CHAPTER XXL 



RESULTS OF STEER-FEEDING TRIALS AT THE STATIONS. 



I. Findings with Various Feeds. 



535. Difficulties of steer fattening. Among farm animals there 

 is none so difficult to experiment with, all things considered, as 

 the fattening steer. In this work the returns for the feed supplied 

 are measured by the gain of the animal from day to day. While 

 at first it is not difficult to increase the weight of the steer, the 

 problem is far from easy when the final stages of the fattening 

 period are reached. The animal then has a dainty appetite and 

 is easily thrown off feed by small variations in the character or 

 amount of the provender supplied. Other influences also, such as 

 the weather, surroundings, attendants, etc., go to produce favor- 

 able or unfavorable results. Considering the difficulties, it is not 

 surprising that many of the early feeding trials with steers by our 

 Stations have not furnished data which will stand the test of time. 

 Some good work has been done, however, as these pages show. 



536. Ear corn compared with corn meal. At the Kansas Sta- 

 tion, 1 Georgeson compared ear corn and corn meal for feeding 

 steers, with the results shown in the table: 



Feeding corn and corn meal to steers Kansas Station. 



Buls. 34, 60. 



