162 



ANNUAL REPORT OP THE 



Off. Doc. 



of which an abundance is produced in this State. He must keep 

 down the cost of feed, labor, and shelter. If this is done it will 

 be possible to maintain a herd at a profit. To determine this point 

 an experiment was started at the Pennsylvania Ex])eriment Station 

 in the fall of 1911. Ten pure bred Aberdeen- Angus and 10 Short- 

 horn cows were put on the experiment. We now have data covering 

 two and one-half years' work which give us some idea of the cost of 

 maintaining a beef cow under Pennsylvania conditions. In start- 

 ing this experiment it was realized that a cheap feed of some kind 

 must form the principle part of the ration. Corn silage was selected 

 as the principal feed. It was believed that the farmers in nearly 

 every section in the State of Pennsylvania were able to produce corn 

 silage for feeding purposes. In addition to all the corn silage these 

 cows would consume daily, they received one pound of cottonseed 

 meal per head daily. During the summer months they were kept on 

 blue grass pasture. The table which I have here will give you some 

 idea of the results obtained up to the time tlie cattle were put on 

 pasture this spring: 



DECEMBER 1, 1911 TO APRIL 26, 1914 



Average length of period, 



Average initial weight per cow, — 

 Average final weight per cow, 



Gain, 



Average daily feed per cow: 



Pasture, 



Corn silage 



Cottonseed meal, 



Cost of feed per cow, season, .. 

 Cost of bedding per cow, seanon. 

 Cost of latxjr per cow, season, .. 



Value manure per cow 



Interest on value per cow 



Interest on sheds and silos, 



Service of sire, 



Net cost of cow 



19.72 



10.21 



FEEDING STEERS, 1913-1914 



Ration, 



Initial value per cwt 



Initial weight 



Total gain 



Average daily gain, 140 days 



Total cost of feed 



Cost of roughage 



Cost of concentrate 



Cost per 100 lbs.— 56 days first 



Cost per 100 lbs. gain last ^i days, 



Value of pork per lot 8Jc 



Necessary selling value, 



Rated value at Pittsburgh 



Gain or loss per cwt 



Silage. 



cotton- 

 seed 



meal, 

 corn 



7.45 



10960 



3098 



1.84 



$343.40 



$141.56 



$201.92 



$8.23 



11.08 



18.48 



8.25 



8.25 



