EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 479 



The valuation placed ou cow manure is |2.74 per ton (Henry's Feeds 

 and Feeding). I have allowed only fl.OO per ton. This leaves !i?1.74 per 

 ton to cover waste and cost of putting on field. 



STATEMENT OP "WORK ON BEKF CATTLE. 1917. 



A carload of 26 average grade, two-year-old steers was purchased off 

 the Chicago market on June 15, 1917, for the purpose of learning whether 

 they could be handled at a profit or not. Following is statement of the 

 results obtained : 



Twenty-six steers, average weight 759 lbs. 



cost at Chicago |1,638 55 



Freight, Chicago to Chatham 04 00 



Freight, Chatham to Lansing 92 68 



Labor at Chatham 15 00 



Pasture at Chatham : 104 00 



Feed at Chatham 21 31 



Feed at College : 



Silage 1206 44 



Hav 71 64 



Grain 97 28 



Feed and straw for ship- 

 ping 10 00 



1385 36 



.^2,320 90 



Receipts for 22 steers, Bishop, Bullen & 



Holmes, Detroit, Mich |2,034 31 



Receipts for 2 steers, slaughtered at 



College ■ 163 28 



Receipts for 1 steer, slaughtered at 



Chatham 84 02 



Receipts for 1 steer, Wm. Robarge, Forest 



- Lake 75 25 



12,356 86 



Profit $35 96 



This carload of steers was in healthy condition when purchased, yet 

 quite thin. This worked to our advantage, as there was plenty of room 

 for putting on flesh. The pasture that they grazed on had luxuriant 

 growth and was very good. 



It will be seen from the statement that our net profit was only -f35.96, 

 but, that 1104.00 was charged against the steers for pasture. Had not the 

 steers been purchased this pasture would have been wasted, except that 

 which would have returned to the soil in the form of fertilizer. So, in 

 fact the Station was paid clear of all expenses S139.96. 



A very large percentage of the profit was eaten up, so to speak, in 

 transportation and shrinkage. The freight from Chicago here was 

 164.00 and from here to Lansing |92.28 or a total of -1156.68. The average 

 weight of these steers at Chicago, June 15th was 759 pounds; at Chatham 

 a few days later, 694 pounds, and at time of loading for shipment to 



