34: N. C. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Method of Feeding. 



The steers were fed regularly twice each, day, at seven in the morning 

 and four in the afternoon, except on weighing days when they were fed 

 somewhat later in the morning than usual. The corn silage for lots 1 

 and 2 was first put in the feed troughs and distributed uniformly, after 

 which the cottonseed meal was spread over and thoroughly mixed with 

 the silage. These rations were consumed very readily when prepared in 

 this manner. It was quite noticeable that they were always eaten by the 

 steers before they left the trough while the lot getting cottonseed hulls 

 as roughage invariably left an appreciable quantity, returning later in 

 the day to consume the remaining portion. 



The corn stover for lot 1 was put in the feed racks after the meal and 

 silage had been fed. Usually this was not all taken until quite late 

 in the day, the steers eating it at liberty after the meal and silage had 

 been consumed. Lot 2 received no dry roughage; however, the larger 

 quantity of silage given seemed to satisfy the steers quite well. The cot- 

 tonseed hulls fed to lot 3 were placed in the trough, and the cottonseed 

 meal was then spread uniformly over the hulls and the two feeds 

 thoroughly mixed. All the rations seemed to be very palatable, how- 

 ever this was especially true when silage formed part of the feed. 



FIG. 4 Steers fed cott 



In every case where there was a tendency to leave any of the rations, 

 they were reduced until the quantity fed was taken readily. In this 

 way the appetite of the steers was always kept keen. In table 3 is shown 

 the average amount of each feed used per steer in the daily ration. 

 Any one of these combinations forms a well balanced ration, as the feeds 

 are all of such a composition that the shortage of a nutrient in one is 

 balanced by an excess of this nutrient in the other. For example, cotton- 

 seed meal is high in protein and low in carbohydrates, while cotton- 

 seed hulls are low in protein and high in carbohydrates. The same con- 

 dition is true with the other roughage feeds used in combination with 

 cottonseed meal. 



