1154 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



the proportion of corn were increased, but the grain never exceeded 12.5 llis. per 

 head per day. 



The gains ranged from 1.29 lbs. per head per day on the split corn and 

 cotton-seed meal ration to 1.74 lbs. on corn meal with cotton-seed meal. Con- 

 sidering the average values the gain on the whole corn rations \Vas 1.42 lbs. 

 per head per day and on the corn meal of different sorts 1.52 lbs. As regards 

 the feed eaten per pound of gain the highest values 7.4G lbs. grain and 20.02 

 lbs. coarse fodder, were noted with the split corn ration and the lowest values, 

 5.52 lbs. grain and 15.23 lbs. coarse fodder, with the corn meal ration. 



Pigs followed each lot of cattle fed a ration containing whole corn, the number 

 per lot being 2 at the beginning and 4 at the close of the test. The best gain, 

 0.78 lb. per head per day, was made on shelled corn and the smallest gain 0.0 

 11)., by the animals following steers fed split corn. 



" Though 3.25 lbs. of cotton-seed meal were fed per head per day during the 

 entire feeding period of 180 days, in only one instance did the hogs following 

 show any evidence of ill health. Of the 12 hogs following tlie cattle, 1 died 

 suddenly, but the cause could not be determined. 



" The hogs following the groups receiving whole corn made 037 lbs. of pork, 

 which, at 5 cts., was worth .$46.85 or .$1.95 per steer. This gave the groups 

 receiving whole corn a material advantage over those fed ground corn. 



" These results indicate that cattle can not be fed in the stall under a margin 

 of 75 cts. where they are charged the full market price for all the foodstuffs 

 fed. On the basis of the actual cost of the foodstuffs on the farm, they could 

 often l)e fed on a margin of 50 cts. and still give the farmer a fair profit on 

 his operations." 



The possible profits from feeding cattle in stalls are discussed on the basis 

 of different margins, and in the authors' judgment it would be comparatively 

 easy under good management to feed Iieef cattle on a margin of 1 per cent 

 profit on the basis of the gains and food cost indicated in this report. Where 

 larger gains are obtained and the food is secured at a lower cost the profits 

 would be correspondingly greater. 



In the second test 4 lots of 9 steers each were fed in stalls for 161 days a low 

 grain ration, 2 lbs. per head per day, made up of corn-and-cob meal and cotton- 

 seed meal 1 : 1, and supplemented respectively by hay, corn stover, corn silage, 

 and a mixture of the silage and stover 1 : 1. and then pastured for 138 days, 

 the range being at the rate of 5 acres per steer. 



While in stalls the average gain per head per day varied from 0.12 11). with the 

 stover-fed lot to 0.85 lb. on silage. On pasture the smallest gain, l.(!7 ll3s. per 

 head per day, was noted with the lot which had been fed a mixture of silage and 

 stover and the greatest gain, 2.2 lb.s., with the hay-fed lot. Considering the 

 test as a whole, the smallest gain, 1.05 lbs., was noted with the stover lot and 

 the greatest gain, 1.20 lbs., with the silage lot. The gain was least expensive, 

 when the whole test was considered, with the silage-fed lot, costing 4.12 cts., 

 and greatest with the hay-fed lot, being 6.64 cts. per pound, values which are 

 about half of those noted with the stall-fed cattle in the first test. 



A special object of the investigation was to compare silage and stover, and a 

 slaughter test showed that the average dressed weight of the silage-fed cattle 

 was 57.07 per cent and that of the stover-fed cattle 56.3 per cent of the live 

 weight. Though the i)ercentage difference was small the extra amount of beef 

 produced on the silage ration, according to the authoi's' calculation, was 316 

 li)s., which, at 8 cts. per pound; would make $25.28, or about 25 cts. per 100 

 lbs. live weight, in favor of the silage I'ation. 



" From the results it appears that the cattle receiving silage as their sole 

 roughness during the winter made the largest average gains, did not drift 



