30 N. C. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



These experiments are based upon the fact that large quantities of 

 corn stover are wasted annually, that corn preserved as corn silage is 

 the most economical method in saving the crop and that corn silage is 

 rapidly coming into favor as a heef cattle feed. Cottonseed hulls, 

 though recognized as important, are becoming more expensive each year, 

 and from the evidence obtained at this Station and elsewhere they are 

 not as satisfactory for roughage as corn stover or corn silage. It is not 

 a judicious practice to use costly commercial feeds to replace corn silage 

 and corn stover which can be produced on every farm. 



Objects of Experiment. 



The objects of the experiment were to determine the difference in the 

 feeding value of corn stover, corn silage, and cottonseed hulls when fed 

 with cottonseed meal. This determination included the following: 



1. The average daily gains. 



2. The quality of the carcass. 



3. The economy of production. 



The last factor is really the most important to the feeder, yet the 

 quality of the carcass influences the selling price of cattle to a marked 

 extent. This proved to be of special importance in this case. 



Flan of Experiment. 



The experiment was planned with the idea of making a comparison 

 of corn stover, corn silage and cottonseed hulls as roughage feeds. The 

 same quantity of cottonseed meal was fed to each of three lots of steers. 

 When an increase was made for one lot, the same increase was made for 

 each of the other two lots. The aim was to feed as much meal as pos- 

 sible for best results. Conditions were made as nearly the same for each 

 lot of cattle as possible, the only variation being in the kind and 

 quantity of roughage given. 



FIG. 1 Station Beef-Cattle Barn. 



In making an increase or changing the proportions of roughage feeds, 

 due consideration was given the individual appetite of the steers, allow- 

 ing them to direct rather than to follow any special scheme of feeding 

 the roughage. At all times, however, judgment was used in withholding 

 an undue increase of any part of the rations and especially was this 

 true in the preliminary feeding period. 



