6 Growing Feeder Steers in Western Nebraska 



there would be no difficulty in determining the lot to which each 

 steer belonged. During the summer all lots , ran together in 

 a canyon pasture of 1,500 acres which they shared with about 

 75 head of horses and cattle. 



A prairie fire on March 20, 1910, burned the cattle sheds and 

 corrals. This caused all the steers to be thrown together with 

 the other cattle. Fortunately weights had been taken March 18. 

 The time from that date until the steers were turned on grass is 

 accounted for in Period 5B. 



Three weights were taken at the beginning and close of each 

 period, excepting at one or two times when two weights gave 

 fairly uniform results. The cattle were weighed when they had 

 been away from water 12 hours or more, and had not been fed 

 hay for the same length of time. The aim was to get a fair and 

 uniform shrinkage on each lot. Tho care was taken to accom- 

 plish this, it is probable that the spring weights of the lots carry- 

 ing the most flesh do not represent the actual weights as nearly 

 as the corresponding weights of the thinner lots. However this 

 may be, the weights recorded would be the usual weights upon 

 which the steers would sell if changing ownership at that time. 



PRICES USED FOR FEED AND CATTLE. 



In writing up the results of an experiment it is always diffi- 

 cult to decide what prices should be assigned to the feed used 

 and to the stock, owing to many factors, among which are the 

 changes in prices during the progress of the experiment and the 

 difference in prices in various localities. In this test we have 

 assumed the following prices : 



Alfalfa, per ton $6.00 



Prairie hay, per ton 5.00 



Cane, per ton 4.00 



Corn, per bushel 50 



Oats, per bushel 35 



Cattle per 100 Ibs. in spring 4.25 



Cattle per 100 Ibs. in fall 3.75 



