Farmers' Week in Agricultural College. 181 



the feeding period. As has already been shown in this bulletin, a two or 

 three-year-old animal in thin condition may make gains in live weight 

 from the same or a smaller amount of grain than a yearling. It is easy 

 to understand from the facts set forth in this bulletin that a young 

 animal in fat or half fat condition at the beginning of the feeding period 

 may require more grain to make one pound of gain than will a two or 

 three-year-old animal in thin condition. 



Another factor which determines to a certain extent the age of cattle 

 most profitable to feed is to be found in the requirements of the fat 

 cattle markets for a certain amount of fatness in the animals shipped to 



market by the producers. The fatter the animal, within certain limits, 

 the higher the price paid by the buyer. Here, again, it is unquestion- 

 ably true that the older and more mature animals will reach the desired 

 degree of fatness in a much shorter time than will young animals. In 

 every comparison in this bulletin between young and older cattle, the 

 older cattle have reached a certain stage or degree of fatness in a much 

 shorter time than have the younger animals. It has been shown also 

 that the longer the animals are fed the more grain is required to make 

 one pound of gain. It might, therefore, easily follow, that in order to 

 finish young animals to the same degree of fatness as more mature cattle 

 that they would have to be fed for so much longer periods that the 

 average amount of grain required to make a pound of gain in young 

 cattle would be as large as in the case of the more mature animals. 



