428 Report of Farmers' Institutes 



of these trials was cottonseed meal and hulls, silage being 

 added in various amounts. Silage proved more efficient than John- 

 son-gTass haj as a supplement to the basal ration of cottonseed 

 meal and hulls. In the same year, in determining the cost of 

 fattening on pasture by supplementing the pasture with grain 

 feed, they concluded that such a practice was not in that case 

 profitable. They report other trials, however, where fattening On 

 pasture by supplementing with grain did prove to be profitable. 

 They found that providing shelter for the steers did not make any 

 material difference in the rate of gains, and therefore conclude 

 that this expense is not necessary. 



Pennsylvania Station reports quite an extensive series of inves- 

 tigations covering a great many years; and, while in some years 

 profits were small, they believe that consistent profits have been 

 made. The large number of cattle fed in some of the sections of 

 the eastern part of the state, particularly in Lancaster County, is 

 indicative of the confidence the farmers there have in cattle breed- 

 ing. In the western part of the state many beef cattle are raised 

 as well as steers fattened. In Bulletin 138 of the Pennsylvania 

 Station they describe in detail the cost and methods of handling 

 beef-breeding animals. They find the cost of maintaining a 

 beef-breeding cow for a year to be $3-1. Heifers at 30 months 

 of age for breeding purposes cost less than their market value as 

 beef. They conclude that beef production can be made profitable 

 under present Pennsylvania conditions where the breeding herd is 

 maintained largely on roughage during the winter and on pastiu-e 

 during the summer, when cattle of insured beef type are raised. 



I refer any who may be interested in the details of feeding 

 and management to the bulletins of the stations mentioned above. 



FARM MANURES VERSUS COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS 



Dr. T. H. Eaton 



Columbia University 

 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES 



The addition of materials to the land for the sake of improve- 

 ment of crop yields is only one of the ways in which man is able 

 to control the growth of plants. It is but a supplement and aid to 



