222 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



(3) The amount of labor required to care for animals uuder these 

 various conditions. 



Experiment No. 2. (Dec. 5, 1900, March 19, 1901.) 



In order to make this test as satisfactory as possible uuder practi- 

 cal conditions, space was set aside in the basemeot of the college 

 barn in a similar manner to that described in the report of 1901 (Bul- 

 letin No. G7). Three lots of steers were used in this experiment. One 

 lot. Lot No. 1, consisting of ten animals, was placed in a large box 

 stall 20x21^ feet in area, which is exactly the same space that the ten 

 steers would have occupied had they been placed in stalls; that is, the 

 stalls were removed and the space occupied by the stalls enclosed 

 by high board partitions, which made, to all intents and purposes, 

 a large box stall. On account of the lack of space. Lots Nos. 2 and 

 3 consisted of but six steers each. These were kept in stalls ad- 

 joining the box stall. Lot No. 1 (in the box stall) was supplied 

 with water furnished by means of automatic watering basins, in 

 which water was kept before the animals all of the time except 

 when the water was withheld for a short time previous to the 

 weighing periods. Lot No. 2, which consisted of six animals, was 

 supijlied with water by means of automatic watering basins similar 

 to Lot No. 1. Lot No. 3 consisted of six animals, and was placed 

 in stalls in a similar manner to Lot No. 2, with the exception that 

 the steers were turned out once each day for an hour or two in a 

 large yard adjoining the basement, where they were permitted to 

 drink in conmion from a large watering trough. The animals of 

 Lots Nos. 1 and 2 were not removed from the pen and stalls except 

 as it was desired to weigh them on alternate weeks. 



The Animals. 



The steers used in this experiment were purchased at the stock 

 yards in Pittsburg, November 21, 1900, by Mr. William C. Patter- 

 son, the Farm Superintendent, and the writer. In this connection, it 

 should be stated that Mr. Patterson has successfully fattened one or 

 more carloads of steers on the college farm each year for many 

 years, and is recognized as an expert buyer. The steers selected 

 were dehorned grade Shorthorn steers raised in eastern Ohio, and 

 were carefully selected as to size, age and quality, so far as outward 

 appearance would indicate. The steers were sorted into lots soon 

 after they were purchased and were confined in the pens and stalls 

 until the experiment was begun. The steers were sorted with great 

 care in order that the lots might be as uniform as possible and at the 

 same time have nearly the same average weight. These steers were 

 tame and considerably above the average as to quality and general 



