BEEF CATTLE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



21 



and herd's grass, which is a characteristic mixture for this part of 

 the State. The land was rolling and hilly, some of it being very- 

 rough and steep, having some of the old dead trees standing. The 

 pastures were charged at the rate of $1 per steer for 28 days. 



The cottonseed cake fed was high grade and was used because it 

 is not injured in quality by the rain, the wind will not blow it about, 

 and as the steers must chew the cake they are more likely to get an 

 equal share of it than with cottonseed meal. The difference between 

 the cake and meal is that the cake is unground. The cake was 

 cracked on the farm by running it through a corn-and-cob mill. 

 In the financial statements it is charged at actual cost for each year, 

 but in all the comparative tables it is charged at an average cost of 

 $30 per ton for the three years' work. 



METHOD OP FEEDING AND HANDLING STEERS. 



The steers were turned on pastures in the spring as soon as the 

 grass would carry them without injury to its subsequent growth. 

 They were given salt once a week, and every four weeks they were 

 driven to the scales and weighed early in the morning. As soon as 

 weighed they were driven back to pasture, never being out more 

 than an hour at a time. 



Troughs were provided in the pasture for feeding the cottonseed 

 cake, which was given late in the afternoon. Each steer was num- 

 bered by means of an ear tag so that individual records could be 

 kept and the steers of each lot identified. 



AMOUNT OF PASTURE AND COTTONSEED CAKE CONSUMED. 



The steers were given an average of about 3 acres of pasture per 

 steer during the summer. Table 9 shows the amount of cottonseed 

 cake consumed in each year's work, giving the lot numbers, number 

 of steers, number of days on feed, ration, total amount of cake eaten 

 per steer, and daily feed per steer. 



Table 9. — Average total and daily rations, three summers. 



1914. 



Lot 

 No. 



Number 

 ofsteers. 



Number 

 of days 

 on feed. 



Ration. 



Cottonseed cake. 



Total con- 

 sumed by 

 each steer. 



Average 



daily ration 



per steer. 



126 

 126 

 165 



177 



Pasture aaid cottonseed cake. 



do 



Pasture only 



do 



Pounds. 

 437 

 440 



Pounds. 

 3.47 

 3.49 



