358 Feeds and Feeding. 



for 100 pounds of gain when feeding the so-called " balanced ra- 

 tion ' ' than where ear corn alone was given. At most Western 

 points the " balanced ration" will cost 28 per cent, more than a 

 corn ration, but in many localities it will prove much cheaper 

 than corn alone. l 



554. Pasturing steers. Though a large portion of the gain 

 made by cattle originates from pasture, we have little data upon 

 the subject. This lack of information is due no doubt to the 

 great difference in the productive power of pastures, and from 

 the lack of uniformity of herbage growth from year to year. 

 Morrow 2 conducted interesting investigations on the gain of steers 

 maintained wholly on tame pastures from May 1 to November 1. 

 The gains with different lots are as follows: 



4 head of yearling steers, maintained on pasture alone, showed an aver- 

 age gain of 332 pounds each. 



10 head of yearling steers, maintained on pasture alone, showed an aver- 

 age gain of 285 pounds each. 



2 head of yearling steers, maintained on pasture alone, showed an aver- 

 age gain of 440 pounds each. 



These gains are probably fully equal to the average obtained 

 with cattle on Western tame pastures of good quality. They show 

 that from such pastures we may look for a gain of from 300 to 

 400 pounds per head for the season with yearling steers. (258) 



555. Feeding grain to steers on pasture. At the Iowa Sta- 

 tion, 3 Wilson and Curtiss, fattening steers on pasture with and 

 without grain, obtained the following results: 



10 steers on pasture only, gained 2.01 pounds each daily. 



10 steers on pasture with grain, gained 2.13 pounds each daily. 



The steers fed grain received ten pounds of corn and cob meal 

 each daily. 



At the Missouri Agricultural College, 4 Sanborn conducted two 

 trials in feeding steers on grain while on pasture, both at a loss. 



1 For a discussion of these experiments by Georgeson, see Qr. Kept. 

 Kan. Bd. Agr., Dec. 1897. 



2 Bui. 1, Col. of Agr., Univ. of 111. 



* Bui. 28. 



* Bui. 8. 



