17 'J EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



per ]pciiiii(l of Lr;iiii was SJi ll)s. lor tlic lot in the large stalls aw coniitiin'd with 11.2 

 and I l.(i'.> Ihs. I'or the lots in the small stalls. Less time was recjiiiri'd for attendance 

 when tlic steers were kept in the large stalls (79.5 hours) than when they were 

 watered in small stalls (87 hours) or turned out to water (91. :i hours). 



Considering this and the former tests the following general deductions were drawn: 

 "While the gain was ])raeticallj' the same for an ecjual amount f)f food ('(jusumeil, it 

 was apj)arently in favor of the steers running loose in pens. The difference in the 

 economy of food consumed is too slight to warrant a very definite conclusion, but the 

 difference in time rei]uired for attendance is decidedly marked. With the use of the 

 same amount of bedding and much less labor, the steers in the pens were kept 

 cleaner than it was j^ossible to keep those in the stalls." 



Experiments witli steers, R. Rohertson, S. A. Bedford, and A. ]Ma('kay 

 {Oinada Expt. Farma RjM. 1903, pp. 25S-260, 298-300, 351-354).— In continuation of 

 earlier work (p]. S. R., 14, p. 178) the advisability of dehorning fully giown steers 

 when fed loose or tied in stalls was tested at the Maritime Provinces Farm with 3 

 lots, each containing 4 3-year-olds. All were fed hay, roots, silage, and mixed meals 

 for 5 months in the winter. The average gain of the dehorned steers fed in box 

 stalls was 356 lbs. per head; of the dehorned steers tied in stalls 313 lbs., and of 

 those fed in stalls but not dehorned 315 lbs. 



Heavy and light steers for fattening were compared, using 2 lots of 4 animals each, 

 averaging respectively 1,200 and 1,000 lbs. per head. In 5 months (December to 

 May) the heavy steers made an average gain of 356 lbs. each and the lighter steers 

 of 344 lbs. each. The cost of the feed was the same for both lots, "making a differ- 

 ence [in profit] in favor of the heavy steers of $5.01 per steer." 



As in earlier work (E. S. R., 14, p. 178) limited and full rations were tested for a 

 year with 2 lots of 5 calves each. Both lots were fed in the winter grain with roots 

 and hay or hay and straw and were jiastured in the summer, the lot fed the liberal 

 ration receiving considerably more grain than the other and for a greater part of the 

 time. The steers fed the full ration averaged 490 lbs. in weight at the beginning of 

 the trial and made an average daily gain of 1.13 lbs. at a cost of 5.63 cts. per lb. 

 Those fed the limited growing ration weighed at the beginning 392 lbs. on an aver- 

 age and gained 0.83 lbs. per head per day, the cost of a pound of gain being 3.99 cts. 



In a second test under much the same general conditions 5 calves averaging 191 

 lbs. each fed a full fattening ration for 198 days gained 1.64 lbs. per head per day, 

 the cost of a pound of gain being 4.38 cts., and 5 calves averaging 121 lbs. each in 

 weight made in the same time on a limited growing ration an average daily gain of 

 1.35 lbs., the cost of a pound of gain being 2.55 cts. 



At the Manitoba Farm spelt straw was compared with hay made from brome grass 

 {Bromus inermis) and from western rye grass {Agropyron ienerum) as coarse fodder 

 for steers, these being fed in each case with an equal quantity of Swedish turnips 

 and from 6 to 11 lbs. of mixed grain. The 4 steers fed brome-grass hay gained 

 in the 16 weeks of the test a total of 675 lbs. The same number fed the western 

 rye-grass hay gained 660 lbs. and 3 steers fed spelt straw gained 355 lbs. The aver- 

 age profit per steer for the 3 lots was about $19.80. 



A comparison is also reported from the Indian Head Farm of western rye grass, 

 cut straw, and brome grass, using 3 lots of 5 steers each weighing not far from 1,130 

 lbs. In every case with 14 lbs. of the coarse fodder tested was fed 16 lbs. of silage 

 together with mixed grain. In the 16 weeks of the test the steers fed western rye- 

 grass hay gained 830 lbs. at a profit of $11.23 per head. Those fed cut straw gained 

 1,040 lbs. at a profit of $17.21, and those fed brome-grass hay gained 910 lbs., the 

 average ])rofit being $11.74. 



Cattle: Beef production, J. H. Grisd.\le {Canada E.npt. Farms lipts. 1902, pjp. 

 62, 63, 72-80). — The station herd and Canadian cattle-feeding problems are briefly 

 discussed, and in continuation of earlier work (E. S. R., 14, p. 178) several feeding 

 tests are reported. Using 3 lots of 9 steers each, the relative merits of different 



