126 FARM ANIMALS 



of the ration for fattening steers. In Alabama 

 it was found that steers gain at the rate of one 

 and sixty-seven hundredths pounds per day on 

 this pasture. Green rye, however, is not suit- 

 able tor an exclusive feed, but should be supple- 

 mented with liberal grain rations. It appears 

 that sorghum silage can be produced at the rate 

 of seven tons per acre or slightly less than the 

 average yield of corn made into silage. The 

 cost of raising and harvesting an acre of sorghum 

 is $13.00. Silage made from sorghum is a very 

 satisfactory roughage for cattle and seldom causes 

 any trouble except in rare instances where the 

 second crop develops hydrocyanic acid. Soy- 

 bean silage in a ration of twenty-five to thirty 

 pounds daily is an excellent feed for wintering 

 calves with an additional grain ration of one to 

 two pounds cotton seed meal and five pounds 

 corn. Speltz straw is useful in fattening steers 

 and may be considered as worth about half as 

 much as ordinary hay. 



Investigations instituted in Illinois developed 

 the fact that the cattle raisers of that state use 

 clover hay most as a roughage for steers, fol- 

 lowed by corn fodder, hay, oat straw, corn stover 

 and blue grass hay. A few of the beef raisers 

 of the state use cowpea, alfalfa, redtop, sorghum, 

 millet hay, sheaf oats and silage. Similar vari- 

 ations prevail in other states in regard to the 

 roughage. In Canada tests were made of cut 

 and uncut hay for the purpose of determining its 

 relative feeding value. In this experiment it was 

 found that the cost of one hundred pounds of 

 gain on a ration containing cut hay and cut roots 

 was $10.80 and on a ration of uncut hay and 

 roots $11.50. The economy of the process will 



