14 IJI'LLKTIN 34.-, 



The amount of air-dry matter consumed per steer daily is 

 quite uniform for all lots receiving silage as all or a part of their 

 roughage. In Lot I, which received no silage, the amount of air- 

 dry matter consumed daily is 2.63 pounds more than the average 

 of the other lots. This must in part be accounted for by the lack 

 of silage in the ration of that lot. 



There is a wide variation in the daily gains. This factor was 

 highest in all lots which received a large amount of silage. The 

 presence of grain in the ration without silage did not seem to in- 

 fluence it. The air-dry matter required to make a pound of gain 

 is highest in Lot I, to which no silage was fed. 



At the prevailing prices of feeds during the three years, the 

 cost of making a pound of gain in the different lots during the first 

 56 days is interesting. This cost is directly influenced by the rate 

 of gain per day and the selection of the feeds. In all lots offered 

 grain other than that to which cottonseed meal was added, the 

 cost of a pound of gain was relatively higher than when no grain 

 was fed. The greater the amount of silage, the lower the cost of 

 a pound of gain. 



Lots II and VI, receiving silage and cottonseed meal, made 

 the cheapest gains and also the highest daily gains. The cost of 

 a pound of gain was highest in Lot I, which received the ration 

 without silage and cottonseed meal. 



The daily cost of the feed consumed was highest in Lot 1. 

 This cost per steer for the several lots was: Lot I, 20 cents;. Lot 

 II, 13 cents; Lot III, 11.6 cents; Lot IV, 14 cents; Lot V (a), 13.7 

 cents; Lot V (b), 15.2 cents; Lot VI (c), 14.5 cents. The cheapest 

 daily ration was fed in Lot III silage and alfalfa hay but the 

 daily gains, were lower, and consequently the cost of gains higher 

 than in some of the other lots. 



The summary of the second period shows the rations fed, and 

 it will be noted that grain was fed in all lots except Lot VI. The 

 grain in all cases except Lot I was composed of shelled or ear 

 corn. It became necessary to reduce the amount of silage in all 

 lots on a heavy allowance, when corn was added to the ration, in 

 order to get the cattle to consume the specific amount of corn. The 

 silage was reduced to less than 30 pounds per head daily in lots 

 that received 45 to 60 pounds of silage per head during the first 



