9 



QUALITY OF FEEDS 



The rations fed during the winter of 1909-10 and 1910-11 were 

 composed of various combinations of part or all of the following 

 feeds : shelled corn, cottonseed meal, clover hay, and corn silage. 

 The corn used was of good quality and would grade as No. 2, 

 except during the latter part of March and the first part of April, 

 1910, there were some rotten kernels and a musty smell to the corn 

 fed. The cottonseed meal was of "Choice" grade guaranteed to 

 contain 41 per cent, crude protein and 8 per cent. fat. The 

 clover hay used in 1909-10 was of only medium quality. The clover 

 crop of 1909 was very short and it was very difficult to secure first 

 class hay. Fully one-third of the bales contained some musty hay 

 and none of them were entirely free from timothy or other impuri- 

 ties. The clover hay fed in 1910-11 was pure and of good quality, 

 only a small part of it being of inferior quality, and it was readily 

 eaten by the cattle. 



The silage was produced from corn raised on the college farm, 

 making about 60 bushels per acre in 1909 and about 65 bushels per 

 acre in 1910, the yield of silage being approximately 12 and 13 tons 

 per acre respectively. The corn was well matured; about two- 

 thirds of the husks and one-third of the blades were brown when 

 the silos were filled. 



PRICES OF FEEDS 



The prices of feeds are based on the actual prices at the time 

 the experiments were conducted. In 1909-10, the average price of 

 corn, in Lafayette, was as follows: first month, 49.9 cents; sec- 

 ond month, 55.7 cents; third month, 56.7 cents; fourth month, 

 53.7 cents; fifth month, 51.9 cents; and last 10 days, 50.2 cents 

 per bushel. In 1910-11, the average price of corn was as follows: 

 first month, 36.1 cents; second month, 37 cents; third month, 37.8 

 cents; fourth month, 36.9 cents; fifth month, 39.3 cents per bushel. 

 Cottonseed meal is valued at $33.00 per ton in 1909-10 and $30.00 

 per ton in 1910-11. These values are slightly higher than was paid by 

 the Station for this feed in car load lots. Clover hay in all in- 

 stances is valued at $10.00 per ton. Corn silage is valued at $3.50 per 

 ton in 1909-10 and $3.00 per ton in 1910-11. This allows 75 cents 

 per ton for harvesting, 25 cents per ton for the stover contained in- 

 a ton of silage and 50 and 40 cents per bushel for the corn accord- 

 ing to whether the silage is valued at $3.50 or $3.00 per ton. 



For purposes of comparison in the statements on the cost of 

 gain, corn is valued at two arbitrary prices, 50 and 40 cents per bush- 

 el. In these comparisons cottonseed meal is valued at $30.00 per 

 ton, clover hay at $10.00 per ton, corn silage at $3.50 per ton when 

 corn is 50 cents and at $3.00 when corn is 40 cents per bushel. In all 

 financial statements and summaries the actual value of the feeds is 

 taken. 



