ANIMAL PRODUCTION". 881 



the Statedepartnient of agriculture in cooperation with the Pennsylvania station. The 

 (irst test was made with M lots. T.ot 1 consisted of 10 animals kept in a large box stall, 

 20 by 21 i ft.; lots 2 and 3 each contained 6 steers, all of which were kept in separate 

 stalls. Lots 1 and 2 were supplied with water by means of automatic water basins. 

 Lot 3 was turned out for an hour or two each day in yard and watered at a large trough. 

 All the steers were fed a ration consisting of corn meal and wheat bran, 9:1, in such 

 quantities as were readily consumed, and were given native hay and corn stover in 

 addition. The average daily gains per steer in the 3 lots during the 104 days of 

 the test were as follows: Lot 1, 2.05 lbs.; lot 2, 2.18 lbs., and lot 3, 1.89 lbs. Lot 1 

 consumed 3.62 lbs. hay, 1.48 lbs. stover, and 8.39 lbs. grain per pound of gain. Simi- 

 lar values for lot 2 were 3.21, 0.94, and 7.82 lbs., respectively, while the values for lot 



3 were 3.47, 0.79, and 8.39 lbs. Caring for the steers in lot 1 reciuired on an average 

 7.96 hours per steer; for lot 2, 14.8 hours, and for lot 3, 15.55 hours. 



A second test was made with 3 lots of 2 steers each, under practically the same 

 conditions as noted above. The average daily gain per steer in the 3 lots wtis 2.71, 

 2.92, and 2.70 lbs., respectively. The amount of hay consumed per pound of gain in 

 the 3 lots was 4.44, 3.76, and 3.45 lbs., the corresponding amounts of grain being 

 5.91, 5.24, and 4.95 lbs. 



As regards gains in weight and food required per pound of gain, the authors note 

 that neither method gave markedly superior results. 



"It was observed in each experiment that those animals which had a sujjply of 

 water before them all the time had a somewhat better ajipetite and consumed their 

 food with greater relish than did those that were turned into the yard to water once 

 each day. Any advantage that one method may show over another is chiefly due to 

 the difference in the amount of labor of attendance." 



Practically the same amounts of straw were required for bedding under the differ- 

 ent experimental conditions. 



Shorthorn cattle {Kansas Stale Bd. Agr. Quart. Rj^t., 1901, Mar. 31, j)p. £16, figs. 

 36). — This l)ulletin contains a series of articles on the origin, history, and character- 

 istics of the Shorthorn breed of cattle and related topics, as well as a report of the 

 meeting of the Kansas State board of agriculture in January, 1901. 



Hereford cattle {Kansas State Bd. Agr. Quart. Rpt., 1901, Dec. 31, pp. 233, figs. 

 154). — A number of papers on the history of Hereford cattle in America, their proper 

 management, and related topics are included in this bulletin, as well as statistics 

 bearing upon the general subject. 



Cattle rearing, C. M. Bruce {Jour. Khediv. Agr. Soc. and School Agr., 2 {1900), 

 Nos. 4, pp. 176-181; 6, pp. 261-268; 3 {1901) No. 2, pp. 77-82).— A general <liscus- 

 sion with special referenc'e to local conditions. 



Feeding- cotton-seed meal to hogs, F. C. BuRTisand J. S. Malone {Oklahoma 

 Sta. Bui. 51, pp. 15).— To study the effect of feeding cotton seed, 16 pigs, 11 weeks old 

 at the beginning of the trial and weighing from 25 to 67 lbs., were divided into 4 equal 

 lots. Each l(jt was fed in pens with small yards for 126 days. Lot 1 received corn meal, 

 lot 2 corn meal and middlings 1:1, and lot 3 corn meal and cotton-seed meal 4:1. 

 Lot 4 was fed the .«ame ration as lot 3 alternated with a ration of corn meal only, the 

 feeding periods being respectively of 4 and 2 weeks duration. The grain ration 

 was heavy at the beginning of the trial and lighter at the end. In addition to grain, 

 all the i)igs were fed about 2 lbs. i)er head daily of sugar beets and were supplied 

 with a mixture of charcoal, ashes, and salt. Two pigs in lot 3 and 1 in lot 4 died 

 shortly after the first month of the trial. The average daily gain of the pigs in the 



4 lots was 0.62, 1.15, 1.07, and 1.06 lbs., respectively. The corresponding grain eaten 

 per pound of gain, was 4.7, 3.7, 3.57, and 3.68 lbs. The cost of food per pound of 

 gain, taking into account the grain only, was 2.61, 2.87, 2.24, and 2.14 cts. Accord- 

 ing to the authors, the pigs which were fed cotton-seed meal and survived were fat- 

 tened with most excellent results. 



