Economical Rations in Beef Production. 21 



In the matter of daily gains, the linseed-meal seems to have 

 the advantage in the first experiment with prairie hay, and 

 the alfalfa in the second experiment with corn-stover. An 

 average gain of two pounds per day for an entire fattening 

 period is ordinarily considered good. The gains made on 

 both rations in the two experiments reported are therefore 

 very gratifying, particularly the average gains made for a 

 period of twenty weeks in the second experiment. The fact 

 that one lot of ten two-year-old steers gained 2.33 pounds 

 each per day for a period of five months with unshredded 

 corn-stover for roughness and no hay of any kind, is added 

 proof of the high feeding value of this by-product so com- 

 monly wasted in Nebraska. 



While the linseed-meal ration shows its superiority over 

 the alfalfa combination in making larger daily gains during 

 one experiment, the use of alfalfa without linseed-meal made 

 the gains less costly in both. The alfalfa-fed steers in the 

 first experiment sold for the same price per hundred as the 

 linseed-meal steers. In the second experiment the alfalfa 

 steers sold for $5.65 per hundred, while the linseed-meal 

 steers sold for $5.50 the same day, which difference may have 

 been due to the quality of the individuals at the beginning of 

 the test and not to the feed. 



With corn costing 35 cents per bushel and prairie hay $6.00 

 per ton, the alfalfa hay proved to be worth $13.11 per ton in 

 comparison with linseed-meal costing $32.00 per ton. In the 

 second experiment, with corn worth 36 cents per bushel and 

 stover valued at $2.50 per ton, the alfalfa returned a value of 

 $13.12 per ton in comparison with linseed-meal at $29.50. 

 From these figures it is apparent that alfalfa possesses a high 

 value as a source of protein. The experiments furthermore 

 suggest that a relatively small quantity of this hay will sup- 

 ply sufficient protein to insure good gains on two-year-old 

 steers, and that this can be produced on the farm much 

 cheaper than it can be purchased on the market in the form 

 of linseed-meal or some other protein concentrate. 



