FEEDING OP BEEF COWS IN" THE CORN BELT. 9 



ration by supplementing it with a small amount of some concentrate 

 high in protein, such as cottonseed meal. The farmers in that por- 

 tion of the corn belt lying west of the Missouri River, where alfalfa 

 is grown abundantly, nearly always can plan an adequate ration 

 without corn. 



THE FEEDING OF GRAIN. 



The fact that the 149 farms using the cheaper ration were not 

 feeding corn does not imply that it should never be used, for there 

 are farms where it is necessary to feed a moderate amount of grain. 

 This is particularly true of cattlemen who are conducting a pure- 

 bred business and who advertise their stock by exhibiting at the 

 various live-stock shows. The results of this study simply indicate 

 that care should be taken that no unnecessary quantities of corn are 

 fed. 



There were 154 farms (not quite one-third of those studied) on 

 which corn was fed to the breeding herd for at least part of the 

 winter. The average winter feed bill for these farms was $17.10 per 

 head, as against $14.80 for the cows receiving no grain. There were 

 58 of these farms where less than 10 per cent of the ration was com- 

 posed of grain and where the cows received an average of 2 bushels 

 of corn and 15 pounds of cottonseed meal per head during the winter. 

 As 42 per cent of this winter ration consisted of cheap roughage and 

 as the amount of feed used was not excessive, the cows were carried 

 through the winter at an average cost for feed of $14.60, or 9 cents 

 a day. In the herds where grain constituted more than 10 per cent 

 of the ration, the cows received an average of from 6 to 18 bushels 

 of corn, much of which was unnecessary. The average cost of feed 

 for wintering these cows ranged from $17.50 to more than $20 a head. 



THE USE OF CORN FODDER. 



Probably one of the largest wastes of corn occurs in the feeding of 

 unhusked corn fodder, which is extensively fed in sections where 

 corn is the leading crop and where hay is scarce. When corn is 

 relatively cheap as compared with other crops, or when the corn is 

 of poor quality, the feeding of unhusked fodder is, under many cir- 

 cumstances, an excellent practice ; but when corn is high-priced, it is 

 usually better to husk out most of the grain and feed the cut stover. 



On 148 farms that reported feeding unhusked-corn fodder to 

 their breeding herds, the average winter-feed cost for the cows was 

 $17.10, this being $1.60 above the average winter-feed bill for all 

 farms and exactly the same as for those feeding grain. As would 

 be expected, but little grain or silage was fed on these farms. The 

 fodder also was used to replace hay. It was noticeable that the 



