FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 375 



us by inflated prices for feeding cattle could not prove otherwise than a dis- 

 astrous thing to the thousands of men who fed cattle during the following 

 year. 



However, by all means do not lose faith in cattle feeding; in fact we can 

 not aflford to do so. Although we have the best soil upon which the sun 

 shines in order to maintain its fertility in time to come it becomes absolutely 

 necessary to feed cattle. And as long as cattle will eat grass and the human 

 stomach likes beef there will be a profit in it for the man that makes a busi- 

 ness of feeding cattle every year. But the speculator without experience 

 who tries to get in on a large scale, when everything seems favorable, and 

 reap a harvest will be sure to fail. 



The question today is how to make feeding profitable and again secure 

 for the business the standing lost during the two years past. The first step 

 in this direction must be that of securing better bred animals. Mr. John 

 Gosling of Kansas City in referring to this question says: "Remember that 

 flesh is bred on animals, it can not be fed on, at least not to any great de- 

 gree, and that fat is fed on." This coming from a man who is undoubtedly 

 a master of the art gives great value to the opinion. You must breed for 

 flesh, you can feed on fat. 



The successful feeder must in the future look more closely to the quality 

 of the cattle he secures for his feed lot. More attention should be given to 

 the quality of sires used. Tlie great amount of trash ordinarily seen at the 

 market should cease to be, and the good ones made into a paying product. 

 The difference between the good and poor was never more apparent than at 

 the present time. 



The past few years have seen a most wonderful advancement made in the 

 methods of feeding and the combinations of grains that form the feeding 

 ration. Our colleges have been of great assistance in determining many of 

 those methods. 



In considering the feeding problem from a standpoint of the one-fourth 

 section farmer; would say that one car load of cattle per year is about the 

 limit that can be safely and successfully handled on one hundred sixty acres 

 of land. And in order to do this it is necessary to have almost one-half your 

 ground in pasture and hay land. Ordinarily you can easily buy corn, but 

 unless you have an abundance of good pasture and hay ground it is not 

 advisable to undertake to feed cattle. 



My experience is that the safest and most profitable method of handling 

 cattle for the average farmer is to buy good yearlings in the fall. The very 

 best are none too good. And do not hesitate if necessary to pay a premium 

 in order to secure cattle of good quality. The most forcible factors in 

 determining the profits of this work is the skill of the purchaser in selecting 

 animals that will make good feeders. The -skill lies generally in being able 

 to estimate the possibilities of improvement in animals selected. You can 

 generally buy yearlings at this time of the year about fifty cents per hun- 

 dred less than two-year-olds of the same quality. Ordinarily you can carry 

 those cattle until the first of January on fall pasture and stalk pasture with 

 but very little grain. But do not hesitate to feed some grain if necessary. 

 At this time, or whenever stalk pasture gets short, would commence feeding 

 some grain once a day, always in the evening. About ten pounds of ear 

 corn a day with plenty of hay. Clover hay, if possible, should bring a 



