8 



. Corn and cob meal was used by only 6 per cent of the Mis- 

 souri feeders, by 3 per cent of those from Iowa, and 10 per cent 

 from Illinois. 



Shelled corn, ground, was fed by 3 per cent of the Mis- 

 souri feeders, 4 per cent of those from Iowa, and by none of 

 those reporting from Illinois. 



19. The use of better prepared feed in the finishing end 

 of the fattening period than in the beginning or middle of the 

 period was reported by a large number of the feeders. This is 

 an attempt to maintain a good rate of gain through the latter 

 end of the feeding period, by catering to the appetite. At this 

 time the system is loaded with fat and the maintenance cost 

 per steer is very high ; at the same time the appetite is variable 

 and is disposed to decline. Anything, therefore, that tends to 

 increase the amount of food consumed will affect favorably the 

 rate and cost of gain. 



20. Better preparation is required in summer than in win- 

 ter feeding, because the grass in summer is more palatable than 

 the roughage used in winter, and for a large enough consump- 

 tion of grain to produce a profitable gain it is required that the 

 grain be palatable. Moreover, grain in summer is dry, hard, and 

 more difficult to masticate, and is liable to have been somewhat 

 fouled by mice and rats. These difficulties are in practice usu- 

 ally overcome by soaking the corn from 12 to 18 hours. 



21. Better preparation of grain is required for young cat- 

 tle than for aged animals, in order to stimulate the most rapid 

 possible gain. This is necessary to finish the younger animals 

 within a reasonable time. They use so large a proportion of 

 their food for growth that a high rate of gain is necessary to 

 make them fat quickly. 



22. The real reason for preparing grain for cattle is not 

 to reduce the proportion of grain passing through the animal 

 undigested but rather to increase the rate of gain. This is so 

 because whatever part of the grain the steer fails to utilize 

 the hogs which follow the cattle will utilize to good advan- 

 tage. 



23. The feeder is interested primarily in the aggregate 

 gain of steer and hog per unit of grain fed, and cannot afford, 



