48 



BULLETIN 628, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table 24. — Quantity and cost 1 of feeds required to produce 100 pounds of gain, 



1914-15. 



Lot 

 No. 



Number 

 of steers. 



Days 

 fed. 



Ration. 



Quantity 

 of feed 



required 



for 100 



pounds 



gain. 



Cost of 



feed for 100 



pounds 



gain. 



1 



10 



10 

 21 

 26 



96 



96 

 96 

 111 





340 



322 

 1,489 



523 

 1,687 



357 

 2, 055 



442 

 1,409 



| 





Ear corn 



f 12. 96 









? 





| 11.21 

 \ 7.60 

 } 9.40 







3 









4 













1 Prices of feed used: 



Cottonseed meal $25.00 per ton. 



Cottonseed hulls 5.50 per ton. 



Corn silage 3.00 per ton. 



Ear corn 1.00 per bushel. 



This table reveals some interesting figures on the efficiency of the 

 feeds used. Comparing Lots 1 and 2 it can be seen that the 322 

 pounds of corn fed to Lot 1 produced as much gain as 183 pounds 

 of cottonseed meal and 198 pounds of cottonseed hulls. As the cost 

 of these gains are shown in the last column to be $12.96 and $11.21 

 for Lots 1 and 2. respectively, it is evident that it would have been 

 more economical to omit the corn. 



The cattle in Lot 3 required only 357 pounds of cottonseed meal 

 and 2.055 pounds of corn silage, costing $7.60 to produce 100 pounds 

 of gain. The efficiency of this ration and its low cost are the most 

 striking facts illustrated in the table. 



The smaller steers of Lot 4 made larger gains on the cottonseed 

 meal and cottonseed hull rations than did the steers in Lot 2. This 

 accounts for the smaller quantities of feed, and consequently smaller 

 cost to produce 100 pounds of gain. 



It will be noticed that the gains on all the cattle were produced 

 much cheaper than in 1913-14. This was due chiefly to the lower cost 

 of the cottonseed meal and cottonseed hulls for 1914-15, and the 

 fact that expensive hay was not used in the rations. 



SHIPPING AND SLAVGHTER DATA. 



Table 25 shows the average final farm weight per head, the market 

 weight, the shrinkage in transit, the average weights of carcasses, 

 and the dressing percentages. 



