STEER FEEDING. 15 



of water in the silage will be relatively high and the feeding value 

 correspondingly low. The best silage is made when the crop is thor- 

 oughly mature and yet sufficiently green to pack well. Even though 

 some of the leaves are dry the crop will still make good silage. Water, 

 in sufficient quantity to cause thorough packing, may always be added 

 if found necessary at the time of filling the silo. 



Corn, sorghum, kafir, milo or feterita silage fed alone does not make 

 a satisfactory ration either for growing or fattening animals for the 

 reason that it is deficient in protein, which is necessary for the pro- 

 duction of lean meat or muscle and to aid digestion. Some cotton seed 

 meal or 'cake, which is nearly always our cheapest source of protein, 

 should be fed in connection with it for the best results. The amount 

 of meal or cake to be used will, of course, depend on the class of animals 

 and the purpose for which they are being fed. 



That farmers must realize the great value of manure resulting from 

 the feeding of cattle on their lands is becoming more and more evident 

 each year. Every crop removed from the land, when nothing in the 

 way of fertilizer is given to that land in return, means a smaller store 

 of plant food left for the production of future crops and, hence, yields 

 are bound to become less and less. 



When cattle are fed on the land on which crops are produced, full 

 value is obtained from the manure, the fertilizing constituents of which 

 amount, on the average, to 90 per cent, of the total fertilizing value 

 of the feeds from which such manure is derived. On the other hand, 

 when feeding is done in pens, not only quite a loss of manure occurs 

 through leaching, even under the most favorable conditions, but if the 

 remainder is to be utilized, there is the expense of hauling it to the 

 fields. Though it 'is realized that some soils, particularly the clays 

 when wet, may be put in poor physical condition from tramping, yet 

 the above facts certainly emphasize the importance of feeding on the 

 land where the manure is needed, when practicable. 



The cow produces on the average 49 pounds of solid excrement and! 

 19 pounds of urine a total of 68 pounds of manure daily This means 

 the production of approximated 4f tons during a period of 140 days. 

 This amount of manure at $2.75 a ton, a conservative price when com- 

 pared with that of commercial fertilizer, would be worth $13.06. Thus, 

 it is again seen just how important it is to save and utilize this manure. 

 It is furthermore seen that, though no profit be realized besides the 

 manure, the farmer can still well afford to feed cattle on his place. 



SUMMARY. 



1. Based on the selling prices of $7.35 per hundredweight for Lot 1 

 and $7.50 per hundredweight for Lot 2, cold pressed cotton seed could 

 have cost $23.90 a ton and proved of equal value to cotton seed meal 

 at $28.00 a ton. 



2. Eice bran at $16.70 a ton proved profitable in supplementing 

 cotton seed meal and silage and was more profitable for this purpose 

 than ground milo heads at $20.00 a ton. In fact, based on the selling 



