No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 497 



average as to quality aud general appearance. They had been given 

 considerable grain and were "well started." In fact, some butchers 

 would have selected a few for slaughter. In the following table 

 (page 10) is given the weights of each steer at the beginning and close 

 of the experiment, as well as at each weighing period on alternate 

 weeks during the period of feeding. 



Ratioiu IBed. 



Each lot was fed a grain ration consisting of nine parts of 

 corn meal and one part of wheat bran by weight, in such quan- 

 tities as would be readily consumed. The judgment of an ex- 

 perienced feeder was relied upon to determine the amount that 

 should be given from day to day. An accurate account was kept 

 of the total amount of grain consumed by each lot, but no effort was 

 made to determine the amount of food consumed each day. The 

 grain for each lot was weighed out weekly aud placed in a bin. The 

 feeder having access to this bin fed each lot the necessary amount. 

 At the end of the week, that remaining in the bin was weighed and 

 deducted from the amount previously weighed out. In a similar 

 manner an account was kept of the hay and corn stover consumed by 

 each lot of steers. The hay consumed by the three lots was of good 

 and uniform quality, largely timothy with a little clover. The corn 

 stover was well cured and shredded. The hay and corn stover were 

 placed in large sacks and weighed and taken from the sacks and 

 placed in the mangers as required. The uuconsumed portions were 

 weighed back aud deducted from the total amount offered them, the 

 difference giving the amount consumed. As the refuse was fre- 

 quently small, it was not weighed back until a considerable amount 

 had accumulated; that is, the unconsumed hay and stover were re- 

 moved each day and kept until a considerable amount had accumu- 

 lated, when the whole was weighed and sampled. The following 

 table gives the amount of food consumed weekly by each lot: 



32—6—1901 



