112 Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 



9. The difference in cost of one hundred pounds of gain between 

 calves and yearhngs was $1.35 in favor of the calves; between yearlings 

 and two-year-olds, 28 cents in favor of the yearlings. 



10. The experienced farmer who feeds cattle should handle older 

 cattle in preference to calves, while the farmer who produces and 

 finishes his own cattle may find calves profitable. 



The Missouri Experiment Station ^ drew the following conclusions 

 from feeding 300 cattle of various ages on heavy grain rations in con- 

 nection with bluegrass pasture: 



1. Two-year-old cattle make larger average daily gains than year- 

 lings. 



2. Two-year-old cattle consumed from 13 to 22 per cent more 

 grain per day per head than did yearlings. 



3. Two-year-old cattle consumed more grain per day per thous- 

 and pounds live weight than yearlings. 



4. Yearlings require less grain for each pound of gain than do 

 two- or three-year-old cattle. Other things being equal, the younger 

 the animal, the less grain is required to make a pound of gain. The 

 condition of the animal at the beginning of the feeding period is an 

 important factor, and may to a large extent counteract the influence 

 of age in determining cheaper gains. 



5. In these investigations, the fattening of two- and three-year- 

 old cattle has been generally more profitable than fattening yearlings. 

 The chief reasons are: 



(a) The margin between the buying and selling price is less in 

 the case of yearlings. The older cattle fatten in a shorter period. 



(b ) It is not generally advisable to try to finish the cheaper grades 

 of yearlings. In our investigations, the quality of the yearlings has 

 generally been higher than that of the older cattle. In spite of this fact, 

 the financial results have seemed to favor the feeding of older cattle. 



When all evidence as to the comparative merits of calves, year- 

 lings, and older cattle for feeding purposes is summed up, the out- 

 standing points are as follows: 



1. Young animals, which are fattened as they grow, make cheaper 

 gains than older animals. This is the chief advantage of the young 

 animal. 



2. The older animals enjoy a wider margin between cost price 

 and selling price per pound, they fatten in less time, and the cost of 

 feed per head is practically the same as for the younger animals. 

 These are the chief advantages of the older animal. 



In the investigations which have been made by our state experi- 

 ment stations, the advantages of the older animal outweighed the ad- 



iMo. Bui. 90. 



