CARRYING RANGE STEERS THROUGH THE WINTER 9 



feeding as yearlings was a paying proposition. It is by no means 

 proven, but the indications are strongly in that direction. With so 

 many problems involved in this one experiment, it is difficult to make 

 a clean cut conclusion on each issue. While we have convincing 

 proof that the winter feeding of .calves, destined to be fed each win- 

 ter until sold as two-year-olds, was a losing proposition, all we can 

 say concerning the question at issue is this : The winter feeding of 

 yearlings destined to be fattened and sold as two-year-olds, resulted 

 in heavier, fatter and more marketable steers; and besides producing 

 good gains during the winter in which the feeding was done, pro- 

 duced residual feeding effects shown by very heavy gains the winter 

 they were finished. And so far as we can tell from the results at 

 hand, such feeding will .ordinarily produce a profit if feeding stuffs 

 are not too high priced. 



FATTEN YEARUNGS OR TWO-YEAR-OLDS? 



But another question arises : Does it pay better to winter feed as 

 calves and finish us yearlings, or winter feed- as yearlings and finish as 

 twos? 



This question involves many more points than those taken up 

 in this feeding experiment, so that it cannot be answered fully here. 

 But we can furnish some data of use to the cattleman in figuring the 

 problem for himself. The problem as it lies before the cattleman is 

 this : If he fattens his steers as yearlings, he must charge all loss 

 of cows and calves and depreciation of value in the young cows 

 against this one year's running of the steers ; while if he carries the 

 steers two years he may distribute this charge over two year?. On 

 the other hand if he feeds as yearlings he gets cheaper gains on his 

 steers, as one will on all young animals, and he releases his capital so 

 that it is turned over every year instead of every other year. He 

 does not need to make so large a profit on the yearlings, because he 

 will make that profit twice as often. 



The light which this experiment throws on that problem, con- 

 sists in a definite knowledge of the gains made by steers during the 

 different seasons as is shown in Table A. 



The steers winter fed as calves madfe a gain during that winter 

 and the following summer of 400 pounds ; while the steers not fed 

 until the winter they were yearlings made a gain during that winter 

 and the following summer of 415 pounds. With practically equal 

 gains, the calves undoubtedly put on their gain much more cheaply 

 than the yearlings. By referring to PART II of this Bulletin it will 

 be seen that yearlings put on their gain at about two-thirds the cost 

 of the gain put on by two-year-olds. The second winter's feeding 

 shows two-year-old steers weighing 1046 pounds per head in the fall, 

 making a gain of 361 pounds per head during the winter; while 

 yearling steers weighing 804 pounds per head made a gain of 290 

 pounds. The two-year-oMs gained 34.6 per cent, of their live weight, 

 while the yearlings gained 37.3 per cent, of their live weight. This 

 again is in favor of the younger steers. 



