Live Stock Breeders' Association. 179 



ment were begun, in order that all steers might know how to eat 

 grain, and furthermore, have time to gradually adapt themselves 

 to their respective rations. The initial weights of the different 

 lots a^ tabulated are an average of four weighings made on suc- 

 cessive days just before watering in the morning. This is done to 

 reduce as much as possible the element of error often caused by 

 a fill larger one day than another. It is needless to say that every 

 feed was carefully weighed, no credit being given for any coarse 

 roughness left in racks and afterwards thrown out for bedding. 

 This was charged to the steers just as though it had been con- 

 sumed. From what has been said above, it may be assumed that 

 the differences in gains as reported in the tables to follow are 

 caused by the rations, at least as largely so as it was possible to 

 miake the several lots in a given experiment average uniform in 

 quality ^nd gaining capacity. It is out of the question to eliminate 

 entirely the error which might be caused by individual differences 

 in the gaining capacity of steers even by feeding in lots of ten 

 each. It is for the purpose of making the conclusions more reli- 

 able that the same experiments are being continued through a suc- 

 cession of two or more years. 



PRAIRIE HAY VS. ALFALFA. 



Following is a comparison of the relative value of native 

 prairie hay as it grows in Nebraska and alfalfa, each being fed as a 

 roughness to supplement heavy corn feeding : 



