312 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



a wild one is bothersome, and besides he is wasting flesh while running 

 and jumping everywhere. 



Now we might ask in what breed will we find such a steer? Well, 

 there is no distinct breed of animals best for beef purposes, but any of the 

 Sbort Horns, Herefords and Aberdeen Angus breeds will do, because they 

 first originated in England where they were bred strictly for beef pur- 

 poses. These are the beef breeds of today, and a steer of any of these 

 breeds and having the qualities already described will be the most 

 profitable beef steer. 



POUNDS OF CORN, POUNDS OF GAIN. 



~W. A. Henry in Breeders' Gazette. 



A Livonia, Ind., correspondent writes: 



"On the average how many pounds of gain may be expected from 

 each 100 pounds of corn fed to fattening steers? How many pounds of 

 pork will hogs make from 100 pounds of corn? How many pounds o' 

 pork will hogs make from droppings of steers from each 100 pounds of 

 corn the steers get?" 



Fattening steers will require from 400 to 1,500 pounds of corn for 

 100 pounds of gain. For short periods and when on pasture, 400 pounds 

 of corn may put on 100 pounds of gain. For long periods they will prob- 

 ably take at least 600 pounds. In winter when on dry feed steers will re- 

 quire from 600 to 800 pounds of corn for 100 pounds of gain when feeding 

 period is comparatively short — say three months. Where steers are fullv 

 fed for as long as six months or 180 days, they will require from 1,000 

 to 1,500 pounds of grain for 100 pounds of gain. Our correspondent may 

 feel dissatisfied with the indefinite statements here made, but it is im- 

 possible to give exact figures in cases like this where so much depends 

 upon the quality of the steers as to breeding, their condition as to fatness 

 when the feeding experiments begin, the ability of the feeder to success- 

 fully nurture his animals, etc. On the average it may be said that it 

 requires 1,000 pounds of grain for 100 pounds of gain when steers of fair 

 quality are being thoroughly fitted for the market. Fattening hogs 

 require about 500 pounds of corn for 100 pounds of gain. The limits are 

 from 400 to 600, depending upon the condition of the hogs at the begin- 

 ning of the fattening period, the length of the period, etc. 



In answer to the third question, the writer submits the following 

 taken from his book "Feeds and Feeding." It is the report of an experi- 

 ment which he conducted a number of years ago to learn the value of 

 the droppings of steers for hogs following the steers. In this trial a 

 bunch of twelve steers was divided into two lots of six steers each. The 

 first lot was fed shelled corn, and the second cornmeal. Each steer re- 

 ceived thirteen pounds of corn or cornmeal daily, and half as much more 

 wheat bran additional, making about twenty pounds of grain per head 



