JOmALOPAGRiaiLTlALESEARCH 



Vol.. XVIII Washington, D. C, Dec. i, 1919 No. 5 



NITROGEN METABOLISM OF TWO-YEAR-OLD STEERS 



By SlEETER Bull, Associate in Animal Nutrition, and H. S. GrindlEy, Professor 

 of Animal Nutrition, Department of Animal Husbandry, Illinois Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, University of Illinois 



PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENT 



The present paper is one of several reports on a digestion and meta- 

 bolism experiment conducted at the Illinois Agricultural Experiment 

 Station upon eight 2 -year-old steers.^ This paper reports the nitrogen 

 balance of each steer as determined for each week during a total period 

 of 37 weeks. The experiment was divided into five experimental periods. 

 During the first period the ration consisted of clover hay and ground 

 com in equal amounts by weight; during the second, of one part of 

 clover hay and three parts of ground com; during the third, of one part 

 of clover hay and five parts of ground corn; and during the fourth and 

 fifth, of one part of clover hay, four parts of ground corn, and one part 

 of linseed oil meal. The last proportion was maintained to the end of 

 the experiment. These changes are comparable to the changes often 

 made in the proportions of roughage and concentrates in ordinary feeding 

 practice. The first experimental period was five weeks in length; the 

 second, third, and fourth were each six weeks in length; and the fifth 

 was four weeks in length. The changes in the ration made from one 

 test period to another were effected very gradually in transitional periods, 

 one of which immediately followed each experimental period. The first 

 and third transitional periods were two weeks in length; the second and 

 fourth were three weeks in length. Table I gives the experimental 

 periods and the feeds given in each period. 



' Mum FORD, H. W., Grindley, H. S., Hai,i„ L. D., Emmett, A. D.. and others, a study of thB 



DIGESTIBILITY OP RATIONS FOR STEERS. . . 111.. AgT. Exp. Sta. Bul. 172, p. 233-278, illuS. I914. 



MuMFORD, H. W., Grimdley, H. S., Emmett, A. D., and Bull, Sleeter. a study of the rate and 



ECONOMY OF GAINS OF FATTENING STEERS. . . 111. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bul. I97, p. 565-604. I917. 



Grin-dley, H. S., Mumford, H. W., Emmett, A. D., and Bull, Sleeter. fertilizing constituents 

 EXCRETED BY 2-ye.vr-old STEERS. 111. AgT. Exp. Sta. Bul. 209, p. 127-162. 191S. 



Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. X\^II, No. s 



Washington, D. C. Dec. i, 1919 



sx Key No. III.-9 



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