372 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



on account of illness. The other two tests were each made with -t lots 

 of 5 each. Irish steers l)eing- used in 1897-98 and red polled Norfolks 

 in 1898-99. The lots in every case were numbered from 1 to 4 con- 

 secutively. Each year lot 1 was fed linseed cake alone and lot 2 a 

 mixture of equal parts of linseed cake and ordinarj^ cotton-seed cake. 

 Lot 3 was fed decorticated cotton-seed cako and maize meal (1:1) in 

 1896-97; in the other 2 tests dried brewers' grains was substituted for 

 maize meal. Lot 1 was fed a mixture which through the greater part 

 of the first test consisted of linseed cake, cotton-seed cake, maize meal, 

 and dried grains. In the latter part of the test the dried grains was 

 omitted. Li the second test the grain mixture consisted of equal parts 

 of linseed cake, cotton-seed cake, and maize meal; and throughout the 

 greater part of the third test, of linseed cake and cotton-seed cake 

 (1:1:1:1), linseed cake being used alone in the latter part of the test. 

 The average daily gain made in the 3 years by the lots numbered 1 

 was 1.94: lbs. ; by those numbered 2, 1.68 lbs. ; and l)v those numbered 

 3, 1.61 lbs., the gain per hundred pounds of dry matter consumed 

 being 7.04, 6.08, 5.8 l})s., respectivel3^ The average dail}^ gains made 

 by the lots numbered 4 in the 3 years were 1.91, 1..53, and 1.41 lbs., 

 respective!}'. "From the point of view, therefore, of the absolute 

 increase produced \)\ the feeding, linseed cake alone, as an addition to 

 the usual Norfolk diet of chaff and roots, has shown in each of 3 years 

 a decided advantage over each of the mixtures which have been tried." 



A discussion of financial returns of the experiment, however, in the 

 author's opinion, showed that at present prices a mixture of decorti- 

 cated cotton-seed cake and some less expensive material, such as dried 

 grains or maize meal, is more economical than linseed eake alone. 

 "We must therefore add to the general conclusions that while linseed 

 cake alone, and decorticated cotton-seed cake as part of a mixture, 

 have given good results when fed to bullocks, the use of common cot- 

 ton-seed cake has been throughout the experiment most unprofitable." 



The live and dressed weight of the steers is recorded and the ratio 

 of the latter to the former, the average of the 3 years for the lots 

 numbered 1 being 59.1 per cent; the lots numbered 2, 57.99 per cent; 

 the lots numbered 3, 58.69 per cent; and the lots numbered 4, 59.46 

 per cent. "[The steers fed linseed cake], which have made the great- 

 est increase in weight, also give the highest proportion of carcass 

 weight, while those which received common cotton cake are lowest 

 both in rate of increase and percentage of carcass weight, the decor- 

 ticated cotton cuke lot coming midway in ))oth cases."" 



Heavy, medium, and light meal rations for fattening steers, 

 G. E. Day ( Ontario Agr. Col. andExpt. Farm Rpt. 1899, pp. 75, 76).— In 

 continuation of previous work (E. S. E.., 11, p. 664), 3 lots of 3 steers 

 each were fed for 168 days, beginning December ♦>. on different 

 amounts of corn and oats, equal parts. The aim was to feed lot 1 a 



