5. At the prices for feed named in this article the steers re- 

 ceiving the smaller amount of dry matter made the more economical 

 gains. 



6. Steers in an open shed ate slightly more roughage than 

 those in a well ventilated barn when getting an equal amount of 

 grain. 



7. Steers in an open shed made practically the same gains as 

 those in a well ventilated barn on the same grain ration. 



Different Quantities of Dry Matter 



As is well known our concentrated feeding stuffs are nearly 

 always much more expensive than the roughage. Thas is, the same 

 amount of digestible matter can usually be had more cheaply in 

 connection with a large quantity of dry matter than in the more 

 concentrated form. The digestible matter in grains and seeds costs 

 more per pound than in the stems and branches of our farm crops. 

 Some of our farm animals are undoubtedly better prepared than 

 others for handling the digestible matter in these coarse feeds. 

 There is little doubt but it is possible to feed a ration which is too 

 concentrated for best results, and it is also possible to feed one which 

 is too bulky. Just what the ratio of total dry matter should be to 

 digestible matter is not definitely known. In order to secure some 

 evidence along this line and to determine to what extent corn 

 silage may be profitably fed to fattening steers the experiment de- 

 scribed in this article was planned. The test was designed to com- 

 pare a limited grain ration with a full grain ration for fattening 

 steers when fed in connection with corn silage and mixed hay and 

 corn stover for roughage, the amount of digestible matter to be the 

 same. 



Two lots of twelve steers each were selected for this experi- 

 ment. These two lots were made as nearly equal as was thought 

 possible as regards size, breeding and general adaptability for fat- 

 ' tening. Both lots were placed in pens in the basement of the Col- 

 lege barn and were fed from October 3Oth to February 6th on the 

 experiment. Previous to this time they had all been fed together. 

 A supply of drinking water was constantly before them. They 

 were weighed on three consecutive days at the beginning and at the 

 close of the experiment and on two consecutive days at two weeks' 

 intervals throughout the test. The water was shut off at 5 o'clock 

 on the day preceding the weighing in each case. The weighing 

 began at 9 A. M. and proceeded as rapidly as possible, Lot I being 

 weighed first in each instance. 



4 



