STATISTICAL STUDY OF BODY WEIGHTS 255 



A STATISTICAL STUDY OF BODY WEIGHTS; GAINS 



AND MEASUREMENTS OF STEERS DURING THE 



FATTENING PERIOD. 



(In The United States Journal of Agricultural Research, 1917.) 

 During the \^dnter months of 1914-1915, 1915-1916, and 1916- 

 1917, a series of body measurements of steers were made at 

 the Pennsylvania Experiment Station, at the beginning and close 

 of feeding experiments, for three consecutive years, with the 

 purpose of determining the average body measurements of 

 2-year-old steers at the beginning and close of the fattening 

 period and the relationship of other definite body measurements 

 to each other, and to note those measurements that could be used 

 in selection as a means of reducing the experimental error in 

 feeding experiments and a study of variation in the measure- 

 ments themselves. Another object was to find out the correla- 

 tion of gains to initial body measurements and to changes in body 

 dimensions. 



All measurements taken on a total of 216 animals divided into 

 seven lots each year are indicated in Table I. These steers were 

 relatively uniform as feeders, varying in market grades from 

 "fair" to ''choice," the majority being "good" feeders; 92 

 were Hereford grades, 84 Shorthorn grades, 18 Aberdeen Angus 

 grades, 7 Shorthorn x Hereford crosses, 3 Shorthorn x Aber- 

 deen-Angus crosses, and 3 Hereford x Aberdeen- Angus crosses. 

 In no case did a steer fail to show some infusion of improved 

 beef blood. The average initial weight of the 216 steers was 

 900.112 pounds, Avith 700 and 1300 pounds as extremes. The 

 steers were as uniform in quality, weight, and condition as would 

 ordinarily be obtained for feeding purposes. Each year 60 

 steers were divided into five lots of 12 each selected with as much 

 care for uniformity of weight, breeding, condition and quality 

 as possible. The feeding of these various lots was done with 

 rations affording very nearly the same opportunity for gains in 

 live weight and condition of flesh for marketing. 



Table I. includes all records for the three years, while the 

 correlation tables include the data during the first two years. 

 All body measurements except circumferences were made with 

 the steel caliper; all circumferences were measured with a steel 

 tape graduated in inches. The probability of error in measure- 

 ments is a factor not considered, thus necessitating a large 

 number of measurements to reduce the probable error. 



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