306 REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



This is an unusually favorable case of feeding steers raised by others, 

 but such a rate of gain can often be reached with steers of your own 

 raising. In this ration, double the amount of oil-meal may be substi- 

 tuted for the flaxseed and wheat-middlings, or bran for the oats and 

 pease, with the quantity slightly increased ; but oats, pease, and corn, 

 with flaxseed or oil-meal, is a combination of food easily obtained in 

 many parts of our countrj^, and is a great improvement over that of 

 corn alone. So good a result could not be expected with that amount 

 of food without cooking the ration and feeding in a warm stable. 



TRUE SY^EM OF MEAT-PRODUOTION FOR NEW YORK. 



We have thus far discussed cattle-feeding in New York as it has been 

 heretofore and is now principally conducted. The early system was 

 based upon the fact that many parts of the State were adapted to graz- 

 ing and not to grain-raising ; and these early farmers were in the habit 

 of raising a few animals each year and feeding them very sparely through 

 the winter, but giving them a good range of pasture in summer, and at 

 three and a half years old they sold them to other farmers to be finished 

 upon grain-feeding. But, as we have seen, these very slow-growing an- 

 imals did not feed profitably upon grain, it requiring so long a time to 

 get them into a fattening condition. This system is so extremely un- 

 profitable to both sides that it has been largely abandoned ; and now 

 the question arises whether New York must abandon meat-production, 

 or whether she may not adopt a better system and produce meat with a 

 profit, besides bringing the more important result of keeping her soil in 

 perpetual fertility. The solution of this problem is found in the system 

 of 



FULL FEEDING AND EARLY MATURITY. 



In feeding animals, as in other things, time is a most essential element 

 of success. l!#ature has most clearly pointed out to us the road to suc- 

 cess in cattle-feeding. It is found .in this law that the young animal 

 takes the least amount of food to produce a pound of growth, and that, 

 all other things being equal, each succeeding pound of growth or live 

 weight up to maturity ot the aniQial costs more than the preceding 

 pound. This has been established by so many facts that it may be laid 

 down as a law- 

 Two interesting experiments were conducted by Professor Miles at 

 the Michigan Agricultural College farm in 180G and 18G8. In the 

 former year three, and in the latter six, i)iga were fed upon milk. These 

 pigs were from four to six weeks old at the beginning of the experiment. 

 It took an average amount of milk to produce a pound live weight as 

 follows : first week, G.76 pounds ; second week, 7.75 pounds ; third week, 

 12.28 pounds; fourth week, 10.42 pounds. The professor attributes the 

 cause of its taking a greater amount of food the third week than the 

 fourth to a " derangement of the digestive organs during this week, as 

 shown in a tendency to constipation," and he remarks that " the milk to 

 produce a pound live weight constantly increases." 



The experiment of 18G8 was continued afterward for twenty weeks 

 upon corn-meal. The time was divided into five periods of four weeks 

 each. It required of coru-meal to make a pound live weight : first pe- 

 riod, 3.81 pounds ; second period, 4.05 pounds ; third period, 4.*2 pounds; 

 fourth period, 5.24 pounds ; fifth period, 5.08 j)Ounds. 



Another experiment with a larger number of pigs had a similar result. 

 It will be perceived that in the flfth period, when the pigs were twenty- 



