392 THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



516. Fattening cattle a specialized industry. Fattening cattle 

 has become a highly specialized industry. The man who raises 

 cattle seldom fattens and markets them. Like any other highly 

 specialized industry, the method used in fattening cattle has be- 

 come well established and exact. Yet the finishing and marketing 

 of cattle is one of the most complicated operations in agriculture, 

 principally because of the large element of speculation due to 

 the fluctuation in the value of feeds and of the finished product. 



517. Corn is the basic ration in cattle feeding. In the early 

 part of the feeding period with aged cattle, especially if they are 

 thin, no special preparation of the grain will be required. As 

 the feeding period advances, and as the cattle progress toward 

 a finished condition, their appetites become more discriminating 

 and they require more palatable and convenient food. Hence, 

 shelled or crushed or ground corn is frequently fed in the finish- 

 ing period where whole-ear corn or even shock corn was used 

 at the beginning. With young cattle it is important to cater 

 especially to their appetites so that they may overcome the 

 handicap that their tendency to grow imposes. The corn should 

 be shelled for them. In summer feeding it is more important 

 to prepare the grain well. 



518. The amount of roughage to feed. In the early part of the 

 feeding period roughage of good quality, such as legume hay 

 and silage, should be fed liberally. It is advisable gradually to 

 limit the allowance of roughage in the last thirty or forty days of 

 the feeding period or to offer roughage of a less palatable nature 

 so that the cattle may not be encouraged to neglect their grain. 



519. Balancing the ration. A ration consisting of corn and 

 corn stover, timothy hay, or corn silage will not be satisfactory 

 because it does not contain the proper proportion of protein. 



A fairly good balance can be maintained between protein and 

 carbohydrates by use of a leguminous hay as the only roughage ; 

 but usually an additional source of protein, as cottonseed meal 

 or linseed-oil meal, especially during the latter stages of the 

 feeding period, should be added. Usually two and one-half to 

 three pounds of either of these protein foods per thousand 



