586 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



should bo supplied in the form of linseed meal, cottonseed cake or some other 

 protein concentrate. 



It is essential that cattle of the besl heel' type be used in producing 

 stockers or feeders, because the chief profit comes from producing animals 

 of superior merit for which there is always a keen demand. It is very 

 important that the herd of cattle used for this purpose be uniform in type, 

 color, size, breeding and quality and that the animals have large feeding 

 capacity, because buyers prefer to buy feeders or stockers as nearly alike 

 as possible. 



Grazing Cattle. — The business of grazing cattle is generally followed 

 in those sect ions where the area of land in cultivation is very small compared 

 with that which must be left in grass. The cattle are seldom produced in 

 the grazing sections, but are usually shipped in by the train-load about the 

 first of May, and are pastured on grass until they are fat enough to be 

 marketed as grass-fat cattle during the late summer and early fall. 



The cattle used to convert grass into fat are usually older, coarser and 

 plainer than cattle selected to convert corn into the same product. Not 

 so much attention is paid to quality and breeding as in pure-bred cattle, 

 stockers or feeders, because the profit comes from the increase in value 

 secured by fattening rather than in the final price per hundredweight. 

 Very thin steers, three years old or older, make much larger gains than 

 younger or fatter cattle. However, it frequently happens that when 

 fleshier cattle are used, they may be shipped from grass earlier in the 

 season, thus avoiding extreme heat, flies, water shortage or a heavy run 

 of cattle on the market, which will more than overbalance the larger gains 

 made by thinner cattle. 



Fattening Cattle. — This has proven profitable in sections where corn 

 is the leading crop and the area devoted to permanent pasture is relatively 

 small. The kind of cattle selected for the feed lot depends upon the season 

 of the year, the feeds available, the probable demand for the cattle when fat 

 and the experience of the feeder. Young cattle make cheaper gains than 

 older cattle, but they require a longer feeding period to become fat, because 

 they use a large part of their feed for growth. 



Calves that are to be fattened should show quality and breeding. 

 They should have short legs and blocky, broad, deep bodies, otherwise 

 they will grow rather than fatten. It will require from eight to nine 

 months from the time calves are weaned to make them prime even when 

 on full feed. An excellent ration is ten pounds of silage, five pounds of 

 alfalfa haj^, one pound of linseed meal or cottonseed cake per head daily, 

 and all the corn they can eat. Older cattle consume more roughage in 

 proportion to the grain and are fed where corn is relatively scarce. 



To fatten cattle successfully and to secure satisfactory gains, the 

 ration should be improved as the animals become fat. The customary farm 

 practice is to start the cattle on roughage, such as silage, hay and fodder, 

 with about six pounds of corn per thousand pounds liveweight daily, and 



