6 BULLETIN 145 



Object of the Experiment 



The purpose of these experiments was to secure the following 

 information : 



1. Value of corn silage as a roughage for fattening cattle. 



2. Difference in cost of feeding cattle by the so-called "Penn- 

 sylvania method," a ration without silage, and by the Pennsyl- 

 vania Experiment Station method, a roughage the greater portion 

 of which is silage fed to the limit of appetite, together with cotton- 

 seed meal in limited amount, and grain the latter part of the feed- 

 ing period. 



3. Value of alfalfa hay as a source of protein as compared 

 with cottonseed meal. 



4. Comparison of roughage of (1) corn silage; (2) corn silage 

 and mixed hay; (3) corn silage and alfalfa hay; and (4) mixed 

 hay and corn stover without silage. 



5. Possibility of fattening cattle satisfactorily and economic- 

 ally on a ration of corn silage and cottonseed meal, the silage being 

 fed in unlimited amounts and the cottonseed meal at the rate of 

 2^ pounds per 1000 pounds live weight during the first 84 days, 

 and 3y 2 pounds per 1000 pounds live weight during the last 56 

 days of a 140-day feeding period. 



6. Value of adding cora to a ration of corn silage, mixed hay 

 and cottonseed meal at the end of a 28-day feeding period rather 

 than withholding it until the end of 56 days. 



7. Cost of producing a pound of gain during the first part of 

 the feeding period on roughage alone supplemented with cotton- 

 seed meal, as compared with the latter part of the feeding period 

 when grain in the form of corn is added to the ration. 



8. Comparison of a ration without silage with one having a 

 limited amount of silage, and one in which silage is added ad 

 libitum. 



9. Financial returns from hogs following the cattle in the 

 different feed lots. 



Description of Cattle 



The cattle used in this experiment were of mixed breeding, 

 with an equal representation of Shorthorn, Hereford and Angus 

 breeds. They were purchased in West Virginia for the 1913-1914 



