Farmers' Week in Agricultural College. 



179 



amount of grain of all rations required to make a pound of gain through 

 tlie first three months of the fattening period was 5.74 pounds. The 

 average amount of grain for the last four months of the feeding period 

 was 10.15 pounds. In other words, it required 77 per cent more grain 

 to make a pound of gain during the last four months than it did during 

 the first three months. The explanation of this marked difference in the 

 economy of gains at different stages in the fattening period is undoubted- 

 ly in most part due to the fact that thin animals make more economical 

 gains than do those in half fat or fat condition. In all of the investiga- 

 tions so far reported, and in the investigations of this Station where 

 animals have been full fed, the cheapest gains are made at the beginning 

 of the fattening period. 



TABLE 3. 



AVERAGE OP ALL YEARS. 



The fat animal, although consuming relatively as large an amount 

 of grain, does not make as good use of the food consumed. The in- 

 fluence of condition upon economy of gains is one of the most important 

 factors in connection with profitable beef production. It is generally 

 true that tlie cost of gains increases rapidly with the improvement in the 

 condition of the animal. 



In this comparison of the effect of different rations upon the amount 

 of grain required to make a pound of gain we are not able to draw any 

 very definite conclusions, upon the comparative value of the various combi- 

 nations of feed during different stages of the fattening period. There 

 seems to be no particular advantage of one ration over another. Excep- 

 tion to this is to be noted in Lot 70. In this lot cattle received corn 

 alone for five months, and corn and linseed oil meal in the proportion 

 of six parts of corn to one of linseed oil meal during the last two months 

 of the fattening period. The gains made by this lot were consistent 



