II. FATTENING STEERS ON PASTURE IN ALABAMA. 



Some results of fattening steers upon pasture during the summer 

 months have already been published. 1 The results of two additional 

 years' work are presented herewith. It should be understood, how- 

 ever, that this comprises only a report of the progress of the work, 

 as the experiments are being continued and new phases of the 

 subject are being investigated. 



PLAN AND OBJECTS OF THE WORK. 



The cattle were bought in the fall, as they could be bought much 

 cheaper at that time than in the spring. In fact, steers could hardly 

 be bought at all in the spring. When grass appears the owners of 

 steers usually will not sell them unless at a premium. The details 

 of carrying the cattle through the winter months are discussed in 

 another part of this bulletin. Just as soon as the grass appeared in 

 the spring the tests were inaugurated, and only two objects were 

 in mind — 



1. To determine the profit, if any, in fattening native Alabama 

 steers on pasture for the fall market. 



2. To determine whether it would be profitable to supplement the 

 pasture with a small ration of cottonseed cake. 



Owing to the fact that suitable pasture was not available upon the 

 farm of the experiment station at Auburn, Ala., the work was carried 

 on upon the land of and in cooperation with Mr. O. E. Cobb, of 

 Sumterville, Ala., where similar work has been in progress for six 

 years. Mr. Cobb furnished the cattle, the pastures, and the feeds, 

 while the Bureau of Animal Industry and the experiment station 

 authorities provided trained men to have personal supervision of the 

 work. Messrs. H. J. Chatterton and S. S. Jerdan, both of whom are 

 graduates of an agricultural college, were stationed upon the farm 

 and looked after the details of the feeding. 



THE CATTLE. 



No attempt was made to get steers for this work which would 

 grade far above the average of the State. Only such steers were 

 used as could be bought in Sumter, Wilcox, Marengo, and neighboring 

 counties. An attempt was made, however, to select the best steers 

 from among those raised in the western part of Alabama, but as the 

 experiments required the use of a large number of animals it was not 

 always possible to select steers which carried a predominance of beef 



1 See Bureau of Animal Industry Bulletins 131 and 159. 



13 



