NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 125 
the quality and type of steers fed, their previous treatment and con- 
dition when placed in the feed lot, the rate and cost of gain, degree of 
finish secured before marketing, the kind of ration fed and the gain on 
hogs following. It is of vital importance to the producer to he able to 
appreciate the factors which influence the value of feeders in order to 
obtain the maximum profit from the business. He should be able to 
recognize good and bad features in order to select breed and produce 
the most desirable cattle for the feeder. It is equally important .for 
the feeder to have a knowledge of the factors influencing the value of 
the different grades of feeders in order that he may buy the kind 
of cattle which are relatively the cheapest when filling his feed lots. 
Whether producing or feeding cattle, the chief aim is to turn large 
quantities of grain and roughage into a more profitable product, to 
maintain soil fertility, and to increase the yield of farm crops from year 
to year. In our work at Purdue Experiment Station we have considered 
that the labor in marketing crops, as such, is as great as that required 
in feeding them on the farm, and marketing the stock which has con- 
sumed them. If this is true, in Iowa as it is in Indiana, then the feed- 
ers who secure the purchase price of their cattle and the market price 
of feeds consumed from the same of their cattle and hogs, are equally 
as well off as the grain farmer and has in addition, a vast amount of 
manure which, if properly handled, will increase his profits from farm- 
ing through several years. 
The quesion of cattle feeding is so broad that an attempt cannot be 
made to discuss it from every standpoint in our lecture. For this 
reason I will confine my remarks largely to one phase of the business, 
that of "Short Feeding." By this term is meant, feeding cattle to a 
marketable finish in 90 to 120 days. To do so profitably requires the 
exercise of keen judgment in the selection of feeders, the ration used, 
the method of feeding and also experience in feeding. As in any other 
venture it is necessary to start right. The steers used should be mature, 
fleshy feeders as calves and" yearlings will utilize too great a proportion 
of their feed for growth and not enough for fat to justify giving them 
a short feed. The quality and type selected should depend upon market 
conditions at the time of purchase and probable demand at the close 
of the feeding period. Price being equal the more quality the steers 
have and the nearer they approach the beef type, the greater will be the 
profit. If they are to be marketed during the summer and fall, then it is 
essential that they have quality and type and start in the feed lots in 
"grass fat" condition in order that they will not come in competition with 
western range cattle but will sell in a higher grade; if marketed during 
the winter or spring, then quality and type are not so essential as the 
market demand for the plain cattle is broader. The illustrations used 
show various types of cattle used in the feed lots at che Station. The first 
one is that of a plain steer which was used in a "short fed" lot during the 
winter of 1906-07. The staggy head and coarseness are objectionable but 
he illustrates well the type and condition most desirable for short feeding. 
The second illustration shows a type which does not have sufllcient 
capacity for feed to insure rapid gains while in the feed lot. The third 
illustration shows a steer which has breeding, capacity and type, but not 
