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PART III 

 THE SHORT-FED CATTLE AT THE INTERNATIONAL, 1908 



On August i, 1908, the Experiment Station put in a load of 

 high grade Angus yearlings that had not receive4 grain during the 

 preceding winter or summer, averaging in weight at that time 737 

 pounds per head. They were used to secure additional data in re 

 gard to short feeding cattle during the late summer and early fall 

 months and were shown at the International Live Stock Exposi- 

 tion held in Chicago in December, 1908, in competition with cattle 

 entered in the short-fed contest by practical feeders in different 

 sections of the country. The object of this work was to compare 

 the results of cattle feeding at the Experiment Station with those 

 secured by practical feeders who have had long years of experi- 

 ence in the business and have been sufficiently successful to enter 

 into the International contest. The cattle were shipped to the 

 University farm during the latter part of July and were started, on 

 August I, on a ration which consisted of four pounds shelled corn, 

 one pound cotton-seed meal and 20 pounds corn silage. Owing to 

 the severe and prolonged drought which was prevalent over the 

 state of Indiana during the fall of 1908, it was impossible to se- 

 cure pasture for these cattle, hence it was decided to feed them 

 on silage in connection with their grain ration. At the end of the 

 first 10 day period they were consuming n pounds shelled corn 

 and two pounds cotton-seed meal per head. This was increased 

 gradually. At the end of the first month they were consuming 13.5 

 pounds shelled corn, 3.5 pounds cotton-seed meal and 25 pounds 

 corn silage per head daily. By the end of the second month they 

 were consuming 14.5 pounds shelled corn, four pounds cotton-seed 

 meal and 28 pounds corn silage. The maximum amount of grain 

 was fed during the third month which amounted to 16 pounds 

 shelled corn and four pounds cotton-seed meal per head. Silage 

 was gradually reduced during the same period so that they con- 

 sumed 20 pounds per head daily. In order to prepare them for 

 shipment and to overcome the tendency toward paunchiness the cat- 

 tle were beginning to show, the silage was taken out of the 

 ration two weeks before shipment, clover hay being supplied in its 

 place during the remainder of the period. On the day before ship- 

 ment corn was reduced, cotton-seed meal omitted entirely and 

 in its place the same quantity of oats was fed. On the day of 

 shipment the amount of oats was increased to five pounds per 

 head and the corn decreased to six pounds per head. They were 

 watered the evening lief ore shipment and shipped to Chicago on 

 November 27, where they were entered in the International Short- 

 fed Contest. 



