72 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Type and Time, 



The combination of a good type of steer with quick time 

 of maturit}^ has another important bearing. The good tj^pe 

 can be sold at full market rates at less weight and therefore 

 in less time than can the poor type. This is important, as 

 the larger an animal otows the more it costs to make a 

 pound of growth. 



At all of the fat stock shows this truth is shown. It is 

 an obvious one because the larger the steer the more the 

 food required to run the machine. Fifteen hundred pound 

 steers will require 22 or more pounds of food for existence 

 without growth, while I have made in calves a pound of 

 gain on 4 pounds or less of food. At the Chicago Fat 

 Stock Show calves under 297 days gained 2. 63 pounds 

 daily, year olds gained 2.18 pounds, two year olds gained 

 1.74 pounds and three 3oar olds gained but 1.97 pounds 

 daily, according to Professor Henry. 



On the other hand the Michigan station found that it cost 

 $4.03 per 100 pounds of growth for calves, $7.98 for year 

 olds and $12.54 for two year olds. 



In some experiments made by the writer at the New 

 Hampshire and Missouri State colleges it was found that a 

 pound of gain required a constantly increasing amount of 

 food as calves increased in weight. Thus two calves, re- 

 quiring when weighing 322 pounds 8.3 quarts skim-milk for 

 a pound of gain, at 385 pounds Aveight required a pound of 

 added meal to maintain the growth, a little later 2 pounds 

 of grain, and at 512 pounds weight they were eating 5 

 pounds of hay in addition. At ()38 pounds weight they had 

 reached, in addition to 20 quarts skim-milk and 3^/2 pounds 

 grain, the consumption of 9% pounds hay Avithout added 

 gain. Year olds weighing 750 pounds required 19 pounds 

 hay for 1 of gain, tAVO year olds of 1,000 pounds Aveight 

 required 25 pounds hay for 1 of growth. Elaborate trials 

 Avith swine have shoAvn the same truth. The larger the 

 animal the greater the machine to keep in motion and the 

 more the tax of mere existence. Breed for perfection of 

 beef form, and feed for finished beef at the highest AA^eight 

 the market will accept at full prices. 



