FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT OF BEEF CATTLE. 59 



beef cattle ration. Its desirable effect has always been very evident 

 wherever it has been fed. If more of the corn crop was preserved in,' 

 this way it would mean larger profits in the cattle feeding industry. 



With cottonseed meal valued at $28.00 to $30.00 per ton, corn stover 

 at $7.00 to $8.00 and corn silage at $2.50 to $3.00, there is little excuse 

 for using such large quantities of cottonseed hulls which will cost from 

 $7.00 to $11.00 per ton, the market price depending on the season of 

 the year. 



Corn Silage for Beef Production. 



The indications from the experimental data at hand are that corn 

 silage will become an important factor in beef production in the State. 

 In Station Bulletin 218 are given some results obtained with this feed. 

 The average profit per steer obtained from two years work was in favor 

 of the cattle fed on cottonseed meal, and corn silage alone for roughage. 

 Whether the same results will always be obtained is to be determined. It 

 is thought, however, that larger quantities of cottonseed meal can be 

 fed successfully by using corn silage in the ration. This is a point of 

 special significance to be reported in a subsequent bulletin. 



As a general thing, cattle which are fed silage make better use of their 

 feed and finish more satisfactorily. The hide and hair is kept mellow 

 and glossy, which is a good indication of thrift in fattening cattle. In 

 Indiana about seven per cent of the cattle feeders are using corn silage 

 in their beef cattle rations. In a recent bulletin of that Station it is 

 stated that the addition of corn silage to a ration of shelled corn, cotton- 

 seed meal and clover hay, resulted in more rapid and cheaper gains, and 

 greater profits per steer than any other ration fed. It is stated that the 

 results indicate that corn silage may be used profitably as a portion of 

 the ration in finishing steers. Workers at other stations have shown the 

 advantages of corn silage in beef production, -although the kind of sup- 

 plementary feeds used with silage will vary the results obtained. Be- 

 cause of this fact, the use of corn silage with cottonseed meal in the 

 South is a problem in itself, which the writer hopes to work out in a 

 definite form. 



Preliminary Feeding Period. 



One of the greatest sources of trouble among cattle feeders of the 

 State is the irregular methods used in getting cattle on full feed. With 

 the safest of feeds, some men by careless methods and undue crowding 

 of the cattle may get them off feed, which brings on scouring, a very 

 troublesome condition in the feed lot. With cottonseed meal, a rich 

 nitrogenous feed of a laxative nature, and toxic when fed in excessive 

 quantities, extra precaution should be taken in getting steers up to full 

 feed, and keeping them in a normal condition thereafter. A number of 

 cases have been reported where the results from the meal feeding have 

 not been satisfactory. The trouble was no doubt caused largely by irreg- 

 ular feeding on varying quantities of the meal or by forcing the cattle 

 too fast in the beginning. Such a practice in the feed lot can never 

 bring other than unsatisfactory results. 



