 cents per lb. The}- were worth some over 4 

 cents per lb. I do not know how extensive a market can be found 

 for such baby beef. It is quite easy to carr^^ a March calf over to 

 eighteen months of age or in earl}- September, and obtain 1000 lbs. 

 of nice beef, at 4 cents per lb., live weight, if the qualit}" is made 

 what it ma}- be made. Cost, 20 days to 7 quarts new milk at 2 cents, 

 $2.80, sixty days more until pasturing, 8 quarts skim milk daily, 

 and total of hay 60 lbs., and 75 lbs. of mixed meal. Hay is rated 

 at $10 per ton and mixed meal at 1 ^ cents per lb. Cost, 60 days 

 to June 1st, $3.16. To November 1st, pasturing $1.00, 6 quarts 

 skim milk daily and 2 lbs. mixed grains at pasture, cost $8.35. The 

 calf will then weigh 550 lbs., at a cost of $14.37. The skim 

 milk is rated at 4 mills a quart. It will require Ij tons of hay to 

 winter, and 3 lbs. mixed grains, at a cost of $21.75. It will require 

 at pasture 3 lbs. of grain daily. This, coupled with pasture at 

 $4.00 will make a cost of $10.75. The steer will gain for the year 

 1| lbs. daily and will, September 1st, weigh 1189 lbs., and be easily 

 saleable at 4 cents per lb. or $47.56. Cost $46.87. The gain of 

 2 lbs. the first summer is moderate, and 1| for the next year not 

 excessive on a young thrifty beast, grained the year round and six 

 months at the barn. Poorer goods have sold to go to Boston fre- 

 quently in my section this fall, and I regard the price as below the 

 probable selling value. I sold several grade Durham steers this fall, 

 averaging 1100 each, at two years of age fed by a slower process, 

 from the fact that I am obliged to hire pasturing from home. They 

 had very much of their food weighed, and hence with them I can 

 make very close calculation. The first three weeks they were fed on 

 new milk. The following nine weeks on skim milk and grain. I 

 paid $1.00 for pasturing. They came to the barn weighing 422 lbs. 

 and costing $6.73. They were wintered with 10 lbs. of hay and 3 



