STEER FEEDING EXPERIMENTS 257 



ing period the steers were consuming less than half the amount 

 consumed at the end of the first 56 days. None of the cottonseed 

 meal was refused ; and only a small amount of the ear corn, when 

 it was first fed. 



Lot III refused a small amount of corn silage and alfalfa. 

 Most of this was refused when grain was first added to the ration. 

 The amount of alfalfa hay fed and consumed, was increased as the 

 weight of the cattle increased. It became necessary to reduce the 

 amount of silage after grain was added to the ration, and less than 

 one-half the amount consumed at the beginning of the test was 

 fed at the close of the test. A small amount of ear corn was re- 

 fused shortly after corn was first added to the ration. The shelled 

 corn was all consumed during the time it was fed. 



The steers in Lot IV, which received mixed hay and corn sil- 

 age as roughage, were fed all the hay they would consume, and in 

 addition 20 pounds of silage daily. The amount of corn silage 

 offered remained constant throughout the entire experiment. The 

 amount of hay consumed gradually decreased after the grain was 

 added to the ration so that at the end of the feeding period the 

 steers were receiving less than one-half the amount of hay con- 

 sumed at the beginning of the test. Practically all the ear or 

 shelled corn fed was consumed except during the last two weeks 

 when ear corn was fed, at which time a small amount was refused. 



Lot V received all the roughage they would consume in the 

 form of silage and alfalfa hay. The amount of corn silage fed was 

 gradually increased from the beginning of the experiment until 

 grain was added to the ration, after which it was gradually de- 

 creased. The amount of alfalfa hay was gradually increased through- 

 out the entire experiment. The cattle refused some of the alfalfa 

 hay at every period of the experiment, the amount refused being 

 largest at the end of the eight-week period when the grain was 

 added. The allowance of alfalfa hay was more readily consumed 

 when the allowance of silage was decreased. The ear corn fed 

 was readily consumed during the entire period except during the 

 month of February, when 211 pounds were refused, the bulk of 

 which was the cobs from which the corn had been shelled. 



It is difficult to make a comparison of the amounts of 

 roughage consumed by the several lots, owing to the differences 



