DESCRIPTION OF THE CATTLE 



The cattle used in this trial were purchased locally and were 

 rather uneven in quality, breeding, and condition. As a whole, 

 they were of medium quality. A majority was red, indicating 

 Shorthorn breeding with a few blacks and white faces, indicating 

 Angus and Hereford breeding, respectively. They were not of the 

 quality to be made thick fat but had the appearance of being steers 

 that would make average gains. A majority was two-year-olds 

 with a few cattle either older or younger than this age. 



METHOD OF VALUING THE CATTLE 



The feed lots were visited at the beginning of the trial by 

 J. T. Alexander of Chicago and J. S. Taylor of Indianapolis who 

 placed a value on the cattle on the basis of the Indianapolis market. 

 (The Chicago market was not open to feeding cattle.) At the end 

 of the trial the cattle were valued by the same commission men in 

 company with Mr. Tom Cross, a buyer for Armour and Company 

 of Chicago. Financial statements are based on the Indianapolis 

 value of feeding cattle plus 15 cents per hundred pounds and Chicago 

 prices for fat cattle less 50 cents per hundred pounds. 



QUALITY OF FEEDS 



Rations fed in this trial consisted of various combinations of 

 the following feeds : shelled corn, cottpnseed meal, feeding mo- 

 lasses (cane), Champion Molasses Feed, clover hay, alfalfa hay, 

 and corn silage. The corn was of poor quality at all times. The 

 wet weather during the summer and the early frost prevented the 

 corn from maturing into good quality feed. Cottonseed meal was of 

 choice grade guaranteed to contain 41 per cent, protein and 6 

 per cent, crude fat. The molasses was commercial feeding mo- 

 lasses without a guarantee. The molasses feed was guaranteed to 

 contain n per cent, crude protein and 2 per cent, crude fat. 

 Clover hay was of medium quality. Alfalfa hay consisted of about 

 equal parts first, second, and third cutting and was of good quality 

 considering the unfavorable season for curing hay. Corn silage was 

 made from corn produced on Purdue Farm yielding approximately 

 52 bushels per acre. The corn was well matured when put into the 

 silo. 



PRICES OF FEEDS 



The prices of feeds used in presenting financial results are 

 based on the actual market prices at the time the experiment was 

 in progress. The average price of corn in Lafayette was as follows : 

 first month, 55.9 cents; second month, 62.5 cents; third month, 62.4 

 cents ; fourth month, 58.2 cents ; fifth month, 63.7 cents per bushel ; 

 cottonseed meal $38.00 per ton; molasses feed $31.00 per ton; feed- 

 ing molasses (cane), $30.00 per ton; clover hay and alfalfa hay, 

 $12.00 per ton; corn silage $4.50 per ton. All financial statements 

 are based on the above mentioned prices of feeds. 



