STEER FEEDING EXPERIMENTS 266 



Summarizing the results-of both periods, we find that the aver- 

 age amount of air-dry matter required to make a pound of gain is 

 quite uniform, except in Lot I, which required 13.10 pounds; Lot 

 II required 10.516 pounds; Lot III, 11.534 pounds; Lot IV, 10.649 

 pounds; and Lot V, 11.197 pounds. The cost of producing a 

 pound of gain is very uniform for the silage-fed lots, especially 

 Lots II, III, and IV. The production of a pound of gain in Lot V. 

 to which the greatest amount of protein was fed, became more ex- 

 pensive than where a smaller amount was consumed. In this re- 

 gard, Lot I, which received grain from the beginning, and which 

 was fed bran as a source of protein, was the most expensive. The 

 cost of producing 100 pounds of gain for the entire period in Lot 

 I was $2.87 greater per hundred compared with the cheapest of the 

 other lots, and $1.85 higher than the most expensive lot where sil- 

 age formed a part of the ration. The daily cost of feed per head 

 for the entire period ranges from 22.04 cents for Lot I to 16.92 for 

 Lot II. 



Valuation of Cattle. 



At the close of the experiment, Mr. J. Frank Woods, of the 

 Pittsburgh Union Stock Yards, placed a value upon each lot of 

 cattle, based upon the Pittsburgh market. He valued Lot IV at 

 $8.40 per cwt, Lot II at $8.30, Lot I at $8.30, Lot V at $8.25, and 

 Lot III at $8.15. In commenting on these cattle he stated that 

 Lot IV carried the most finish and that they were in the highest 

 condition. There was no difference between Lots I and II. The 

 cattle in Lot I were a little thicker in flesh, while those of Lot II 

 seemed to be a little sleeker, which would rate them, at the same 

 value on the market. Lot V was not as uniformly finished, while 

 Lot III lacked thickness. It costs about; 35 cents per hundred to 

 ship cattle to the Pittsburgh market from State College. This 

 amount allows for shrinkage, feed, freight, commission, etc. The 

 entire lot of cattle was sold in the feed lot, after the close of the 

 experiment, to Altoona (Pennsylvania) butchers at $8.20 per 

 cwt. A shrinkage of 3 per cent was allowed, the cattle being 

 weighed on full feed and water. 



A review of the summary table indicates that every lot of 

 cattle was fed at a financial loss. The steers were purchased as 

 feeders on a high market and sold on a badly demoralized market. 

 The initial cost of the cattle was $7.45, after all expenses in con- 



