733 



When starting the cattle on feed, they were induced to consume 

 a large quantity of roughage before they were placed on full feed of 

 grain. Within three days all lots were receiving what corn silage 

 they would consume within two hours after it was fed. Lots I and 5 

 were eating 15 pounds of silage and 10 pounds of dry roughage 

 daily per head. The silage was increased to 17.5 pounds daily per 

 head at the end of 21 days feeding when the dry roughage had de- 

 creased 6 pounds daily per head. This was the maximum quantity 

 of silage eaten. The cattle in Lots 4 and 6 were eating at the end 

 of three days feeding, 30 pounds of silage daily per head and 5 

 pounds of dry roughage. They did not continue eating this amount 

 and were fed smaller amounts until the end of the first ten days 

 when they established a normal roughage consumption of 30 pounds 

 of silage and 4 pounds of dry roughage daily per head. This quan- 

 tity of dry roughage was consumed for only about 30 days when it 

 was again decreased. 



The grain ration was the same in all lots for the first twenty- 

 seven days. Ten pounds of corn per steer were fed for eleven days 

 when it was increased to n pounds where it remained for two days 

 and then to 12 pounds daily per head. This amount was fed for 

 eight days and was then increased to 13 pounds. This quantity of 

 corn with 2.5 pounds of cottonseed meal which was being fed at 

 that time seemed to satisfy the appetites of the steers for grain. 

 From this time forward, any difference in quantity of feed con- 

 sumed was apparently due to the rations. No cottonseed meal was 

 fed for the first two days but beginning with the third day when .5 

 pound per head was fed, the amount was gradually increased until 

 at the end of ten days it was fed at the rate of 2.5 pounds daily per 

 looo pounds live weight. 



The appetites of the steers in Lots I and 5 were good. In Lot 6 

 during the first two months and in Lot 4 during the third and fourth 

 and part of the fifth months the steers were slow to eat their feed. 

 Table VI shows that the steers in Lots I and 5 which are comparable 

 ate practically the same quantities of corn silage ; but those of Lot I 

 receiving clover hay ate an appreciably larger quantity of dry rough- 

 age and also slightly larger quantities of grain. This difference was 

 evidently due to the character of the ration. In Lots 4 and 6, in 

 which corn silage was fed twice daily, the difference in feed con- 

 sumption was so small that it can easily be accounted for by the 

 difference in the appetites of the steers which was not due to the 

 rations. The clover hay was, however, seemingly more palatable 

 than the oat straw. 



GAINS. Table VII shows the daily gains made by the cattle 

 during the trial. 



