360 



Feeds and Feeding. 



ton-seed hulls with one composed of alfalfa hay and corn-and-cob 

 meal, obtaining the results shown in the table: 



Cottonseed meal and hulls compared with corn-and-coh meal and 

 alfalfa hay. 



Both lots made excellent gains, the alfalfa-fed steers averaging 0.3 

 lb. more per head daily than those fed cotton-seed meal and cotton- 

 seed hulls. With both rations the amount of concentrates for 100 

 lbs. of gain was surprisingly small. The light-weight cotton-seed 

 hulls, furnishing mostly carbohydrates, admirably supplemented the 

 heavy nitrogenous cotton-seed meal. In the other ration, corn-and- 

 cob meal, furnishing carbohydrates and fat, served as the concen- 

 trate, while the alfalfa hay furnished the required nitrogenous matter. 

 These rations should be regarded as standard by cattle feeders when- 

 ever they can be used. 



567. British feeding trials. — Ingle^ has collated all the feeding 

 trials with fattening steers reported in Great Britain between the 

 years 1835 and 1908 — 201 in number. From this extended report the 

 typical examples given on the next page are chosen as broadly illus- 

 trating the British system of fattening beef cattle. 



The average weights of the bullocks given in the table is the mean 

 of their weights at the beginning and close of the feeding trial. 



The American cattle feeder who critically reviews the data given 

 will be impressed first of all with the surprisingly small amount of 

 concentrates employed in the ration. In the 201 trials presented by 

 Ingle the largest amount of concentrates fed to any steer on one day 

 was 13 lbs. In a few cases no concentrates were fed, but usually the 

 allow^ance for each bullock was 6 or 7 lbs. per day. The rich nitroge- 

 nous concentrates such as linseed meal, cotton-seed meal, dried brew- 

 ers' and distillers' grains, and peanut cake are the ones commonly 

 employed, followed by barley and corn meal more sparingly used. 

 Equally striking is the heavy use of roots, the amount fed ranging 



1 Trans. Highl. and Agr. Soc. of Scotland, 1909. 



