TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 141 



and especially does this apply to young animals. When spring comes, 

 I give them the run of a good grass field, blue grass being preferred. 

 Greater gains come from summer feeding on grass than from winter 

 feeding, as grass seems to take the place of grain to a certain, extent, 

 and grass, you know, is nature's feed for cattle. Some feeders prefer 

 to not turn their cattle on grass until the grass has made a good growth 

 I think this is a mistake. I believe in turning out the steer in the early 

 spring, when Doctor Green is just beginning to make his appearance, 

 and thus gradually accustom them to the change. Too sudden a change 

 often works disaster and the steer is caused to scour. From June on, 

 if the pastures contain clover, a grain diet consisting entirely of cam 

 may be fed, as clover supplies the protein necessary for an almost bal- 

 anced ration. If the pasture is mostly blue grass, supply protein in the 

 form of oil meal or cottonseed meal; the latter being preferred from 

 grass time on. 



In the early fall, supplement with part new corn, and this may be 

 done with excellent results if fed carefully. (I now have reference to 

 corn in the roasting ear stage.) The attendant should remember that 

 quiet and contentment are always conducive to the best results, and a 

 curry comb, if properly handled is all the club necessary in the feed 

 yard. Variety is the spice of life, and to obtain best results it should 

 be furnished when feeding cattle for show or market. Change your 

 feeds from time to time, bearing in mind, as the period of feeding draws 

 to a close, to substitute feeds that are strong in carbohydrates and less 

 nutritous in proteins, so that your steers arrive at that finished stage 

 when market time arrives. The feeding of too much roughage tends 

 to not only lessen your gain, but it tends to do injury to that conforma- 

 tion that is desirable in a show steer. A paunchy steer does not appeal 

 to the killer, and a steer of this type in your load detracts from the 

 merit of the load. Avoid over-ripeness, as patchiness does not appeal to 

 the butcher buyer. Bear in mind that smoothness spells quality in big 

 letters. 



Some of the many requirements necessory if you hope to win: 



You will know that your cattle are broad enough when they have 

 made a double path leading from the barnyard out to the pasture field. 

 If weather conditions have been normal, there will be a narrow strip 

 of grass growing in this double path. After a rainstorm, it will be 

 found necessary to move the steers about so the water will drain off 

 their backs. 



In preparing their show coats, it will require much elbow grease, 

 and when you have them shining so that you can see yourself as others 

 see you, then you can begin to draw your own conclusions as to where 

 you will land on show day. 



As I have stated before, variety is the spice of life, and to be suc- 

 cessful in your fitting operations, your steers must have a menu elastic 

 enough to embrace everything in the cattle-feeding world from soup to 

 nuts. 



You will agree with me that there are numerous requirements nec- 

 essary to select, fit and feed a load of show steers, but a summary of 



