476 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



Heavy, plump oats have given good results when fed as the only 

 concentrate to fattening cattle. In trials by Wilson at the South Dakota 

 Station 22 ground oats fed with corn silage and a small amount of linseed 

 meal produced nearly as large gains as ground corn. On the average 

 the oat-fed steers required 862 Ibs. concentrates and 746 Ibs. silage for 

 100 Ibs. gain, while the corn-fed steers required 856 Ibs. concentrates 

 and only 648 Ibs. silage. Linfield at the Montana Station 23 found ground 

 oats, crushed wheat, and ground barley about equally valuable w^hen 

 fed with clover hay to fattening steers. 



741. Kafir. The grain sorghums are of great and increasing impor- 

 tance for beef production thruout the southern portion of the Great 

 Plains region. As the following paragraphs show, they produce 

 practically as rapid gains as does corn, and closely approach that grain 

 in feeding value per pound. (235-40) The grain sorghums are relatively 

 low in protein and should therefore be fed with legume hay, or else a 

 supplement should be added to the ration. The following table presents 

 the results of 3 trials, 24 averaging 138 days, in which ground kafir and 

 alfalfa hay were fed to one lot of steers, and ground corn and alfalfa hay 

 to another lot. 



Kafir vs. corn for fattening steers 



Initial Daily Feed for 100 Ibs. gain 



Average ration weight gain Grain Roughage 



Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Lot 7, total of 18 steers 

 Ground kafir, 16.7 Ibs. 



Alfalfa hay, 15. libs 952 2.4 697 636 



Lot II y total of 18 steers 

 Ground corn, 15.5 Ibs. 

 Alfalfa hay, 15.2 Ibs 943 2.5 612 610 



The steers fed kafir made nearly as large gains as those fed corn, but 

 required somewhat more feed for 100 Ibs. gain. With feeds at normal 

 prices, in these trials kafir was worth about 14 per ct. less per ton than 

 corn. In trials by Cochel at the Kansas Station 25 and by Foster and 

 Simpson at the New Mexico Station 26 practically the same results were 

 secured. Even larger gains were made with kafir chop than with corn 

 chop in a trial by Burns at the Texas Station 27 and less feed was re- 

 quired for 100 Ibs. gain. Ground entire kafir heads at $16 a ton proved 

 slightly less economical than ground kafir grain at $20 a ton in a trial 

 by Cochel at the Kansas Station. 28 (237) 



742. Milo; feterita. As yet but few trials have been carried on to 

 find the relative value of the different grain sorghums for fattening 



^S. D. Bui. 160. 26 N. Mex. Bui. 101. 



""Mont. Bui. 58. '"Tex. Bui. 110. 



24 Average of 2 trials by Burtis (Okla. Rpts. 1899, 1900, 1901) and 1 by Haney 

 (Kan. Bui. 132). 



"Information to the authors. "Information to the authors. 



