REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST 73 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



and often mean sick animals ; warm quarters should be secured ; they save much meal. 

 Ventilation should be provided ; fresh air means health, and health means pounds of 

 beef. 



EARLY FALL FEEDING. 



A period of change in feeding beef animals is a period of loss. The measure of 

 loss in changing from pasture to stall feed is the amount of change in the quality of the 

 ration. The more nearly the first stall ration resembles the last pasture ration, the less 

 will be the loss. It is evident, therefore, that the first few weeks stall feeding rations 

 should be as nearly like grass in succulence and composition as possible. Roots and 

 clover hay come as near filling these requirements as it is possible to get. As much 

 roots as the animal can safely eat and all the clover hay he wants will make a fairly 

 well balanced and an entirely satisfactory ration. As the feeding period advances, 

 straw, if so desired, may be gradually introduced into the ration and meal added. The 

 amount of either should be small at first, and all increases or changes should be made 

 slowly. If corn ensilage is to form the basis of the ration for feeding it should be given 

 sparingly at first, and in full feed only when some meal is being fed. 



As already stated, succulence is an imperative requirement of early winter feeding. 

 Yet this is not all, for to ensure continued good gains and constant good health, suc- 

 culence or juiciness should be the marked peculiarity of the whole season's feeding. 



After 4 or 5 weeks feeding, meal may be profitably added to the roots, or ensilage 

 and straw, or hay. The kind fed usually depends on market prices of meal and the feeder's 

 convenience quite as much as upon the requirements of the animal. Much care should, 

 however, be exercised in deciding what meal ration to feed. Some sorts of meal are 

 much better suited for feeding with certain kinds of roughage than others. To illus- 

 trate, corn meal, ensilage and Timothy hay make a very bad combination which could 

 be materially improved by the substitution of pea meal, gluten, bran, cotton seed meal, 

 or even oat chop, for the corn meal. Of the above sorts of meal, any one of which is 

 well suited for feeding with ensilage, a mixture of equal parts of gluten, bran and oat 

 chop would be likely to prove the most economical meal ration. On the other hand, 

 the addition of bran for instance to a roughage ration of roots would be a mistake, oat 

 chop, however, or a mixture of oat, pea and barley meal is very well suited, and corn 

 meal may be used profitably, for feeding along with turnips or mangels. The reasons 

 for the above statements are obvious if the composition of the feed stuffs mentioned be 

 considered. Experiments at diff'erent places and at diiferent times, as well as the prac- 

 tice of many observant feeders also support the above remarks. 



The amount of meal to feed each day depends upon the size of the steer, the kind 

 of meal, the kind of roughage, and the more or less advanced stage of the fattening 

 process. Enough meal should be fed in the early stages or in fact at any stage to keep 

 the steer making good gains. The richer the meal in protein, the less is required at 

 any given time, since one of the principal reasons for feeding meal is to balance the 

 ration : that is, to make the proportion of protein to carbo-hydrates therein just right 

 for the most rapid and most economical production of flesh. To give the best results, 

 the grain and meal ration should be thoroughly mixed with the roots or ensilage. The 

 hay, or at least some of it, should be fed long. 



The feeding of steers loose or tied is largely a matter of convenience. The results 

 of most careful experiments appear to be slightly in favour of feeding loose, so far as 

 gains in weight are concerned. The care and work of feeding is, as a rule, less when 

 steers are fed loose, but the amount of straw or other litter required is very much 

 greater than when the steers are kept tied up. No small part of the success or failure 

 of steer operations is due to the man who does the actual work. The skilful, careful, 

 observant and kind feeder can bring steers out in the spring from twenty-five to seventy- 

 five per cent better on the same amount of feed than will the careless, rough or igno- 

 rant man. It is probably wise to conclude by saying that except under exceptional 

 circumstances no great profits over and above the cost of food, "shelter and labour need 

 be expected from steer feeding, but a home market for feed grown on the farm and all 



