82 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



part of the test the calves had abnormal appetites, which after a time 

 diminished. Digestive disorders were not noted except in the case of 

 calf No. 4. The bowels remained regular and the feces appeared nor- 

 mal. The calves gained in weight on a ration without coarse fodder, 

 but always looked poor. For instance, calf No. 2 on a diet of skim 

 milk gained 138 lbs. in the first 100 days of the test, consuming 25 lbs. 

 of milk per pound of gain. During the 7 months of the test the calf 

 gained 226 lbs. on an exclusive diet of skim milk. Yet the calves 

 "were not thin like calves which had suffered from insufficient food." 



Post-mortem examinations of calves Nos. 1 and 4 showed that there 

 was no visible fat on the carcass, though the muscular tissue was firm 

 and hard. 



"As starvation iu mature animals is accompanied by a wasting of the tissues, 

 especially fat, so here starvation by imperfect nutrition during development resulted 

 in the total absence of fat. . . . 



"There is a popular belief that starvation in all its stages is an acute and painful 

 condition incident only upon insufficient amounts of food. There could bo no greater 

 error. These experiments appear to teach that starvation partial or complete may 

 ensue upon an apparently slight interference with constitutional habit.'' 



Steer and heifer beef, J. Wilson and C. F. Curtiss (Iowa Sta. 

 Bui. 33, pp. 506-590, Jigs. 7). — This experiment is a continuation of 

 previous work reported in Bulletin 24 of the station (E. S. II., 0, p. 321). 

 Thirteen calves to 7 months old, of which 5 were steers and 8 heifers, 

 were purchased about the 1st of November. Five of the heifers were 

 spayed. The calves were grazed on good pasture and fed a moderate 

 amount of corn and grain in addition. Up to December 1 the steers 

 had gained on an average 71 lbs., the spayed heifers 40 lbs., and the 

 open heifers (>G" r | lbs. In the authors' opinion this indicates that spay- 

 ing had no particular influence on the gain. 



Two heifer calves which were purchased somewhat later were put with 

 the other open heifers. All the calves were fed cut corn fodder, roots, 

 and a moderate grain ration until the test proper, which began January 1 

 and lasted 14 months. During the test one heifer met with an acci- 

 dent and was dropped. From the beginning of the test until June 1 

 the cattle were all fed hay and grain with some roots. The grain ration 

 consisted of cotton-seed meal, bran, gluten meal or oats, corn-aud-cob 

 meal. Snapped corn, green sweet corn, corn fodder, and clover were 

 also fed. During the summer the cattle were on pasture until October 1. 

 The grain ration, which was gradually dropped when the cattle were put 

 on pasture, was resumed when they were taken from the pasture and 

 continued until the end of the experiment. The steers, open heifers, 

 and spayed heifers were kept in separate feeding yards with sheds. 

 They were given all the food they would eat up clean, and had access 

 at all times to water and salt. When on pasture the 3 lots were grazed 

 on equal areas. 



The feeds used prior to and after the grazing period were rated at 

 the following prices per 100 lbs., based on local market values prevail- 

 ing at the time. 





