42 



seed meal plus 714 pounds of cottonseed hulls. In other 

 words, the cowpea hay was worth $13.02 per ton for winter- 

 ing mature cattle compared with cottonseed meal and 

 hulls, when the meal is valued at $26.00 a ton and the hulls 

 at $6.00 a ton. 



During the second winter (1908-'09) each steer in the 

 cottonseed lot (Lot 3) lost about 42 pounds more in live 

 weight than did the animals in the cottonseed meal and hulls 

 lot (Lot 2) ; but still, when cottonseed is valued at $14.00 a 

 ton it is probably cheaper than cottonseed meal and hulls 

 for wintering steers. 



The daily expense of feeding each steer on cottonseed 

 meal and hulls was 5.7 cents, while the daily cost of the 

 cottonseed per steer was only 3.3 cents. While not enough 

 cottonseed was used to prevent loss in weight, still the 

 amount fed daily to each steer (4.71 pounds) would prob- 

 ably not have to be increased very much to make the steers 

 hold their fall weights. It would require 8.2 pounds of 

 cottonseed, at $14.00 a ton, to cost as much as the 2.41 

 pounds of cottonseed meal plus the 8.71 pounds of hulls 

 which were fed to each steer daily in Lot 2. 



When this test was made cottonseed cost but $14.00 a ton. 

 Since that time they have advanced about one hundred 

 per cent in value, so that it would now be unwise to use 

 cottonseed as a winter feed for steers. 



It should be remembered that these were mature steers, 

 and that such steers are capable of making use of the rough 

 waste feeds during the winter months. Cattle of this age 

 can use feeds that would be entirely unsuited to young 

 growing animals. In handling and feeding mature steers 

 during the winte^ months the object should be to make use 

 of all the rough feeds and unsalable hays before any high 

 priced feeds, as cottonseed meal, are used. 



WINTER GAINS OF STEERS BY MONTHS. 

 Every farmer has old corn and cotton fields which afford 

 some winter feeds for the cattle. As the winter advances 

 the rangre usually affords a smaller and smaller amount of 

 feed. The following table shows the gain of the various 

 lots from month to month. From this the reader can gather 





