REPORT OF MR. JAMEU MURRAY 383 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



Total cost of produce beef $ 857 53 



Sold 24,150 lbs at 5£ cts. less 5 per cent 1,077 87 



Profit on lot 220 34 



Net profit per steer 13 77 



Average buying price 35 33 



" selling price 67 36 



increase in value 32 03 



" cost of feed per steer 18 25 



Amount of grain eaten by lot lbs. 15,994 



" linseed meal " 744 



" bran " 736 



bay " 7,312 



straw " 14,315 



ensilage " 84,880 



" roots . . ." " 9,216 



The great difference in the cost of 100 pounds gain in the two lots is notable aa 

 in the case of these fed outside it is much greater than in the previous experimenta 

 conducted. It is clearly evident that the outside lot made poor use of the grain con- 

 sumed. The average daily ration amounted to slightly over 14 pounds per head per 

 day during the whole period and the average gain in weight was only one pound per 

 (bay. 



The poor gains are due mainly to the method of feeding outlined above. It was 

 evident to any one watching the progress of the cattle throughout the period that they 

 were not making such gains as would naturally have been expected from the feed 

 consumed but since the object of the experiment was to gain information it was not 

 thought advisable to change the method during the feeding period. 



Good gains were made until the middle of January. Hay had been fed aa 

 roughage up to that time and the grain ration had been gradually increased from 

 4 pounds per day to 10 pounds per day and was then increased steadily to full feed. 

 The cattle did not take kindly to the straw, in fact they ate very little of it and sub- 

 sisted almost entirely on the grain. The consequence was that many of them scoured 

 for a time and of course lost in weight. It took them several weeks to regain what 

 tbey had lost. 



The gains made from time to time are shown clearly by the following average 

 weights: — 



Date of Average weight 



weighing. of 20 steers. 



December 1 1,047 lbs. 



January 4 1.115 



February 2 1.090 '* 



March 2 1.115 



March 16 1.150 



April 1 - 1,179 



May 5 1,207 



It will be noted that the weight March 2, is the same as January 4, so that the 

 feed consumed during this period of two months, 19,825 lbs., was a straight loss. Had 

 it not been for this set back it is easy to compute a good profit instead of a slight loss. 



In figuring the gain or loss per head it should be remembered that the grain fed 

 is valued at $1 per hundred. The actual price realized on the grain fed the cattle 

 outside was 91-1 cents per hundred, a reasonably good price to say the least. 



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