2(3^ JO DAVIESS COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 



something, cut hay or straw, is mixed with it. The cob ground 

 with the corn lakes its phice. I would much prefer it to the 

 straw. I feed my cattle twice a day, and try to keep them 

 plump and full. If my animals, from appearance, seem uncom- 

 fortably full, I am sure they are doing well. During the 

 Winter I find that fifty pounds is about all the gain I can make 

 on ordinary grade steers. My half blood Durhams will do 

 better. • 



GAIN OF CATTLE ON GRASS. 



In June, 1879, 1 bought two loads of common grade steers, 

 weighing about nine hundred pounds, which I put on pasture, 

 weighing them ever}^ month for six months, resulting as follows: 

 July, gain per head, fortj^-nine and one-half; August, forty- 

 nine and one-half; September, fed a little corn, gained only 

 twenty-fiv^e pounds, the flies being very bad, driving them to 

 the woods during the day, and when they came out it was to 

 wait for their corn ; October, fed on grass only, made ninety- 

 three pounds; November, fed on grass, corn and hay, twenty 

 po^inds, the poorest average made. Tlie grass had been frost- 

 Iwtten so that tiiey did not relish it, yet it kept them from eat- 

 ing hay. They would have done better closed up in the yard. 

 The gain for each, per month, wns fifty pounds. That experi- 

 ment i)roved to my satisfaction, that corn fed to cattle while 

 on good pasture is worse than thrown away. 



COST OF RAISING A STEER. 



I estimate the cost of a three year old steer as follows: 

 First year, to keep him in good thriving condition, will cost 

 fifteen dollars. The second year, I give him eight bushels of corn 

 at thirty cents, two dollars and forty cents ; hay, twenty-five 

 hundred pounds at eight dollars per ton, ten dollars; pasture 

 ten dollars, making twent3--two dollars and forty cents. 

 The third year, I give hhii fifteen bushels of corn at thirty 

 cents, four dollars and fifty cents; hay, three thousand pounds 

 at eight dollars per ton, twelve dollars; pasture ten dollars, 

 making the cost twenty-six dollars and fifty cents for third 

 year. The cost for feeding the three years is sixty-three dollars 



