The Bulletin. 9 



laid on will produce the smooth plump form essential to good beef 

 making. 



It may also be stated that a young animal in fair flesh and of a 

 quiet or mild disposition is always more desirable than a real thin, 

 wild or nervous old one. Of course, when first put on to full feed, 

 the thinner and older animal may make more rapid gains, but these 

 are frequently obtained at a gTcater expense for feed and may not 

 be maintained for very long periods. 



THE AGE OF FEEDERS. 



In the South few cattle are fattened and marketed for beef before 

 they are three or four years old. They are run on ordinary short 

 pastures during the summer and "roughed" through the winter on 

 coarse forage with but little grain. At three or more years old they 

 are fed liberally, if not always judiciously, for a short period of about 

 three months and then marketed. It is not possible to produce cattle 

 in this way that will "top the market," and they consequently sell 

 for much below the price of first-class cattle. While money is un- 

 doubtedly made out of cattle by this method, it would probably pay 

 better to give them a little more feed and care while young, begin 

 fattening at a little younger age and continue it for a little longer 

 period. By such a change the quality of the cattle would be very 

 greatly improved and the resulting higher price would pay for the 

 extra care and feed. 



There are also other very important reasons why it pays to push 

 the growth while young and finish before the animals get too old. 

 Two of these are : The rate of gain per day decreases with age and 

 the cost of gain per pound increases with age and the length of the 

 fattening period. 



It will be readily appreciated how important the age, size and 

 length of the fattening period are, in determining results of feeding 

 operations, when we show, by a few figures, how largely they influ- 

 ence the cost of ^ given amount of gain. For instance, records of 

 the animals exhibited at the American Fat Stock Shows, as compiled 

 by Stewart, and given in Henry's "Feeds and Feeding," show that — 



30 animals up to 297 days made an average daily gain of 2.63 pounds. 



ICO ■< '• '< R1 9 " " " " " " " 9 IS " 



j^g << II i< g^2 i< <i II 11 11 If (I J- 74 << 



1 oq II II 11 1 9CQ II 'I " II << I' " 1 cjl 'I 



Or, by periods, which show the fact more clearly, the results are 

 as follows: 



First period of 297 days the daily gain was 2.63 pounds. 

 Second " " 315 " " " " " 1.76 

 Third " " 331 '^ " " " " .92 

 Fourth " " 340 " " " " " .88 



