328 ARID AGRICULTURE. 



hays from irrigated meadows are made up 

 largely of rushes, others are principally wheat 

 grasses, and all of them contain a variety of 

 plants which gives a mixture of forage liked by 

 stock. Analyses and digestion experiments have 

 shown these hays to be quite digestible and to 

 contain enough protein so the ration is not so 

 wide as it would be from most hay-feeding with 

 grass hay. The ration in Wyoming seems to be 

 about 1 part of protein to 9 parts of digestible 

 carbo-hydrates, fat and crude fibre. The stand- 

 ard ratio for a fattening steer in the finishing- 

 period is 1 part protein to 6.2 of other food ele- 

 ments. Where hay-fattening is practiced the 

 feeders are usually brought from the range in 

 October or November. They are put on the 

 meadows upon which the hay is stacked and the 

 stacks fenced to keep the cattle away. They are 

 fed in these fields for a period of five or six 

 months and given all or a little more hay each 

 day than they will clean up. These hay-fattened 

 animals bring top prices in the markets and are 

 sold over the block to the consumer as corn-fed 

 beef. 



So well have hay feeders done with their 

 stock that they are inclined to let good enough 

 alone. However, there is no doubt that better 

 gains could be made by using some barley or 

 barley and flax seed to narrow the ration a little 

 and give a small amount of richer concentrate 

 in connection with the hay. Some ranchmen 



