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tions, afford to invest much labor and money in a preparation of 

 the feed which increases the steer gains wholly or mainly at the 

 expense of the hog gains. So long as the food is offered in pala- 

 table enough form to make the steer gain at a fairly rapid rate 

 and to make it fat in a reasonable time, he is not interested 

 in how much passes through the steer unmasticated or undi- 

 gested. Whatever part of the grain the steer fails to use, the 

 hog will utilize to good advantage. 



The Amount of Gain Made by Hogs. 



It is a common saying among cattle feeders that the profit 

 is in the hog that follows the steer. In former times, under 

 good management, it was expected that the gain on the hogs 

 would pay the feed bill and leave the gains made by the steer 

 as clear profit. This was when aged cattle were fed exclusively 

 and were given snapped or ear corn in very large quantities so 

 that a considerable quantity of extra corn was thrown out to 

 the hogs. Naturally then more hogs were used per steer than 

 now. At present, if the cattle end of the feeding operation pays 

 expenses and leaves the hog gain clear, it is regarded as a profi- 

 table operation. This does not imply that a better outcome 

 cannot be made under good management. 



The amount of hog gain secured per head of cattle or per 

 hundred pounds of grain fed to the cattle will of course be af- 

 fected by a number of factors. For example, the age and size of 

 the cattle, the character of the grain fed, with respect to the 

 amount of protein it carries, the way in which it has been pre- 

 pared, the kind of roughness in winter, the character of the 

 pasture in summer, the season of the year, and the age and con- 

 dition of the hogs themselves. It will be impossible, therefore, 

 to establish an average figure for hog gain that would be of any 

 value. 



Necessarily, the younger the animal and the better prepared 

 or the more finely ground the food is, the less the steer will 

 leave undigested and unutilized for the hog. Conversely, aged 

 cattle, for example, fed on snapped or ear corn, will throw 

 a considerable quantity of the grain out of the trough while 

 eating, a considerable proportion of the grain will pass through 



