Feeding Experiments with Steers. 



The (|uebtioii of a rcimiuuiiitivc i)i-od-.ieliun of I)cct' for the lueul 

 iiiiukeL upon the fuims of New Kugkind has ibr several years i)asl 

 received a deserved attention at the Mass. State Agricultural Exper- 

 iment Station, by carrying on feeding experiments under well delined 

 circumstances with growing steers. Tlie results of observations in 

 that direction during two preceding years are ready for publication. 

 The work is to be continued with buch modifications as suggest 

 themselves during its progress ; and the conclusions arrived at will 

 be published hereafter whenever they are found to be of a more gen- 

 eral interest to the farming community. 



FIRST FEEDING EXPERIMENT. 



December, 1S89, to May, 1890. 



The first experiment, briefly described upon a few succeeding 

 l)ages, was planned mainly with a view to determine the cost of the 

 feed required for the production of beef for the meat market under 

 existing local conditions and with special reference to the contem- 

 porary local market price of the fodder articles at our disposal. 



Current home-raised fodder articles, as fodder corn, corn stover, 

 corn ensilage, and sugar beets, served as coarse feed ; while corn 

 and cob meal, wheat bran, Old Process linseed meal and gluten 

 meal furnished the grain feed for the daily diet of the animals on trial. 

 The statedamount of grain feed was in each case a fixed quantity; 

 while the consumption of coarse feed was governed by the appetite 

 of the animal. 



One and two year old grade Shorthorn steers, two of each kind, 

 were chosen for the observation. The steers selected were as 

 far as possible of a similar general character with reference to breed. 

 Tliey were chosen of a different age to offer a desirable chance to 

 determine the difference in the cost of the feed for the i)roduction of a 

 corresponding increase in the live weight (^f both one and two year 

 old animals. 



The same kind of fodder articles served at the same stage ol' 

 the experiment to all animals engaged in the experiment alike in the 

 compounding of their daily diet ; they were, however, given in dif- 

 ferent proportion and in different quantities to animals of different 



