320 



Feeds and Feeding. 



Assuming a pasture charge for yearlings of 75 cents per month, 

 their gains cost approximately $1.60 per 100 lbs., while the 2-yr.-olds 

 at a pasture charge of $1 per month would put on gains costing but 

 little over $1.90 per 100 lbs. When we reflect that gains made by 

 steers in winter cost from $6 to $10 per 100 lbs., the importance of 

 wisely and fully utilizing the pastures in summer is apparent. 



Average gain of steers for the 6-months season on grass. 



Skinner and Cochel of the Indiana Station^ found thru extensive 

 inquiry that in Indiana during summer feeding each grain-fed steer 

 grazed over 1.1 acres of land on the average. Where no grain was 

 given, each steer grazed over about 2 acres. 



Lloyd of the Mississippi Station- reports that 2-yr.-old heifers, fed 

 a light ration during the winter, when turned to pasture gained 1.3 

 lbs. each daily for 178 days on pasture alone. Steers of the same 

 age, thin in flesh when turned to pasture, made daily gains of 1.4 

 lbs. for 178 days, while those full-fed the previous winter gained but 

 0.8 each day during 158 days. 



Waters of the Missouri Station^ states that gains are cheaply made 

 on grass alone, but such gains are also low in selling value because 

 the cattle are not usually fat enough to market and must be sold as 

 feeders with sufficient margin for the buyer to profitably fit them 

 for market. 



503. Summer v. winter feeding. — Waters of the Missouri Sta- 

 tion* reports the gains in 3 summer and 5 winter feeding trials as 

 follows : 



Summer Winter 



Numberof animals 88 105 



Average length of feeding period, days 209 107 



Concentrates per 100 lbs. of gain, lbs 814 999 



Roughage per 100 lbs. of gain, lbs grass 382 



Average daily gain per steer, lbs 2.37 2.13 



Because of the longer feeding period the summer-fed cattle were 

 much fatter than those fed in winter. Despite this the summer 

 gains were made on 18.5 per ct. less grain. 



^Cir. 12. =Ept. 1903. ^ Bui. 76. "Loc. cit. 



