272 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



[Vol. 3S 



thin condition made rapid jrains at first when turned on grass. Steers fed 40 

 ll3S. of silage daily made the greatest gains at the lowest cost, while those fed 

 corn stover and corn meal made the least gains at the greatest cost. The 

 animals fed 45 lbs. of silage made smaller gains than those fed only 40 lbs. 

 Replacing 10 lbs. of silage in the ration with 1 lb. of cottonseed meal gave as 

 good results during the winter, but the steers did not do so well when they went 

 to grass. Thirty-five lbs. of silage with 1 lb. of cottonseed meal was more satis- 

 factory. Mixed hay was a better additional roughage with silage than either 

 straw or stover. 



The following suggestions are made : Winter 1,000-lb. steers to maintain equal 

 weights until spring ; winter 1,100-lb. steers to lose about 25 lbs. during the win- 

 ter ; and winter 1,200-lb. steers to lose about 50 lbs. by spring. 



Preparation of corn for fattening two-year-old steers, H. O. Allison (Mis- 

 souri Sta. Bui. llfO (1917), pp. 35, figs. 11). — The investigations reported were 

 made to determine the most effective form in which corn can be fed to 2-year-old 

 steers. The trials were made with 90 head of 2-year-old steers, 30 liead of cattle 

 in 5 lots of 6 each being used each season throughout a period of three years. 



To rations made up of a nitrogenous concentrate, corn silage, and legume 

 hay, there was added for lot 1 broken ear corn, lot 2 shelled corn, lot 3 crushed 

 corn and cob, lot 4 corn-and-cob meal, and lot 5 ground corn. The niti'o- 

 genous concentrate consisted of cottonseed meal or cake and the legume hay 

 of alfalfa for the first and third periods and clover for the second. As nearly 

 as possible the proportion of corn to the nitrogenous concentrates was kept at 6 

 lbs. of the former (.shelled basis) to 1 lb. of the latter. Pigs weighing from 

 100 to 125 lbs. followed the cattle to utilize the feed which would otherwise 

 have been wasted, there being 4 pigs in lots 1 and 2, 3 in lot 3, and 2 in lots 4 

 and 5. The data in detail are given in a number of tables. The average results 

 of three trials are shown as follows : 



Results of fattening steers tvitli corn in different forms. 



Average daily ration per steer: 



Corn lbs . . 



Nitrogenous concentrate do. 



Corn silage do . 



Legume hay do. 



Average daily gain per steer do. 



Gain made by cattle and pigs per bushel of corn 



fed lbs.. 



Percentage of gain per bushel of corn fed made by 



pigs lbs . . 



Dry matter fed per 100 lbs. gain made by cattle 



and pigs lbs. . 



Cost per 100 lbs. gain (pork credited) 



Shrinkage per head in shipping lbs. . 



Net profit per steer 



Lotl. 



17.42 

 2.78 



17.58 

 2.49 

 2.52 



10. 63 



21.63 



762.44 

 $9.21 

 32.98 



$4.00 



Lot 2. 



17.78 

 2.96 



17.75 

 2.69 

 2.71 



10.18 



16.02 



842. 31 

 $9.63 

 34.56 



$2.85 



Lots. 



17.24 

 2.75 



16.00 

 2.53 

 2.59 



9.57 



10.63 



877. 78 

 $10. 03 

 27. 2G 

 $0. 95 



Lot 4. 



17.10 

 2.71 



16. 61 

 2.38 

 2.61 



9.10 



4. CS 



936. 42 



$11.24 



31.15 



1 $1. 17 



Lot: 



18.33 

 3.05 



18.22 

 3.08 

 3.08 



9.87 



4.56 



873. .38 



$10. 25 



36. 96 



S2.42 



' Loss. 



Lot 5 (ground corn) brought the highest price per pound, while lot 4 (corn- 

 and-cob meal) came second, and lot 2 (shelled corn) third. The higher price, 

 however, was not enough to offset the reduced gain in weight per unit of feed 

 and the expense of preparing tlie corn. 



Corn silage with and without shelled corn in rations for fattening steers, 

 H. O. Allison (ilissouri Sta. Bui. 150 (1917), pp. 24, figs. 7). — Some of the 

 results obtained from two years' esperiments in fattening steers by the use of 

 corn silage as a maximum and shelled corn and protein concentrates as a 



