FATTENING CATTLE IN ALABAMA. 27 



STEERS WINTERED ON RANGE ALONE. 



In the first section of the table are shown the results secured on 

 the steers of lot 1, which were later divided among the groups A, B, 

 C, E, F, and G for the summer work. There were in lot 1 a total of 

 72 steers which received no feed during the winter except what they 

 secured from the open range. It is seen that the various groups in 

 this lot did not lose the same in weight during the winter, as these 

 losses ranged from 92 pounds on the steers that were later fed as 

 group A to 117 pounds for the six steers that were fed during the 

 summer in group E. The losses do not seem so variable, however, when 

 they are compared with the average loss, which was 101 pounds for 

 all the steers of the lot. The six steers of group E, which lost 117 

 pounds each during the winter, experienced this loss in a 98-day period. 



The 72 steers of lot 1 averaged 688 pounds each in weight in the 

 fall and lost an average of 101 pounds each during the winter, or 1.10 

 pounds per day per steer during that period. 



As the length of the winter feeding periods varied from 84 to 98 days 

 and the same number of steers were not used in each lot for each of the 

 three winters, it can readily be understood that the efficiency of the 

 feeds should not be judged by a comparison of the total gain or loss in 

 weight per steer, but should rest upon a comparison of the average 

 daily losses per head. The average daily losses for all steers of lot 1 was 

 1.10 pounds per steer, and there is no great variation from this aver- 

 age except in the case of group G, in which there were but four steers. 



During the summer there is seen to be great variations in the total 

 gains and the daily gains per steer, as each group was given a different 

 feed, although they were all wintered alike. 



The steers of group A, which were grazed on pasture without feed 

 during the summer, made an average daily gain of 1.79 pounds per 

 day during the summer, or an average of 0.62 of a pound per day for 

 the winter and summer periods combined. 



The steers of group B, however, which had been wintered exactly the 

 same as those of group Abut received cake in addition to pasture in the 

 summer, made a daily gain of 2.21 pounds per steer during the sum- 

 mer, or 0.82 of a pound per day for the winter and summer periods. 



In group C, which was fed pasture with cold-pressed cottonseed 

 cake in addition, the daily gain during the summer was 1.74 pounds 

 each, or 0.49 of a pound per day for the two periods. 



The steers fed cotton seed in addition to pasture (lot E) did better, 

 gaining 2.28 pounds per steer per day in the summer and 0.93 of a 

 pound for both winter and summer, while each steer of group G, 

 which received cottonseed cake and alfalfa hay with the pasture, 

 made 2.26 pounds gain per day during the summer and 0.81 of a 

 pound for the combined periods. 



Group F was composed each year of some steers from each of the 

 winter lots that were heavier and in better flesh in the spring than the 



