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makes it imperative that there shall be continuous growth from 

 start to finish. All fat and lean periods must be resolutely elimi- 

 nated. The fattening period properly begins when the calf is born, 

 if not before. This demands barn feeding until full pasture feed 

 and during early fall months. The year the steer is finished for 

 market grain should be fed at pasture and must be fed each year 

 until ideal pastures are secured if baby beef is to be made. I have 

 seen in Missouri corn constantly before steers in pastures where 

 the Kentucky blue grass was " up to the eyes," — as high as 500 

 pounds growth being made in the grazing season. Such feeding 

 ultimates in good pastures. The advice to grain feed steers at 

 pasture will appear radical ; but the solid beef, well marbled, that 

 now brings 8i cents a pound in Chicago, 1,000 miles west, while 

 ours sells for one to three cents less in the final market here, is a 

 type of beef to be had only by such feeding, and will pay us to 

 produce. 



I am not friendly to heavy grain feeding but to continuous grain 

 feeding from birth to slaughter. A fattening period, a stuffing 

 period with fattening foods, means fat put on in layers, and a soft, 

 oleaginous handling steer. The calf starts on skim-milk and 

 protein foods, like linseed, oatmeal, middlings and gluten meals. 

 The rise in grain from the first half pound is gradual until at a few 

 months old 3 to 4 pounds are given. The rise may follow gain of 

 steer and may after 400 or 500 pounds are reached fall below one 

 per cent of live weight, dropping, as weight goes up, to two-thirds 

 of one per cent if the other attains 1,300 to 1,500 pounds. It is 

 better to have types that will sell decidedly under this extreme. 

 It is customary to advise heavy grain feeding, but experiment 

 station work and my own observation show that high grain rations 

 are not economical, nor are they necessary if grain is continuously 

 fed from the start and growth is constant. 



The protein foods increase the ratio of lean meat but if fed alone 

 will not give the desirable color of carcass that corn meal will. 

 At the start the foods may be wholly the protein meals named, the 

 kinds being determined by the markets, gradually being supple- 

 mented by corn meal. At the close of feeding corn meal may 

 make to advantage half to two-thirds of the ration. The coarse 

 foods should be varied, giving edge to the appetite, and should in- 

 clude, especially for calves, clover, and at all ages ensilage. 



Both for grain and coarse foods two rations or rather meals only, 

 which may be made up of more than one ration, should be given. 

 Trials seem to show that feeding at noon is without advantage. It 

 is a matter of indifference whether the grain is given before or 

 after watering. 



