SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VIII. 599 



in the shortest time possible. Get thorn to the market before they pass 

 the age of two years. We cannot afford to keep cattle on our eighty, to one 

 hundred dollar land, for more time than twenty-four to twenty-six 

 months. We find but very few tiiree and four year old cattle on our 

 markets to-day and they are fed at a loss as the buyer discriminates 

 against large, coarse cattle. 



In the individual classes, in the show-ring the judges will scarcely 

 look at them as they are too large and coarse, and have too much waste, 

 or low priced meat per liundred. If we expect our bank-book to have 

 black figures on the right-hand side of the ledger, we must feed and 

 breed the Ii:ind of cattle the public demands, the low-down, thick-fleshed, 

 blocky type. 



My experience in feeding cattle has been somewhat limited. I gen- 

 erally let the calves run with the cows until they are from six to 

 eight months old. when they are placed in the feed-lot and fed a grain 

 ration of two-thirds corn and one-third oats, with corn-fodder, straw and 

 clover hay for roughage, during the winter months; in the spring time 

 they run on a blue-grass and clover pasture, with a grain ration, but 

 are not put on full feed until about September 1st, when they are fed all 

 the grain they will eat with one pound of oil-meal per head each day 

 until marketed. I prefer yearlings to two-year-olds, as they will 

 gain as much per head and you have not so much invested in each 

 animal. My experience is that yearlings will gain seventy to one hundred 

 twenty pounds per month, or an average of eighty-five pounds. These 

 are gains on the cattle fed in the open feed-lot. Show cattle that are fed 

 continuously on full grain ration will not make the gain for as long a 

 period that feed-lot cattle will. I am a strong advocate of finishing 

 cattle before placing them on the market, as a finished animal brings 

 from one to two dollars more per hundred than the "warmed-up" cattle 

 do, and that is where the profit is in feeding, if there be a profit. 



At the late International fat stock show, the grand champion steer, 

 Black Rock, weighed 1.650 lbs. and sold for $25.00 per cwt. or 25c per lb. 

 The grand champion car load averaged 1,524 lbs, and sold for $8.65 per 

 cwt. 



IS car loads of Angus averaged $6.82 



21 car loads of Herefords averaged $6.69 



9 car loads of Short Horns averaged $6.65 



1st prize heifers car load averaged 1039 $6.80 



2nd prize 1 year old heifers averaged 990 sold for 6 cents. 

 So it appears that the handy weight, well-finished cattle are the ones 

 at the top of the market and secure the ribbons in the show-ring. Iowa 

 won the Grand Champion on two-year-old steer; also the Grand Cham- 

 pion car load lot and won more prizes than any other state in the union 

 and Jasper County had the largest exhibit of any county in the State 

 and secured more premiums than any other county in the State. 



If we expect to maintain our reputation we must continue to improve 

 our farm products as well as the live stock. There has been but very 

 little money in feeding cattle for the past two or three years as the price 

 of grain has been too high as compared with the price of beef. The 



