UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 628 



Contribution from Bureau of Animal Industry 

 A. D. MELVIN, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



January 28, 1918 



WINTERING AND FATTENING BEEF CATTLE IN 

 NORTH CAROLINA. 



By W. F. Ward, Animal Husbandry Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, and 

 R. S. Cuetis and F. T. Peden, of the North Carolina Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Wintering steers preparatory to graz- 

 ing on pasture 4 



Winter grazing of steers 14 



Summer fattening of steers on grass- 

 Summary of three years' work, 



winter and summer 



Winter fattening of steers 



Page. 

 19 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the fall of 1913 the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the North Carolina 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, began a series of extensive beef- 

 cattle experiments on the farm of T. L. Gwyn, in Haywood County, 

 N. C. The work was located in the western part of the State because 

 of the wide range of adaptation, applying not only to North Caro- 

 lina, but also to a number of surrounding States. The western part 

 of North Carolina is extremely mountainous and rough, presenting 

 a problem of peculiar importance to the farmer or cattle grower. 

 The extremely rough character of the region makes good grazing 

 ample when the land is properly cleared and seeded. The area 

 available for the growing of crops for winter maintenance is re- 

 stricted, however, because of the mountainous condition, and this 

 makes the first three divisions of the experiments reported herein of 

 unusual importance to the stock grower. 



The subject discussed, comprising three years' experimental work, 

 consists of: (a) Wintering steers in barns and on pasture preparatory 

 to grazing on pasture either alone or in combination with cotton- 

 seed cake; (h) wintering steers on pasture preparatory to su mm er 



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