35 AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY 



In the production of beef, palatability of the ration is 

 an important factor ; this is best secured by combining a 

 number of grains and coarse fodders. 



475. Selection of Foods for Beef Production. Foods 

 which are valuable for milk production are likewise valu- 

 able for beef production ; bran, oil meal, cottonseed meal, 

 corn, barley, shorts, middlings and screenings are among 

 the best grain and milled products for beef production. 

 Pasture grass, clover hay, alfalfa, corn silage, corn fodder 

 and mixed hays are all valuable coarse fodders. Roots 

 and tubers, to the extent of 10 to 15 pounds per day, may 

 also be added to a beef ration. The amount of grain 

 should range from 10 to 18 pounds per day with from 12 

 to 1 8 pounds of coarse fodder. Occasionally heavy grain 

 feeding is resorted to in the fattening of steers. When 

 grains and milled products are cheap, this practice is 

 often economical as it converts a cheap grain into a more 

 valuable marketable product. Ordinarily the cost of pro- 

 duction is greater with a heavy grain ration than with a 

 light or medium one, and when more than 12 pounds of 

 grain per day is fed, the additional amount is fed at a loss. 

 When grains and feeding-stuffs are high in price, heavy 

 grain feeding is not economical. In the production of 

 beef, it should be the aim to secure the larger portion of 

 growth, as well as the larger portion of the increase dur- 

 ing the fattening, from high-grade coarse fodders, and 

 supplement them with medium amounts of grain and 

 milled products. The amount of grain that can be fed 

 economically is regulated by its cost and the market price 

 of the beef product. 



