Live Stock Breeders' Association. 143 



It will be well perhaps to discuss the Canadian and Kansas 

 results separately from the Missouri results, inasmuch as they are 

 for winter feeding while ours are for summer feeding, and for the 

 further reason that no attempt was made by these experimenters 

 to have the condition of the animals at the close of the experiment 

 the same. On the basis, therefore, of feeding the cattle of the 

 various ages the same length of time and on feeds of essentially the 

 same character, it is to be observed : 



1. That, on the whole, the calves gained somewhat more 

 rapidly than did the older cattle, although the difference in the 

 rate of gain between the cattle of the various ages is very small 

 and might be easily attributed to difference in their condition. 



It will be observed that the average of the five experim-ents at 

 the Ottawa Station was as follows : 



Calves — Average daily gain . 



Yearlings— 



Two-yeal-olds — "' 

 Three-yeai-olds — " 



Founds. 

 1.84 

 1.61 

 1.77 

 1.75 



It is to be observed that in general the gains were low, which 

 is to be accounted for by the fact that the feeding was done in the 

 winter and the cattle were kept in a barn and were tied up, all 

 factors affecting adversely the rate of gain and increasing some- 

 what the cost of gain. 



In the case of the same experiment made at the Kansas Sta- 

 tion, the younger animals gained less rapidly than did the older 

 ones, as is shown by the following exhibit:* 



Calves — Average daily gain 



Yearlings — 

 Two-year-olds — 

 Three-year-olds — " 



Pounds. 

 1.79 

 2.00 

 1.99 

 2.01 



This, taken in connection with the Missouri results, clearly 

 contradicts the old notion that the rate of gain is necessarily much 

 more rapid in young animals than in older ones when on full feed. 

 This is only true when the older animals are fat. 



EFFECT OF AGE UPON COST OF GAIN. 



A study of these tables clearly reveals the relation between 

 the age of the animal and the cost of gain. While it is true that 



