41 



is fat, and the animals will reach a prime condition in from 40 

 to 60 days less time, will stand shipping far better, will make a 

 better fill on the market, are cleaner, and uniformly sell better. 

 Likewise, in such dry season there is frequently an entire ab- 

 sence of flies. 



Between these two extremes come all gradations and com- 

 binations of rain, heat and flies, which will affect favorably or 

 adversely the result. 



. As a further illustration of the effect of the grass upon the 

 character of the gain, attention is called to the condition of the 

 cattle from New Mexico, Arizona, and portions of California 

 when they reach the market. These cattle, after having grazed 

 on the cured grass, are fat enough to seriously compete with 

 steers of even better quality which have been grazed on blue- 

 grass in the ordinary season in the corn belt and have been 

 fed for a short time, say 60 or 90 days, on corn. 



GAINS ON GRASS ALONE ARE CHEAP BUT LOW PRICED. 



Some of the authorities on feeding have questioned the 

 wisdom of the change from winter to summer feeding, which 

 has been one of the most characteristic developments in beef 

 production in the middle west during the last 25 years. These 

 authorities maintain that it is more profitable, all things consid- 

 ered, to graze the cattle in summer and full feed in winter after 

 the grass is gone. They base their judgment on some imperfect 

 and very limited data and upon the very erroneous assumption 

 that grain fed to cattle on pasture, to be profitable, must show 

 enough gain over and above what the cattle would make on 

 grass alone to pay a profit on the grain consumed. Unless 

 therefore, in the judgment of these authorities, this result is 

 accomplished, the grain has been used on the steer in summer 

 at a loss. 



They further point out the fact that the yearling steer 

 would gain on grass alone during the six months period of sum- 

 mer an average of about 45 pounds per month, and a 2 year old 

 steer approximately 50 pounds, which at a reasonable charge 

 for pasturage would make the gain cost from i cents to 2 

 cents a pound made on grass alone, while gains produced with 



