722 



tites for grain keen by limiting the roughage. This was not entirely 

 successful, however, and it was necessary often to. reduce the grain 

 ration. In Lot 3 the silage was limited during the last six weeks of 

 the trial. This was not done because of poor appetites of the cattle 

 but to induce a greater consumption of grain. It has been found by 

 experience that in order to induce the consumption of large enough 

 quantities of grain to make satisfactory gains, the silage should be 

 limited during the latter part of the feeding period when silage is the 

 only roughage. With the above mentioned exceptions all feeds were 

 fed according to the appetites of the cattle. 



The table shows that except in Lot 4 there was a gradual in- 

 crease in the grain consumption and a corresponding decrease in the 

 roughage consumption as the fattening period advanced. The largest 

 quantity of grain and the smallest amount of roughage eaten by each 

 lot of steers was at the end of the experiment, while the largest 

 amount of roughage consumed was in the early ptert of the fattening 

 period. There was in Lot 4 a decrease in roughage consumption 

 as the fattening period advanced but during the third and fourth 

 months, the amount of grain eaten was not increased. This was not 

 due to the ration but to the fact that, with no apparent reason, the 

 steers in this lot had, during that time, very poor appetites for all 

 feeds. 



Attention is called to the extent to which corn silage replaced 

 clover hay in the ration. The addition of silage once daily decreased 

 the hay consumption from 11.16 pounds daily per head to 5.81 

 pounds ; while silage twice daily in the ration reduced the hay eaten 

 to 2.54 pounds. Also the replacement of hay by corn silage was ac- 

 companied by a decrease in the grain consumption. This trial con- 

 firms previous tests in showing that the corn in silage replaces a por- 

 tion of the grain in the ration. The amount by which the grain ra- 

 tion is reduced approximates the quantity of grain found in the sil- 

 age. Silage must, however, be considered a roughage and not be 

 used to replace grain to any greater extent than necessary as is 

 evidenced by the fact that silage often has to be reduced as the cattle 

 become fat, in order to induce a satisfactory grain consumption. 



GAINS. Gains are not necessarily an absolute index of the rel- 

 ative value of rations but must be relied upon to a certain extent. 

 The gains made by the lots of cattle are shown in Table II. 



