Economical Rations in Beef Production. 1 1 



the stalk upon which it grew. Do not these stalks grown in 

 such large quantity on our corn land possess sufficient nu- 

 tritive value to make it worth while to harvest them for feed- 

 ing purposes? Left standing in the field they become woody 

 and are useful only as winter forage for stock cattle and 

 horses, their value being estimated at from 25 cents to $1.00 

 per acre, a price not to exceed 50 cents per ton. When cut 

 and put in shocks immediately after the corn ripens they re- 

 main fairly green, retain in the leaves the nutritive properties 



Fig. 1. Rack for feeding corn fodder or stover. 



which they possessed when harvested and are much relished 

 even by cattle on a full grain feed. For the purpose of se- 

 curing data upon the above question two experiments were 

 conducted in Avhich the ration corn and alfalfa was compared 

 with corn, alfalfa and stover (stalks without the ears). The 

 stover was fed unshredded in racks provided with vertical 

 slats only wide enough apart to permit the steers to enter 

 their heads, thus preventing the stalks from being pulled out 

 and trampled under foot. The coarse butts refused, approx- 

 imately 40 per cent of the stalks fed, were thrown out for 



