1909] 



SHORT FED STEERS 



573 



The itemized financial statement shows that no charge was made 

 for the labor involved in feeding the steers after the feed was pre- 

 pared. The general custom is to allow the value of the manure 

 produced to balance the cost of the labor involved. There seemed to 

 be but little difference in the amount of labor necessary to feed the 

 two lots, altho it was of a little different nature. For lot 1 the skill 

 of the feeder was an important factor and called for regularity in the 

 work. On the" other hand for lot 2 the work was not necessarily 

 regular, but involved considerable labor in mingling the concentrates 

 with the chopped hay. 



The larger amount of pork produced in lot 2 accounts for part of 

 the difference in profit. The reason the pigs did better in this lot was 

 partly due to the steers throwing small quantities of feed out of the 

 self -feeder. Being from this source it seems proper to credit the ac- 

 count with this full amount of pork produced. 



In general, the financial results of this experiment are favorable" 

 to the method of feeding used for lot 2. While the data given in this 

 publication are not extensive, they indicate that for short feeding cat- 

 tle the plan of chaffing hay, mingling it with grain, and feeding thru a 

 self-feeder is worthy of further investigation and trial by feeders. 



TABLE 7. EFFECT OF VARIOUS PRICES OF CORN ON PROFIT OR Loss 



Lot 1 



Lot 2 



The matter of profit or loss in feeding operations naturally de- 

 pends upon the cost of the feed as compared with the price of beef. 

 For this reason the above will be of interest as it gives the effect of 

 various prices of corn on the financial statement. In the above table 

 the plus or minus signs refer to profit or loss. Five cents per bushel 

 difference in the price of corn changes the total expense of lot 1, 

 $25.743 ; of lot 2, $29.075 ; or an equivalent in the final cost of the mar- 

 ket weight of the cattle of 11.6 cents per cwt. in case of lot 1, and 12.8 

 cents with lot 2. 



