46 BULLETIN 631, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



Lot 2: 



To purchase 24 calves — 8,170 pounds, at $5 per hundredweight $408. 50 



To 8,856 pounds cottonseed cake, at $30.50 per ton 135. 05 



To 17,568 pounds shelled corn, at 80 cents per bushel 250. 97 



To pasture, 24 calves, 179 days, at 50 cents each per 28 days 76. 71 



To 4,776 pounds cottonseed meal, at $41 per ton 97. 91 



To 9,576 pounds shelled corn, at 80 cents per bushel 136. 80 



To 46,512 pounds silage, at $3 per ton 69. 77 



To freight charges to market, 24 calves 42. 00 



To commission, $14.40 ; yardage and feeds, $7.92 22. 32 



Total expenditures 1,240. 03 



By sale of 24 calves— 16,600 pounds, at $8.48 per hundredweight— 1, 407. 68 

 By pork credit for hogs following calves 63. 63 



Total 1, 471. 31 



Total profit on 24 calves 231. 28 



Average profit per calf 9. 64 



There were eight shoats which followed the calves of lot 2 while 

 in the feeding lot from November 7, 1916, to January 5, 1917, or 60 

 days. These shoats got no feed other than what they picked up 

 behind the calves. They cost 7£ cents per pound in the fall when 

 they were put in the feed lot. While they followed the calves they 

 gained 470 pounds in weight, or almost 1 pound per head per day. 

 The hogs sold for 10 cents a pound, making a total profit of $63.63. 



After the calves paid for all the feeds consumed at market prices, 

 paid for the pasture at the rate of 50 cents per head per 28-day 

 periods, and paid for themselves at the prevailing price in the spring 

 and given a credit for pork produced they returned a profit of $10 

 a head when fed as lot 1 and $9.64 when fed as lot 2. If the shoats 

 had cost 10 cents per pound and sold for 10 cents per pound they 

 still would have returned a profit of $47; and when the calves are 

 given the credit for this amount of pork they produced, the profit per 

 calf would have been $8.91 per head instead of the actual profit of 

 $9.61 which was realized. 



DISCUSSION OF RESULTS. 



This experiment indicates that it is possible to handle the " short- 

 aged " calves, which always occur to a certain extent in all herds, in 

 such a manner as to realize a nice profit on them. As the calves 

 are too young to give satisfactory and profitable results by giving 

 a short feed in the fall and winter, it is a good plan to let them nurse 

 the cows during the winter while maintaining the cows and calves 

 in fair condition in an economical manner, weaning the calves when 

 grass becomes good in the spring, and feeding them on grass during 

 the summer. In case they did not become fat enough for the market 

 while on grass or if the market was weak and unsatisfactory they 

 could be finished in the feed lot for the Christmas market or for a 

 later market if desirable* 



