68 BULLETIN NO. 58. 



STEER FEEDING EXPERIMENT, 1904-5. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In an agricultural country, such as Montana is, there are many 

 agricultural and live stock questions pressing for solution, and it 

 is (lifin.cn It at times to decide which of these should have Jirst 

 attention. The first experiments conducted at the Station on feed- 

 ing cattle were conducted by Prof. Shaw during the three years 

 from 1900 to 1902. These experiments dealt mainly with the 

 feeding value of the different kinds of fodders. The next two 

 years these experiments were conducted by the writer in a stucly 

 of the comparative value of different kinds of grain. The results 

 of the two years' work were very similar, so that while these re- 

 sults are not exactly conclusive, yet they afford a guide for those 

 interested, and are valuable as a basis for further study. 



Another question that has attracted much attention and con- 

 siderable inquiry is, as to the amount of grain to feed with the 

 fodder crops, clover and alfalfa. This question is of considerable 

 importance as our fodder crops are comparatively cheap, whereas 

 the grain is much more expensive than in the east. Because of this 

 fact we determined during the winter 1904-5 to consider the ques- 

 tion of the amount of grain that might be most profitably fed in a 

 fattening ration. For this test we had on the station farm three 

 steers, and 21 head were purchased from Mr. John Keifer, of Boze- 

 man. The steers were a fair average lot, but not extra in quality, 

 consisting of Hereford and Shorthorn grades. They weighed on ;the 

 average 1070 Ibs. each when they arrived on the station farm Nov. g t 

 1904. They had the run of a pasture but were also fed hay in racks 

 in addition until November 21 st, when the experiment was started. 



PLAN OF THE EXPERIMENT. 



The twenty-four steers were divided into four lots 

 and the division was made as evenly as possible, consid- 

 ering weight and quality. There were thus six steers in each 

 lot. These steers were fed as follows : Lot one was fed on clover 



