672 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



values for lot 2 were 1.91 lbs., 7.73 lbs., and 3.52cts. After the close 

 of this period the steers were fed until December 9, 1898, a ration 

 with the nutritive ratio of 1:6.5. During this period the average 

 gains of the 2 lots were 1.12 and 1.32 lbs.; the dry matter eaten per 

 pound of gain, 20.5-1 and 17.13 lbs., and the cost of food per pound of 

 gain, 9.16 and 8.92 cts., respectiveh'. 



"The results support the statement that the narrow ration is hkely to give the 

 greatest gains, while the wide ration is more favoral)le to cheap gains. The relative 

 cheapness of these rations will largely depend on local conditions, whether or not 

 the farm grains grown in the community are representative of the carbonaceous or 

 nitrogenous foods." 



In testing the possibility of profitably fattening range steers, 17 such 

 animals were fed January 26, 1898, to April 6, 1900. During the win- 

 ter corn and corn fodder were the principal feeding stuffs used, as it 

 was desired to make the test with such foods as were generally avail- 

 able locally. During the summer the steers were pastured. The av- 

 erage daily gain per steer during the whole test was 1.35 lbs.; the cost 

 of a pound of gain, 1.10 cts; the dry matter eaten per pound of gain 

 was 10.19 lbs. the first winter, 11.75 lbs. in the second, and 12.96 lbs. 

 in the third. At the conclusion of the test 3 of the steers were sold 

 in the local market for 4.5 cts. per pound, and the remainder in Chi- 

 cago for 5.15 cts. per pound. The authors compute that in this test 

 the profit was |8.16 per steer. 



" The feeding of range steers with the application of present prices for feeders and 

 the fattened product does not permit of securing much profit in comparison with the 

 returns that may be secured from a herd and its products bred for the special pur- 

 pose of meeting the conditions of a combination of dairying with beef making." 



Steer feeding, D. O. Nourse ( Virginia Sta. BuL 105^ pp. 183- 

 187). — Whole corn and corn-and-cob meal in combination with other 

 foods were compared for a period of 1 weeks with 7 steers, each 

 weighing about 1,200 lbs. A steer fed corn on the ear, bran, whole 

 oats, and hay lost in this time 5 lbs. One fed corn-and-cob meal, 

 ground oats, bran, and hay gained 78 lbs. When cotton-seed meal 

 replaced ground oats in the ration, a third steer gained 91 lbs. With 

 corn silage in addition to this last ration, one of the steers gained 18 

 lbs., and with corn stover in place of hay and silage another gained 

 2 lbs. With 2 steers corn-and-cob meal was the onh^ grain fed. One 

 received hay and the other corn stover as coarse fodder. The former 

 gained 9 lbs. and the latter lost 53 lbs. According to the author— 



" Ground corn seemed better than whole corn, especially when fed dry. A consid- 

 erable variety of food seems desirable. Corn alone, as it is with other foods gener- 

 ally, does not give the l)est returns. Corn silage, as one portion of the coarse fodder, 

 is desirable. 



' ' The largest gain obtained Mas with rations containing cotton-seed meal. The only 

 animal refusing grain at any time was one whose grain ration was comjiosed of corn 

 alone." 



