27 



such that a profit without pork of $10.12 per steer in 1909-10 and 

 a loss of $4.57 per steer in 1910-11 was returned in Lot 2 receiving 

 the clover hay only, as roughage. 



By the addition of a limited amount of corn silage to the 

 ration; as has been noted, the rate of gain was increased and the 

 cost of gain decreased to such an extent that the cattle could have 

 sold for 23 cents per cwt. less in 1909-10 and 18 cents per 

 cwt. less in 1910-11 than Lot 2 and still make the same returns 

 to the feeder. The cattle sold practically the same. Lot i returned 

 a profit of $2.90 per steer more the first year, and a smaller loss 

 by $4.07 per steer the second year than Lot 2 receiving no silage. 

 When the pork produced from the droppings is considered there 

 was a profit of $21.04 an d $16.54 per steer for Lots I and 2 

 respectively of 1909-10 and a profit of $4.36 and $1.46 per steer 

 for the same lots of 1910-11. The effect of adding a limited 

 amount of corn silage to a ration of corn, cottonseed meal, and 

 clover was to decrease the cost of gains very materially without 

 greatly affecting the other factors in the feeding operation thereby 

 returning an appreciably larger profit per steer. 



The comparative economy of feeding in connection with clover 

 hay, corn silage in unlimited quantities instead of once daily is 

 shown by comparing Lots 4 and i. As has been pointed out on 

 page 1 8 the rate of gain is approximately the same. The cost of 

 gain is slightly less when a full feed of silage is given. The neces- 

 sary margin required to come out even on the cattle was four cents 

 in 1909-10 and seven cents in 1910-11 more per cwt. for the 

 half than for the full feed of silage. The selling value of the cattle 

 was 35 cents per cwt. higher in 1909-10 and 10 cents per 

 cwt. lower in 1910-11 for the full fed silage lot than for the 

 half fed silage lot, thereby giving a return not including pork of 

 $5.07 more profit per steer in 1909-10 and 36 cents more loss per 

 steer in 1910-11. The pork produced from the droppings in 1909-10 

 was much greater for the full fed silage lot while in 1910-11 the 

 result was reversed. An excess of hogs that received corn in 

 addition to the droppings was in this lot in the former year while 

 the same number of hogs were in both lots the latter year. It 

 must be borne in mind, however, in connection with the effect of 

 the amount of silage to use in a ration, that after the cattle are 

 half-fat the amount of silage must be decreased in order to secure 

 satisfactory results. 



The effect of entirely replacing clover hay with corn silage 

 for roughage was to reduce the rate of gain somewhat from that 

 made when both clover hay and corn silage was fed to about the 

 same gain as was made when clover hay was the only roughage. 



