32 BULLETIN 110, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



STEERS SUMMERED ON PASTURE ALONE. 



The steers of group A, lot 1, received range alone in winter and 

 grass alone in the summer and made an average daily loss of 1.02 

 pounds in winter and a gain of 1.79 pounds in the summer, or a total 

 average daily gain for winter and summer of 0.62 of a pound per 

 steer. The cattle of group A, lot 2, were fed range plus meal and 

 hulls in the winter, and pasture alone in the summer, and made an- 

 average daily loss of 0.16 of a pound per steer in the winter and 1.53 

 pounds gain during the summer, or an average daily gain for summer 

 and winter of 0.83 of a pound per head. 



For the cattle in lot 3, the average loss per day in the winter was 

 0.25 of a pound; a gain of 1.52 pounds was made in the summer, and 

 a gain of 0.76 of a pound for summer and winter. Those of lot 4 lost 

 0.70 of a pound per day in winter and gained 1.59 pounds in the 

 summer, or gained 0.65 of a pound daily for the whole period. The 

 average daily loss in the winter for each steer of lot 5 was 0.45 of a 

 pound; they gained 1.84 pounds in the summer and 0.95 of a pound 

 for the winter and summer periods taken together. 



These figures show very clearly that the steers which were not 

 fed during the winter made larger losses during that time, but they 

 made larger gains during the summer. Further, the larger the losses 

 which were made during the winter, the«greater were the gains made 

 during the grazing season to a certain limit. The increased gains 

 made during the summer were not great enough, however, to com- 

 pletely overbalance the excess losses during the winter, so it is seen 

 that the smaller the daily loss per steer, during the winter, the greater 

 is the average daily gain when both the winter and the summer periods 

 are considered as one. 



STEERS SUMMERED ON PASTURE AND A MEDIUM RATION OF COTTONSEED CAKE. 



The steers which made up group B in each of the lots responded to 

 their winter treatment during the following summer in practically 

 the same way as did the steers of group A. The steers of lot 1, group 

 B, made a heavy loss during the winter, but made very large daily 

 gains during the pasture season. 



When lot 2, group B, is compared with lot 3, group B, it is seen that 

 the steers of the latter lot lost but 2 pounds more per steer during the 

 winter than the steers of lot 2, which received cottonseed meal and 

 hulls as the supplementary feed while on range. During the summer 

 the daily gains made by the steers of lots 2 and 3 were 1.89 and 2.22 

 pounds per steer per day, respectively. This indicates that bright 

 cowpea hay is a better supplementary feed for winter range than 

 hulls and meal with respect to its effect upon the summer gains, but 

 the relative price of cowpea hay and meal and hulls will determine 

 which is the most economical winter feed. 



