22 



but depend too much upon grass which has less substance and is 

 more palatable. The result is that they shrink rapidly in weight 

 for the first 10 to 15 days, so that they weigh little if any more, a 

 month later than when turned out. After that, however, they will 

 make more rapid gains than if they had been in a dry lot. When 

 marketed, the buyer prefers " dry fed " to " grassy " steers as they 

 dress out a higher percentage of carcass to live weight and also yield 

 firmer meat. If, owing to the high price of roughage, or some other 

 equally good reason, it is necessary to turn such cattle on grass, then 

 it is probably advisable to do so as soon as the ground becomes firm 

 enough in the spring to prevent injury from tramping and to con- 

 tinue to feed roughage in addition. In this way the cattle and the 

 grass come on together so that there will be no abrupt change in the 

 feeding which would result in a corresponding period of loss on the 

 cattle. 



METHODS OF FEEDING. 



The time consumed in getting cattle on full feed by different 

 feeders varies from three days to three months. The average of all 

 replies to this question is 34 days. The length of the period for feed- 

 ing a full feed depends largely upon the age and condition of the 

 steers when put in the feed lot, the degree of finish attained and the 

 kind of feed used. The answers to question 51 would indicate that 

 70 per cent practice feeding through a long, and 30 per cent, through 

 a short period. In summarizing the answers to this question, all who 

 prefer feeding 100 days or less were classified in the short feeding 

 list. The average length of feeding full feed under all conditions is 

 131 days, which with 34 days consumed in reaching a full feed, would 

 make the average length of the whole feeding period 165 days. 



USE OF SELF-FEEDER. 



The self-feeder seems to be more in general use during the sum- 

 mer than winter. By this method, cattle can be fed once or twice 

 per week rather than per day and the labor involved is very much 

 less. After cattle are on full feed the self-feeder is satisfactory, 

 provided the proper amount of attention is given to it. It has been 

 the experience of a number of feeders, however, that practically as 

 much time is consumed in keeping the feeder working properly as 

 would be in feeding at regular intervals. In the use of the self- 

 feeder, special care and attention are necessary to avoid clogging 

 in the feeder, as it is important that there be an abundance of 

 feed available at all times. Provision must also be made for pro- 

 tecting the grain, as dampness, together with high temperature, 

 causes fermentation, especially with ground feeds such as linseed or 



