91 



Changes in Feed and Surroundings. 



Changes in feed or, location or surroundings of cattle 

 that are fat should never be made, except such as are "decidedly 

 for the better, and even then should only be made when ino- 

 perative. After a steer is on feed and is beginning to show 

 fat, whatever changes in the feed are necessary must be made 

 very gradually, and should always be in the direction of im- 

 proved quality and palatability. This law will admit of no 

 violation, except in very rare cases where the cattle show too 

 great a fondness for the roughage and seem to be eating too 

 little grain on that account. Even then it will be more rational 

 to attempt to bring the grain up to a standard of excellence 

 where it will successfully compete with the roughness rather 

 than to lower the grade of the ration by substituting a poorer 

 roughness, Frequently when feeding at pasture the grass be- 

 comes very soft and washy, while it remains very palatable. In 

 this case the remedy would be a hay of good quality to temper 

 the grass. 



The main point insisted upon is that the quality should be 

 improved as the animals approach the finishing point. This 

 may in a majority of cases be most effectively done by adding 

 a limited quantity of old process linseed meal, from one-tenth 

 to one-seventh of their whole grain ration, during the last 60 

 or 80 days. This will insure a large consumption of grain and 

 of course rapid gains to the end, and will materially improve the 

 coat and enhance the selling quality of the steer over and above 

 an equally fat one that has not had some such food as linseed 

 meal. It goes without saying that this linseed meal should be 

 added very gradually to the ration. 



THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDS. 



The question was submitted in regard to the use of sup- 

 plemental feeds, as follows: 



Question 14. "What has been your experience in feeding 

 cottonseed meal, linseed meal and bran in connection with 

 corn?" 



Comparatively few of the feeders interviewed answered 

 this question, which would seem to indicate that at that time 



