190 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



every year. Many of them are grown on 

 the company's ranges in Montana, but a 

 large number are bought for feeding in 

 addition. This company has a number 

 of farms aggregating several thousand 

 acres. It grows a large part of the corn 

 and forage used and buys enormous 

 quantities of bran, oil meal and other 

 grain feeds. 



The steers fed are usually at least, 

 four years old. They average between 

 900 and 1,000 pounds in weight, when 

 put on feed. They are fed from five 

 to seven months and average, when sold, 

 between 1,100 and 1,300 pounds. The 

 grains chiefly fed are corn, bran, oats, 

 and oil cake. Corn usually constitutes 

 from 80 to 90 per cent of the total 

 grain fed. It is fed ground. The 



by machinery. No summer feeding is 

 practiced. When wheat bran is bought 

 at a cost of $7 to $10 a ton it is made 

 to constitute 10 to 15 per cent of the 

 grain ration. 



Beef cattle farms_The corn belt is 

 the center of the beef cattle farms of 

 the country. Usually on these farms 

 pure bred bulls of the beef type are used 

 with grade cows of the beef type. The 

 stock is pastured during the growing 

 season on blue grass and native pas- 

 tures and fed corn, corn fodder, hay, 

 bran, oil meal or cottonseed meal dur- 

 ing the fattening period which usually 

 covers the fall and winter months. 



Even on these beef cattle farms it is 

 usual to save the cream and bring the 

 calves up on skim milk rather than let 



r; 



-CATTLE IX FEED LOTS. MILLS FARM 



amounts fed per steer during the fatten- 

 ing period vary from 45 to 75 bushels a 

 head. The average annual cost of the food 

 for 11 years was about $19 a head and the 

 labor involved in feeding $2.82 a head. 

 The company has a barn 682 feet long, 

 a little more than 200 feet wide, with a 

 capacity of about 3,000 steers at one 

 time. It is arranged so that each steer 

 can have a separate stall and is sup- 

 plied with all the labor saving devices, 

 like carriers for hay, etc. Fresh water 

 is kept before them all the time and 

 the manure gutters can be flushed out 

 into the river near by. Much the 

 larger portion of the cattle fed, how- 

 ever, is fed out of doors, and followed by 

 hogs. About 150 head are considered 

 enough for one feed lot. The entire 

 corn crop is harvested, cut and shredded 



them suck the cows, as is done on the 

 western ranges. As a rule also, addi- 

 tional steers are bought for feeding. 

 These are picked up in the surrounding 

 country, or brought in from the large 

 stock centers. The majority of the cat- 

 tle thus fed are range cattle. Home- 

 grown beef cattle are usually marketed 

 when about two and a half to three 

 years old. Range steers average a little 

 older. Farmers buy these in the fall 

 in a thin condition, feed them from five 

 to six months, then market. 



West of the Mississippi river it is 

 seldom that any special precautions are 

 taken to save the manure. Its removal 

 to the land is regarded rather as an ex- 

 pense. Much of tbe western land is 

 still so fertile that the need of manure 

 is not felt yet. Whatever of profit there 



