482 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



Low, medium, and heavy allowances of cottonseed meal 



Daily Feed for 100 Ibs. gain Cost of 100 

 Meal Silage Ibs. gain* 



Lbs. Lbs. Dollars 



Average ration gain Meal Silage Ibs. gain* 



Low allowance, total of 32 steers 



Cottonseed meal, 4 Ibs. Corn silage, 56 Ibs ... 1 . 62 253 3,542 8 . 47 

 Medium allowance, total of 24 steers 



Cottonseed meal, 6 Ibs. Corn silage, 52 Ibs ... 1 . 70 335 3,124 8 . 87 

 Heavy allowance, total of 24- steers 



Cottonseed meal, 8 Ibs. Corn silage, 59 Ibs. . . 1.66 491 3,622 11.56 



^Cottonseed meal at $25 and corn silage at $3 per ton. 



In none of the trials did the heavy allowance of cottonseed meal pro- 

 duce larger gains than the medium allowance. On the average the 

 medium allowance made slightly larger but more expensive gains than 

 the low allowance. Willson concludes that the use of as much as 7 to 9 

 Ibs. of cottonseed meal per head daily is uneconomical except for short 

 feeding periods of only 30 to 50 days. 



Since the feeders of the south Atlantic states have access to the large 

 eastern markets, which demand well-finished cattle, Gray and Curtis 

 conducted trials at the North Carolina Station 52 to determine the maxi- 

 mum amount of cottonseed meal which could be fed with good results to 

 2-year-old steers with corn silage or cottonseed hulls given in unlimited 

 amount. In these trials the conclusion was reached that cattle fed 7.5 Ibs. 

 of meal per head daily with either silage or hulls will continue to gain 

 and finish quite satisfactorily for 130 to 140 days, which is the maximum 

 period for feeding this allowance with hulls. "With corn silage the 

 feeding period may be extended 30 to 50 days or even somewhat longer 

 without harm. When 9 to 10.5 Ibs. of meal is fed with hulls, the daily 

 gains decrease after 120 to 130 days until finally the animal begins 

 losing weight. The same amount of meal may be fed with silage for 30 to 

 60 days longer with continuous gains and consequent high finish. The 

 retarding of the poisonous effect of cottonseed meal by silage seems to 

 be due to the succulent nature of the silage, for the same effect is also 

 produced by pasturage. 



Feeding as large amounts of cottonseed meal as here indicated is 

 advisable only when the market pays a sufficient premium for a thoroly 

 fattened steer over one carrying only moderate finish. Whether to feed 

 cottonseed meal as the only concentrate or to use in addition corn or 

 other grain, will depend on the prices of the feeds. If the other feeds 

 cost more per ton than cottonseed meal, adding them will usually make 

 the gains more expensive. 53 



Cottonseed meal is very poisonous to young calves and should therefore 

 not be fed to them, except possibly as only a small part of a suitable 

 concentrate mixture. After calves are 3 to 4 months old a limited amount 

 of cottonseed meal may be fed with safety. Not over 0.5 to 1.5 Ibs. per 



B2 N. C. Buls. 218, 222, and information to the authors. 



53 Ward, Curtis, and Peden, U. S. D. A. Bui. 628; Ward, Jerdan, and Lloyd, 

 U. S. D. A. Buls. 631, 761. 



