402 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



usually about the first of May. In the 

 corn belt, cattle are ordinarily removed 

 from pasture during September, but 

 may in some cases be allowed to remain 

 until October or even December. Where 

 cattle are finished for market in the 

 early fall, they are sometimes removed 

 from the pasture during the latter part 

 of the grazing season and heavily fed 

 on grain with soiling crops or some 

 other succulent food. 



Tke question at once arises in connec- 

 tion with pasturing steers whether they 

 shall be fed grain during this time or 

 not. This matter has been studied in a 

 number of states with results which are 

 fairly in harmony, although differing 

 somewhat in certain respects. Burnett 

 investigated this subject in Nebraska, 

 where it was found that when steers are 

 to be sent to market in early winter, 

 there is more profit in keeping them on 

 pasture during the summer, with grain. 

 Where, however, the steers are to re- 

 ceive a grain ration during the winter 

 and marketed in the spring, it is more 

 economic to keep them on pasture dur- 

 ing the previous summer without grain. 

 In the use of pasture for steers which 

 are being fattened for market, close 

 watch should be kept of the steers to see 

 that they are receiving enough coarse 

 forage in addition to their grain to make 

 constant and fairly uniform gains. Any 

 falling off in weight or check in their 

 growth indicates that the pasture is 

 poor. 



In Alabama, Duggar and others made 

 observations on the gains produced by 

 scrub cattle on the ordinary pastures in 

 that state. The plants chiefly eaten by 

 the cattle were broom sage, crab grass, 

 swamp grasses, switch cane and les- 

 pedeza. The daily gains made by cat- 

 tle on such pastures varied from 0.28 to 

 0.82 of a pound, and the total gain for a 

 pasturaere season of 210 days varied 

 from 59 to 172 pounds, with a beef 

 value varying from $1.48 to $4.30. The 

 increase of different classes of cattle 

 during a pasture season of seven months 

 varied from 8 to 51 per cent of their 

 weight. During the winter season, cat- 

 t } e kept on southern pastures are al- 

 most sure to lose in weight, for the 

 reason that the common grasses lose 

 nearly. all of their nutriment as a result 

 of the frequent rains. 



In Mississippi Hutchinson and Lloyd 

 kept cattle on cotton-field and woodland 

 pasture carrying more or less Johnson 



grass and fall oats. The breeding cattle 

 kept in fine condition and young ani- 

 mals made quite heavy gains. In gen- 

 eral it has been observed that young 

 animals gain more rapidly on pasture 

 than older steers. In order that pas- 

 ture may give the greatest results in beef 

 production, care should be taken not to 

 overstock it at any time. In Mississippi, 

 it appeared that Bermuda grass, white 

 clover and lespedeza stood heavy grazing 

 better than other grasses. K, however, 

 the cattle were changed at suitable in- 

 tervals, Johnson grass and alfalfa were 

 found to furnish excellent grazing for 

 long seasons. Two-year-old steers which 

 had been carried through the winter on 

 a maintenance ration and were in rather 

 thin flesh, gained 242 pounds in 178 

 days on ordinary pasture, or at the rate 

 of 1.3 pounds daily. The pasture was 

 found to carry one animal for each 1.1 

 acres for the period of seven months. 

 On poorer pasture land, however, about 

 2% acres were required for each steer. 



Pearl millet or pencillaria. This 

 plant was for a number of years adver- 



Fig. 2G8 — SINGEING THE SPINES FROM 



CACTI THAT THEY MAY BE EATEN 



BY CATTLE 



tised in a pompous manner as produc- 

 ing enormous yields of forage of un- 

 usual feeding value. The few tests 

 which have been made with it, however, 

 indicate that the claims for pearl millet 

 have been greatly exaggerated. At the 

 Kansas experiment station, Haney 

 tested pearl millet stover as compared 

 with kafir corn stover as a roughage 

 for cattle. The pearl millet was some- 

 what overripe when cut and a few of 



