34 BULLETIN 582, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
two-fifths of a ton of wild hay, and a ton of oat straw to be worth ~ 
one-half to three-fifths of a ton of this hay for feeding purposes. 
Alfalfa hay is deemed twice as good a feed as wild hay. In northern 
Utah slough hay sells for $4 to $4.50 per ton, and straw for $2.50 to 
$3 and alfalfa for $7 or $8 to-$10 per ton in most years. The buyer 
does his own hauling. The stock is often given free access to the 
straw stack, but they then waste more than they eat. The better 
farmers, when they wish to use their straw to good advantage, haul 
it to the fields and spread it out on the snow. MHay is practically 
always fed in racks. 
LABOR USED IN WINTER FEEDING. 
The daily duty of a man and team in winter feeding varies greatly 
with the conditions under which the work is done, as well as with 
the man. When the stock is in adjacent feed lots within a circle of 
half a mile, with free access to the straw stacks, and the hay does not 
have to be hauled over three-fourths of a mile, a man with a team 
is expected to feed 250 to 300 cows, calves, and older stock through the 
winter. It takes a very good man to feed 300. Basket racks are used 
altogether for the hauling and not over 1,500 pounds are taken per 
load. When the straw is hauled and spread on the snow under the 
above conditions one man feeds 150 to 200 head. With a haul of up 
to 2 miles for straw or hay, the straw being spread out, one man_ 
can not feed more than 150 head, and he has to be an active hand to 
‘do as much. The ordinary man rarely feeds more than 100 to 125 
head under these conditions. One operator fed 130 cattle (of which 
30 were calves) and 40 horses in a 9-hour day during the winter of 
1914-15. Part of his hay and straw (which usually was spread on the 
snow) had to be hauled 4 miles. He stated that he could not expect 
to get the same amount of work done with less than two hired men. 
WINTER FEEDING FOR BEEF. 
The fact that some operators feed for beef through the winter has 
been mentioned. This is not done to a very great extent on the Utah 
farms. Adult animals so fed for spring or early summer sale are 
given 30 to 40 pounds of alfalfa hay a day, being reckoned to con- 
sume 2.25 to 8 tons in a feeding period of 5 months. With the lighter 
hay feed considerable straw is also given; with the heavier hay ration 
very little straw is fed. A 38-year-old steer is expected to gain 150 
to 200 pounds by spring, sometimes a little more. With alfalfa hay 
at $10 per ton there is little or no money in this operation. With a 
gain of 200 pounds, and sold at 7 cents, a 1,200-pound animal brings 
$84. If worth but 6 cents in the fall at 1,000 pounds, there is a gain 
of $24 in value. Two and a half tons of hay at $8 to $10 makes a 
feed cost of $20 to $25 without charging the cost of labor, interest, 
