324 



Feeds and Feeding. 



The ration consisted of 6 parts shelled corn and 1 part cotton-seed 

 meal, with clover hay and corn silage for roughage. Hogs followed 

 the steers in each lot. 



Influence of age of steers on gains of steers and sliotes following steers. 



The calves required much less feed to produce 100 lbs. of gain than 

 either the yearlings or the 2-yr.-olds. The rate of daily gain in- 

 creased with the age of the steer, the 2-yr.-olds making the heaviest 

 gains. The amount of feed required to produce 100 lbs. of pork was 

 greatest for the hogs following the calves, and smallest with those 

 following the 2-yr.-olds, showing that calves utilize their food more 

 closely than mature steers. 



Skinner and Cochel write: "High grade, bloeky, early maturing 

 beef calves showing both breeding and quality are necessary in mak- 

 ing yearling beef. Quality and type are not so essential in feeding 

 aged steers as in feeding calves, provided the purchase price is pro- 

 portionate. The older cattle, if placed in the feed lot in equal condi- 

 tion and given a full feed, will be in higher condition than either 

 yearlings or calves at the end of 6 months. More capital is required 

 in feeding the same number of 2-yr.-old steers than either yearlings 

 or calves. The profit per steer was greater in both tests on 2-yr.- 

 olds than on either yearlings or calves." (525) 



507. Heifers v. steers. — At the Iowa Station^ Wilson and Cur- 

 tiss conducted 2 experiments with steerg and spayed and open heif- 

 ers. The cattle topped their respective classes in the Chicago mar- 

 ket, the heifers of the first trial selling for $4.75 and the steers for 

 $5.75 per cwt. on the same market. In the second trial the heifers 

 brought $4.25 and the steers $4.50 per cwt. All lots yielded practi- 

 cally the same amount of dressed carcass, but the heifers yielded 

 about 1 per ct. more in the high-priced cuts of meat. But little, if 

 any, benefit w^as derived from spaying heifers. (836) 



1 Bui. 33. 



