CROPPING AND FEEDING SYSTEMS 179 



feeding is to allow animals to harvest their own feed. The grazing of 

 grass lands and the pasturing of cornstalk fields is typical of this process. 

 It is further illustrated by chickens and pigs in small numbers that are 

 allowed to forage for themselves about the farm premises. The farmer 

 who produces pork on concentrates alone is at a disadvantage with the one 

 who depends partly on hog pasture. 



Livestock Gains in Relation to Feed. Swine gain about 10 pounds in 

 weight for each bushel of corn; steers require about 1000 pounds dry 

 matter to make 100 pounds of gain; sheep require somewhat less food per 

 pound of gain than steers; 100 pounds dry matter in dairy rations will 

 produce about 74 pounds of milk containing 8^2 per cent of fat. 



Better gains are made with given amounts of feed during the early 

 portions of the feeding period than toward it^ close. Young animals make 

 a more profitable use of feed than older on^s. It is seldom that the value 

 of gain in fattening cattle is equal to the cost of the feed consumed. The 

 profit is usually made on the increase in value of the total weight of the 

 animal. Generally, a feeder weighing 1000 pounds can be purchased for 

 from 1 to 3 cents per pound less than he will bring when in prime condition 

 and weighing 1200 to 1400 pounds. 



Corn Silage as Base for Ration. In the corn belt, corn silage should 

 form the base for feeding rations. It should be supplemented with dry 

 roughage and nitrogenous concentrates in such a way as to meet the require- 

 ments of the stock raised. It has a wide adaptation and may be extensively 

 used, either for the production of dairy products, the fattening of steers or 

 the feeding of horses and young stock. 



The following are a few rations which include corn ensilage as taken 

 from an article by J. G. Grigsdale, published in the Tribune Farmer: 



For yearling heifers: Pounds. 



Corn silage " 25 to 35 



Straw or chaff 4 to 6 



Clover hay 4 



Bran 2 



For dry cows: 



Corn silage 50 to 60 



Straw 8 to 10 



Clover hay 4 



Bran 1 to 2 



For cows in milk : 



Corn silage 45 



Straw 6 



Clover hay 4 to 6 



Meal mixture: Bran, oats, gluten or oilcake or cottonseed 



meal, equal parts. One pound of meal to three or four 



pounds of milk produced per diem. 



For steers running over winter (1000 pounds weight) : 



Corn silage 60 to 75 



Straw 8 to 12 



Clover hay 2 to 4 



