160 AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE BULLETINS. 



The outlay required will be as much or more perhaps than the animals will 

 bring after three years' care and feeding; but we must not forget that experi- 

 ments are not remunerative directly in a pecuniary way — only in the lessons 

 gleaned from them and the conclusions they demonstrate. 



I therefore recommend that a portion of the amount appropriated for feeding 

 •experiments be expended for animals for this purpose, and that they be secured 

 as soon as possible, at the same time holding ourselves in readiness to accept 

 selections made by any of the Breeders' organizations pursuant to the resolu- 

 tion adopted by the Board of Agriculture ; provided the animals in these classes 

 have not been previously secured. 



In accordance with this recommendation I was instructed to procure as soon 

 as practicable, good specimens of the breeds on reasonable terms. I found 

 more difficulty in procuring the animals than I had anticipated. It will be 

 noticed that four of the animals in the test were bred at the College. 



All of the gentlemen furnishing steers have been liberal in pricing their 

 animals for this purpose. 



I think the selections are of such character and quality as will merit the 

 approval of the advocates of each breed represented. 



The steers have been kept when in barn in roomy box-stalls, well supplied 

 with bedding. During the hot weather they were stabled during the day 

 and allowed to run on short pasture at night. When the weather became 

 cooler the order was reversed, and they were stabled at night and in pasture 

 in day time. 



FOOD. 



The grain ration up to January 10, was composed of equal parts by weight 

 ■of wheat bran, oats whole or ground, and old process oil meal. From Janu- 

 ary 10, we substituted corn and oats ground (in the proportion of two-thirds 

 €orn and one-third oats) for the clear oats. 



The hay has been clover and timothy of good quality. All of the hay has 

 been cut before feeding. The ensilage was corn. They have been fed and 

 watered regularly three times daily, and usually groomed ; have had daily 

 exercise. 



On the following pages will be found a history of the animals, and a table 

 giving the daily grain and hay ration, the total food consumed in each period, 

 the weight at beginning and end of period, and the gain for each month. 



HOLSTEIN BELTZ. 



Calved November 17, 1885; bred by Seeley & Coleman, Lansing, Michi- 

 gan ; sire, Nicholas 3d, 263 I). P. H. B. ; dam, Wiesman's Sjoeratzi, 972. 

 Nicholas 3d weighed 1850 lbs. in breeding condition, at 2^ years old. Beltz 

 weighed at birth 121. lbs. ; castrated February 9, 1886. 



He was taken from the cow when four days old, fed four quarts new milk 

 night and morning, and three quarts skimmed milk at noon until four weeks 

 old. During second month, two quarts of skimmed milk was fed with two 

 quarts new milk night and morning, and three quarts skimmed milk with 

 two tablespoons oil meal at noon. 



The feed during the third month was four quarts skimmed milk and two 

 tablespoons oil meal three times a day. 



The feed during the fourth month was five quarts skimmed milk with one- 



