866 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



feeding operations in the West, increase in farm tenancy, and neglect of soil 

 fertility. It is thought that due to the increasing demand for grain-fattened 

 beef cattle an increasing proportion of the cattle matured in the corn belt must 

 be reared there, rather than in the West. Improved and intensified farming 

 methods, the introduction of corn silage, alfalfa, and other forage crops, the 

 more complete utilization of waste roughage, and increased attention to manure 

 as a means of maintaining fertility will tend to render cattle production more 

 practicable. However, there must be an increase in prices paid for cattle corre- 

 sponding to the increased cost of production. 



reeding baby beef, W. P. Snyder {Nebraska Sta. Bui. US (19U), pp. 5-39, 

 figs. 5). — In a preliminary feeding expei-iment 30 450-lb. beef calves were fed 

 for 7i months on alfalfa and prairie hays, corn, and oats, during which time 

 they ate 46.1 bu. of corn, 3.63 bu. of oats, and 1.32 tons of forage per head. 

 The average total gain per head was 482.7 lbs., or an average daily gain of 2.11 

 lbs., while the cost per pound of gain was 6.89 cts. A net profit of $2.70 was 

 realized, or when profits on hogs were taken into consideration an estimated 

 net profit per calf of $7.96. 



The experiment proper included two years' work, the first year of 223 days, 

 the second of 233 days. In these duplicate tests five lots of from 13 to 15 

 head of 440-lb. grade beef calves were fed as follows: Lot 1, prairie hay, and 

 corn and cotton-seed cake 9:1; lot 2, alfalfa hay and prairie hay 72 : 28, and 

 com ; lot 3, alfalfa and silage 1 : 1, and corn ; lot 4, prairie hay and silage 

 47 : 53, and corn ; and lot 5, prairie hay and silage 9 : 11, with corn and cotton- 

 seed cake 9 : 1. The grain ration was increased as the feeding period progressed. 



The average daily gain per calf was for the two yearly tests 1.8, 1.96, 2.07, 

 1.63, and 1.8 lbs., the grain required per pound of gain 5.76, 5.05, 4.91, 5.96, and 

 5.66 lbs., and the forage 5.55, 5.51, 7.79, 8.81, and 7.97 lbs. The cost of feed 

 per pound of gain was 7.74, 6.97, 7.03, 8.24, and 7.86 cts., while the net profit 

 realized per head was $9.43, $13.66, $15.02, $4.99, and $7.40, or including the 

 profit from pork $17,05, $20.28, $22.21, $11.77, and $13.82 for the respective lots. 



From these results it is seen that a ration of alfalfa hay, corn silage, and 

 corn gave the largest gain, the cheapest gain, and the most profit of any ration 

 used. Rations containing alfalfa hay and those containing cotton-seed cake 

 gave larger and cheaper gains than those not containing these protein materials. 

 The ration composed of prairie hay, cotton-seed cake, and corn gave the same 

 average rate of gain and about the same cost of gain as the ration composed of 

 prairie hay, cotton-seed cake, corn, and silage, indicating that silage as fed in 

 these tests was not worth the value usually given it. When silage was fed with 

 alfalfa the silage was worth much more than when it was fed with prairie hay 

 and cotton-seed cake. Cotton-seed cake was not a profitable substitute for 

 alfalfa. 



Skin temperature and fattening capacity in oxen, T. B. Wood and A. V. 

 Hill {Jour. Agr. 8ci. [England], 6 {1914), No. 2, pp. 252-254)- — Measurements 

 were made of the skin temperature of 18 oxen which had been for some time on 

 a fattening ration. Measurements were taken by means of a thermopile, the 

 tin plate being placed over the ribs behind the shoulder blade where the skin 

 temperature M'as comparatively constant. 



Animals classed as good " doers," which had increased in live weight more 

 than 2 lbs. per head per day during the last three weeks, had a lower skin 

 temperature, amounting to about 3° C., than the " poor doers," which had in- 

 creased less than 1 lb. per head per day. It was noticeable that every animal 

 in the class of " bad doers " had a higher skin temperature than the average 

 of the 8 " good doers." These results are considered only preliminary, but are 

 indicative of what may be expected. 



