182 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



corn and alfalfa — two pounds of the former to one of the latter — 

 approaches this proportion. In fact, we are not sure but that 1 :7.3 

 is just as suitable as 1 :7 for an average two-year-old steer. The 

 corn and prairie hay combination, however, is decidedly lacking in 

 protein, which is no doubt one of the chief causes of its failure as 

 an economical ration. But the composition of a food is not the 

 only factor which determines its value. Alfalfa is very much more 

 relished than prairie hay and it is less difficult to masticate. Steers 

 crowded for the largest possible consumption of grain can also be 

 induced to .eat a little more corn with alfalfa than with prairie 

 hay. 



In determining the cost of producing 100 pounds of gain, 

 alfalfa and prairie hay were figured at $6.00 each per ton for the 

 three years. Corn was 33 cents per bushel in 1903, 39 cents in 

 1904 and 35 cents in 1905. It is unfair to make comparative 

 values on a roughage like alfalfa which balances well with com 

 alone and prairie hay which does not, but when thus fed, as in 

 these three experiments, the alfalfa returned values ranging from 

 $10.80 to $15.70 per ton, as compared with prairie hay at $6.00. 

 The experiments show, however, that we can not afford to feed 

 prairie hay at $6.00 per ton even if we include in the profits all 

 pork made from droppings, as was done in these computations. At 

 least we can not afford to do so if corn alone makes up the grain 

 ration. Referring to the net profits per head as given in the table, 

 it is of interest to know that the net advance of selling over cost 

 price for the twenty-four weeks period was $1.30 per hundred 

 on the corn and prairie hay steers in 1903, and $.78 in 1904, while 

 the advance on the alfalfa steers was $1.65 per hundred in 1903 

 and $1.00 in 1904. The larger advance received for the alfalfa 

 steers was due to the higher finish made by those steers. It is 

 apparent that good profits can be made by feeding corn and alfalfa, 

 even though the selling price of the cattle does not greatly exceed 

 the cost price. In these experiments the feeding of alfalfa at 

 $6.00 per ton with corn made this grain bring, when converted into 

 beef, 51 cents per bushel in 1903, 44 cents in 1904 and 60 cent,^ 

 in 1905. It would take a larger advance than our markets afford 

 to make corn and prairie hay profitable at existing prices for corn. 

 Clover was not fed in this series of experiments, but because it is 

 similar to alfalfa in composition, though somewhat lower in pro- 

 tein, it would not be unreasonable to expect good gains on corn 

 and clover. Experiments made in other states show this to be 

 true. With any other form of roughness with the exception of 



