^'"- 6- DEPAK'lMENr OF AGRICULTURE. 4^.-, 



METHODS OB^ ste)e:r-F£:kding. 



Co-operative Experiment bj the Pennsylvania State Department 

 of AgTicLilture and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment 

 Station. 



Under the immediate supervision of G. C.Watson and A. K. Risser, 



State College, Pa. 



Bulletin No. (>7, published in August, IDUO, gives an account of 

 an experiment which was designed to test various methods of feed- 

 ing steers. This experiment has been repeated in all essentials 

 and the results described in the following pages. It is recognized 

 that one trial, with a comparatively small number of animals, is not 

 sufficient to determine the many questions involved in such a test. 

 Therefore, the experiment herein described was designed to be 

 largely a repetition of the one made the year previous, in order 

 that the results of the two may be compared and that somewhat 

 more reliable data may be secured for the information of those who 

 are particularly interested in converting the roughage of the farm 

 and commercial stock foods into the more valuable product of 

 prime beef. The narrow margin of profit in feeding steers, which 

 have been reared in other localities, compels the feeders to study 

 closely the strictest economy as to the outlay of labor and money, 

 and to note tendencies even before results are obtained. One ob- 

 ject of the trial was to determine as far as possible the comparative 

 cost as well as the efficiency of various methods of feeding. 



Plan of the Experlttient. 



The experiment was devised to test certain practical methods 

 of confining fattening steers as well as to test the usefulness of auto- 

 matic watering devices for fattening animals as steers are usually 

 confined throughout Pennsylvania. The experiment was designed 

 to determine, if possible: 



(1) The effect of different methods of supplying drinking water; 



(2) The effect of different methods of confining fattening animals; 



