50 THE RURAL EFFICIENCY GUIDE STOCK 



and probable loss in buying and feeding a lot of steers, one can calculate the 

 approximate margin necessary to break even or make a given profit. When 

 cattle 'are finished or tKe feeding period is about to close, one should study 

 the market situation and endeavor to sell in a manner and at a time to make 

 the actual margin, which is the difference between the cost price and the 

 selling price, as great as possible. 



Suitable Rations for Fattening Steers. Rations to be most satisfactory 

 for fattening steers must conform to the age of steers and their ability to 

 make the best use of them, to the condition of the cattle and the length of the 

 period they are to be fed, to the stage of the feeding period and to the prices 

 for cattle and feed. The tendency at the present time is to fatten cattle be- 

 fore they are full grown and take advantage of the more economical gains 

 that occur with the younger classes of cattle. This is a good tendency where 

 cattle are grown on valuable land and quick returns on the investment are 

 required. The ration in this instance must be suitable for growing and fat- 

 tening, otherwise a proper finish will not be secured. Legume hay and ni- 

 trogenous concentrates, together with a liberal supply of fattening concen- 

 trates are required. Young cattle do not have the strength to eat and mas- 

 ticate shock and ear corn that older cattle have, and greater preparation of 

 the ration like crushing, chopping or grinding the corn is necessary. 



Cattle that are thin may be profitably fed for longer periods than cattle 

 in good flesh, during the first part of which the ration may consist of good 

 roughages that will be reduced as concentrated feed takes its place with 

 the advance of the period. The cattle in this instance should make gains that 

 will produce the desired finish at the time it is aimed to dispose of them. 

 Heavy cattle as a rule should be fed a heavy allowance of concentrates that 

 will produce a finish, to satisfy the market demands in as short a period as 

 possible. 



The ration for fattening cattle should become heavier as the feeding 

 period advances. Corn and a liberal allowance of legume hay may be suf- 

 ficient to make good gains in the early part of the feeding of comparatively 

 thin steers. With the advance of the period, however, and as the hay is re- 

 duced and the corn increased, a nitrogenous concentrate like cotton seed, 

 gluten feed or oil meal will prove profitable. 



When the market is slow and does not. pay a premium for highly finished 

 steers or the market price of feed and cattle is not such as to warrant fair 

 profits in feeding, one should regulate the ration accordingly. 



Silage from well matured corn is fast becoming a popular feed for fat- 

 tening steers. The cost of producing silage may be considerably more than 

 feeding shocked corn, but the amount of fodder saved and the results secured 

 may be regarded sufficient to more than offset all of the extra labor. The 

 shrinkage on steers fed corn silage at time of marketing has been one of the 

 principal objections to silage as part of the ration. This objection, how- 

 ever, is largely overcome by substituting dry feed in place of the silage a 

 few days prior to shipping. Grass in abundance and more or less shelled corn 



