NINTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART III 121 
amount of corn consumed per head by the "short fed" cattle was 34 
bushels in the first test and 41.9 in the second; by the "long fed" cattle 
54.6 and 61.1 bushels per head. 
This is the result of two years' work at the station and the problem is 
by no means solved as to the relative profit from the two methods, be- 
cause the tvvO lots of cattle cannot be sold on the same market. On a 
stationary market the "short fed" cattle have proven most profitable 
both years, but from March, 1908, to May, 1908, there was such an in- 
crease in cattle values that the "long fed" cattle returned the greater 
profit. In feeding the ration mentioned during the last two years we 
have never received less than 18 cents per bushel over market value 
for the corn fed and it has amounted to as much as 37 cents in one in- 
stance. This is more than the average profit in growing the corn and 
means that cattle fed under similar conditions during the past two years 
by the corn producers have doubled their profit. 
It is to be hoped that further experimentation will throw more light 
upon this subject, but the data secured indicate that feeding beef cattle 
is a business that not only demands skill upon the part of the feeder 
but judgment as to cattle selected for special purposes, the selection of 
productive and profitable rations and business ability of the highest type. 
Question : AVas your object in feeding silage to aid digestion ? 
Prof. Cociiel : We consider it entirely as a roughage. 
Question : You stated that you fed shelled corn because it 
demonstrated the actual weight. Is that the only reason? 
Prof. Cochel: Yes. I think you would get equally as good 
results by feeding broken ears in the start, until the steers begin to 
shell their own corn. 
We have fed some ground corn, but have not gone quite deep 
enough into that yet to say Avhether or not we like it better than the 
shelled corn. There is a wide difference of opinion in our state, but 
as near as I can get at it from the feeders, those who have a mill 
on their place and don't put very much emphasis on the hog end 
of the deal prefer the ground feed. I have heard a good many 
of the men say this year that they are going to grind their corn, 
because it is flinty. 
Question : I want to ask ]\Ir. Jones how he builds his silos. 
Mr. Jones: That matter would constitute an address in itself, 
and I could only in just a few words tell you what we have done. 
We build our silos of concrete, with a six-inch wall, reinforced with 
00 wire, which is about the size of an ordinary lead pencil, hori- 
zontally. It costs about 50 cents per ton capacity. 
We don't put the corn in the silo when it will become acid; it 
should be in the first stage of maturity, and then it is always sweet. 
