321 



and a nutritive ratio varying from 1 15.4 to 1 16.4, while in Lot I the 

 average dry matter varied from 21.7 to 26 pounds and the nutritive 

 ratio varied from 1:9.1 to 1:11.5; in Lot 2 from 21.59 to 24.97 

 pounds and from 1:12.1 to 1:9.7; in Lot 3 from 19.90 to 22.91 

 pounds and from i :i5-5 to i :i3.8. It will be noticed that Lots i and 2 

 were fed practically the same nutritive ratio throughout the experi- 

 ment and that the consumption of dry matter daily per 1000 pounds 

 was practically the same in each lot, while Lot 3, which was fed a 

 wider ration, did not consume nearly so much feed, falling below 

 Lots i and 2 more than i pound daily per 1000 pounds liveweight. 

 It will be noticed further that during the first 90 days when Lot I 

 was receiving a narrower ration than Lot 2, the dry matter consumed 

 daily per 1000 pounds liveweight was greater. During the last 90 

 days when Lot 2 received a narrower ration than Lot i, the dry mat- 

 ter consumed daily was greater in this lot. No definite conclusion is 

 warranted from such limited data, yet this experiment indicates that 

 the narrower the ration, within certain limits, the greater is the total 

 dry matter consumed daily per 1000 pounds liveweight. 



It may be assumed that, so far as the consumption of dry mat- 

 ter is concerned, a nutritive ratio of i :io.5 is more efficient with the 

 grade of cattle and feeds used in this experiment than one of i -.14.0. 

 We cannot assume, however, that a nutritive ratio of i :54 and 1 :6.4, 

 recommended by the Standards, would have been more or less ef- 

 ficient than i : 10.5. 



TABLE III. Showing average daily gain per steer by months and 



periods. 



NOTE a. At the end of the 2nd month one of the steers in Lot 

 i developed a case of actinomycosis (lumpy jaw) and it was decided 

 to remove this animal from the test and continue it with ten steers. 



Table III shows the average daily gain per steer in each of the 

 three lots by months and also during the first and last half of the 



