BEEF CATTLE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



17 



AMOUNT OF PASTURE ALLOWED PER STEER. 



The average amount of pasture allowed per steer for winter graz- 

 ing was 2 acres, but in the summer about 3 acres were required to 

 graze a steer to good advantage. No set rule can be given as to the 

 number of acres required to graze a steer either in winter or summer, 

 as the condtioins, such as the slope or exposure of the land, the kind 

 of soil, and its fertility, are so variable in the different sections. 

 The point which the writers wish to emphasize is that less acreage is 

 required to winter graze a stocker for maintenance than to summer 

 graze the same steer to be furnished as a feeder or for butcher pur- 

 poses. It should be remembered, however, that the object of the win- 

 ter grazing is simply to maintain or rough a steer through, whereas 

 the summer grazing is for finishing the animal, which requires from 

 300 to 400 pounds gain to put it in marketable condition. 



GAINS DURING WINTER. 



Table 6 shows the total and daily gains of the steers on winter 

 pasture. 



Table 6. — Total and daily gains of steers on lointer pasture. 





Num- 



Days 



Year. 



ber of 



win- 





steers. 



tered 



1913-14 



17 



112 



1914-15 



26 



131 



1915-16 



16 



119 



Ration. 



Average 

 initial 

 weight 



per head. 



Average 



final 



weight 



per head. 



Total 



gain 



per head. 



daily gain 

 per head. 



Winter pasture 



do 



do 



Pounds. 

 515 

 705 

 762 



Pounds. 

 532 

 722 



Pounds. 

 17 

 '17 

 26 



Pounds. 

 0.15 

 .13 

 .22 



During the first winter, 1913-14, as shown in Table 6, the 17 steers 

 made an average total gain of 17 pounds, or a daily gain of 0.15 

 pound. The second year, 1914-15, the steers made a total gain of 17 

 pounds per head during the winter, or an average daily gain of 0.13 

 pound. This shows that there was very little difference in the gains 

 the first two winters. The last winter, 1915-16, the steers did unusu- 

 ally well, making a total gain per head of 26 pounds and an average 

 daily gain of 0.22 pound. When grass came in the spring all these 

 cattle were in good fleshy condition., but the cattle that were win- 

 tered in the barn were much thinner in flesh than they were in the 

 fall. 



COST OF WINTERING. 



The cost of wintering these cattle is one of the most interesting 

 and important factors to consider. This will vary in different 

 localities because of the difference in pastures and cost of feeds used 

 during snowy or stormy weather. The cost of steers per hundred 



15333°— 18— Bull. 628 3 



