104 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ness whatever. I have handled a great many cattle on ground 

 corn alone without other roughness. 



The economy in the use of self-feeder is quite an advantage, 

 and it is being used with advantage by a great many feeders; 

 feeders are using it generally with very satisfactory results. I 

 have used it for a number of years. I would prefer, if I had a 

 good man feeding, perfectly regular, twice a day, what the cattle 

 would clean up; but it is pretty hard to do that, so that for a 

 number of years I have used a self-feeder with more satisfactory 

 results. I use in connection with ground corn, either cotton seed 

 meal or oil cake; I think it a very profitable feed. It shortens 

 the feeding period and gives a better finish on our cattle, which 

 has come to be an important thing in our beef production. 



At the Chicago International, last week, I had a load of cattle 

 in the short feed class, bred in New Mexico; they were in Colo- 

 rado, and had been there a little over a year. They weighed 752 

 pounds when I put them on feed; I fed them 107 days; they 

 made an average gain of 334 pounds on 107 days' feed. They ate 

 31 bushels of corn, 259 pounds of oil cake and 535 pounds of hay, 

 the cost of that gain was $21.92 or $6.60 a hundred. We 

 should remember that it is rarely the case that we can sell 

 the gain we have produced on our cattle during the 

 period of winter feeding, at Avhat it has cost us to produce that 

 gain; it is very seldom we can do it on two-year old cattle; not 

 often that we can sell the gain for what it cost to produce it. 

 To illustrate : We buy a thousand-pound steer at $4 a hundred, or 

 $40. We feed 50 bushels at 40 cents— $20. The steer, if he 

 has done well, will gain 300 pounds. We sell that steer after 

 he has been fed, at $5 a hundred. It is very evident we sold 

 that 300 pounds of gain for $15.00. Our only profit, if we have 

 one is on the advance of the original weight. We have in this 

 instance, one dollar a hundred in advance, which is $10.00; deduct 

 the $5 loss, which leaves a net profit of $5 on the steer, which, I 

 think, is a fair average profit. 



As I said before, it is not often we can sell the gain for what 

 it cost to make it. I don't think the average Illinois or Iowa 

 feeder during the winter period of feeding, gets to exceed a 

 5-pound gain from a bushel of com ; I don 't think he gets to 

 exceed 5 pounds. 



The question of margining our cattle is one that concerns 

 the feeder a great deal, and I think when a man's cattle are ready 

 to go on feed, he should consider the age and quality and the 



