6 Economical Rations in Beef Production. 



chase. They were chosen for uniformity in age, quality and 

 size as nearly as it was possible to secure it. ^Yhen the divi- 

 sion into lots of ten steers each was made previous to the ex- 

 perimental feeding, an effort was put forth to make the 

 several lots representative of the entire herd so that no one 

 lot would have the advantage of another in weight, quality, 

 condition or age. This would make the several lots of a sin- 

 gle winter's experiment comparable, but not the lots fed one 

 winter with those fed another winter. In other words, the 

 reader is not to compare the feed record of 1904-05 with the 

 feed record of 1905-06 or any other year. Grade Hereford 

 yearlings from Cherry County, Nebraska, were fed in 1903- 

 04; Grade Shorthorn two-year-olds from North Park, Colo- 

 rado, in 1904-05; Grade Shorthorn and Hereford two-year- 

 olds from Rock County, Nebraska, in 4905-06, and Grade 

 Angus two-year-olds from Sioux County, Nebraska, in 1906- 

 07. All lots in every experiment were provided w r ith sheds 

 having large open doors on the south side to permit the steers 

 to go in and out at will, none having horns. The yards were 

 small but of sufficient size to permit of some exercise. All 

 cattle were given water morning and night and salt Avas kept 

 before them at all times. Each lot w r as fed for a preliminary 

 period of approximately three wwks before the records of 

 the experiment were begun in order that all steers might 

 know how to eat grain and furthermore have time to gradu- 

 ally adapt themselves to their respective rations. The initial 

 weights of the different lots as tabulated are an average of 

 four weighings made on successive days just before watering 

 in the morning. This is done to reduce as much as possible 

 the element of error often caused by a fill larger one day than 

 another. Every feed was carefully weighed, no credit being 

 given for any coarse roughness left in racks and afterwards 

 thrown ont for bed cling. This waste Avas charged to the steers 

 just as tho it had been consumed. From what has been said 

 above it may be assumed that the differences in gains as re- 

 ported in the tables to folloAV are caused by the rations, at 



