CALF FEEDING IN ALABAMA AND MISSISSIPPI. 5 



sheds, so that the feed never became wet and the calves had com- 

 fortable quarters in which to eat. Salt was supplied regularly, and 

 fresh water from a deep well was supplied in clean cement troughs. 

 As stated above, at the beginning and end of the experiment indi- 

 vidual weights were secured on two successive days. During the course 

 of the test the total weight of each lot was secured every 28 days. 



CHARACTER AND PRICE OF FEEDS. 



Cottonseed meal, corn-and-cob meal, cottonseed hulls, and mixed 

 alfalfa hay were used in this test. The cottonseed meal and the 

 cottonseed hulls were purchased at a local market and hauled to 

 the farm, a distance of 9 miles. The corn for the corn-and-cob 

 meal and the mixed alfalfa hay were grown upon the farm where 

 the test was made. The cottonseed meal was only fair in quality. 

 The corn was of high quality. The whole ears of corn with the 

 shucks were run through a grinder and made into corn-and-cob meal. 

 The hay, made of a mixture of alfalfa and Johnson grass, was bright 

 and had been well cured, but the Johnson grass was somewhat coarse. 

 During a part of the test, from January 10 to February 8, Johnson- 

 grass hay alone was fed, as it was not possible to secure a supply of 

 the mixed hay during this short period. 



As stated in the first part of the bulletin, it is always unsatis- 

 factoiw to render a financial statement in work of this character, as 

 the price of the feeds, as well as of the cattle, varies considerably 

 from time to time and from place to place. The really important 

 data are those showing the daily gains and the amount of feed re- 

 quired to make 100 pounds of gain. In this test the feeds were 

 valued as follows: 



Cottonseed meal -—_ per ton $26. 00 



Cottonseed hulls do 7. 00 



Corn-and-cob meal do 20. 00 



Mixed alfalfa hay do 14.00 



As a matter of fact, the cottonseed meal cost only $24.50 a ton and 

 the cottonseed hulls $7.50 a ton, but the above prices were adopted 

 for the sake of uniformity. They represent fairly accurately the 

 average prices of feeds in the State. The prices on the other two 

 feeds represent exactly the market prices when the test was made. 



DAILY RATIONS. 



The farmer who undertakes to fatten young animals should under- 

 stand that the younger the animal the greater the skill required to 

 care for and feed it. Young calves should not be cared for and fed 

 in a careless manner. With animals of this class one case of careless- 

 ness in overfeeding may retard very seriously the whole future de- 

 velopment. Table 1 shows the average amount of feed eaten by each 

 calf daily: 



