85 



during the first year 42 per cent over their weights in tlie 

 spring. The same steers made during their second year 

 an increase of 44 per cent, over their weights of the sec- 

 ond spring. In other A^ords, there was little difference 

 in the profits during the two years, in spite of the differ- 

 ence in the age. 



Loss of iceiyht by range cattle during icinter. — The 

 management of tliis herd of cattle included many mat- 

 ters, which in the opinion of the writers, were at fault, 

 or could have heen improved; for example, the almost 

 exclusive purchase of scruh or grade Jersep cattle rather 

 than the raising of calves from the owner's cows and 

 sired by a thoroughbred bull of any of the beef breeds. 

 Another great mistake in management, we belive, con- 

 sisted in requiring the cattle to subsist throughout the 

 entire winter without any food whatsoever except wliat 

 they could obtain on the range from canebrakes, cotton 

 stalks, corn stalks, etc. Since our weighing was not 

 made until May of each year, when the cattle had been 

 on pasturage for about a month, it is not possible to esti- 

 mate exactly the amount of decrease in live weight oc- 

 curring between the time that the fall pasturage failed 

 and that the grasses put out in the spring. 



Of 22 animals of all ages weighed October 1, 1901, at 

 least a month before pasturage greatly deteriorated, and 

 again weighed May 7, about six weeks after the pastures 

 put out in spring, 64 per cent lost in weight during this 

 period of six and a half months. 



The losses in weight would have been much greater 

 had our weighings been made about November 15th and 

 April 1st. 



It is believed that the shrinkage in live weight during 

 the winter, the utter loss of all food obtained from past- 

 ure and range from October to May, and the consider- 

 able number of deaths during tlie winter, more than 

 counterbalance the saving of feed, which is the only 

 point of advantage claimed for this system. Our advice 

 is to winter only so many cattle and those of such qual- 

 ity that it Avill be feasible and profitable to supply them 

 with hay, if not with both hay and cotton seed, after the 

 pastures or ranges fail in December, January, or Feb- 

 ruary. 



