44 



BULLETIN 981, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



regained their original weight and averaged 50 pounds lighter at the 

 end of the period than at the beginning. 



Farmers in western Kansas report that horses and mules stand 

 plowing and other hard work in the hot summer months better when 

 fed upon Sudan grass hay than when their hay ration consists of 

 alfalfa. 



A second feeding test at the Fort Hays Experiment Station showed 

 that Sudan grass hay was an efficient feed for carrying stock cattle 

 through the winter. When ''long-yearling" heifers were fed Sudan 

 grass hay with a small supplementary ration of silage and linseed 

 meal, steady gains in weight were obtained at a reasonable cost. 

 The results of this test are given in Table XIII. 



Comparison of Sudan grass hay with alfalfa hay, Jcafir stover, and sorgo 

 stover as a roughage for wintering stock cattle. 



Table XIII. 



[Feeding period 120 days, Dee. 17, 1914, to Apr. 15, 1915, 25 heifers in each lot. J 



Items of comparison. 





Lot 1. 



Lot 2. 



Lot 3. 



Lot 4. 



Daily ration per animal: 



Silage 



pounds.. 



do 



do.... 



10.00 

 7.54 



10.00 



10. 00 



10.00 





12. S9 









do.... 





£'14 





Sorgo stover 1 



Linseed meal 



Results of weighing: 



Average initial weight 



Average final weight 



Gain per head 



Gain per head per day 



do.... 







10.24 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



do.... 



da.... 



2.64 

 1.00 



620.8 

 701.2 

 80.4 

 .670 



3.78 



1.00 



650.6 

 733.2 

 82.6 

 .688 



3.10 

 1.00 



661 

 740 

 79 

 .658 



2.60 

 1.00 



655.6 

 736.4 

 80.8 . 

 .673 



Cost comparisons: 



Cost per head per dav 



Cost per pound of gain 



SO. 057 

 .085 



SO. 058 

 .0S4 



SO. 063 

 .096 



SO. 057 

 .085 



1 The supply of sorgo stover was exhausted on March 6. After that date Sudan grass hay was substituted 

 for the sargo stover in feeding lot 4. 



In this test the feeds were evaluated as follows: Silage, S3; alfalfa 

 hay, $6; kafir stover, S3; sorgo stover, S3; Sudan grass hay, So; 

 straw, 50 cents a ton; linseed meal, SI. 54 a hundredweight. These 

 prices are all much lower than the present market rates, but are rep- 

 resentative of farm values in 1914. The alfalfa hay had been dam- 

 aged considerably in curing, and its feeding value was no doubt less 

 than that of good hay. This perhaps accounts for the rather poor 

 showing of the animals fed upon alfalfa. This lot, despite its handi- 

 cap, had smoother coats and a better general appearance than any of 

 the other lots. The different lots received all the Sudan grass hay, 

 kafir stover, alfalfa hay, and sorgo stover that they would eat up 

 clean and were allowed all the straw they would eat in addition to 10 

 pounds of silage and 1 pound of linseed meal a head daily. The pro- 

 portion of silage in the ration was small, but it no doubt had much to 

 do with the good showing made by the different roughages other 

 than alfalfa. Without the silage the results would probably have 

 been much more favorable to alfalfa. 



