D4 BULLETIN 167, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
mill pumps are installed, and it was possible by constant observation 
to get fairly accurate information as to what the cattle were eating 
and the effect of the feed upon them. 
The pastures under observation included a ‘‘trap pasture” of 
about a section (640 acres) of Jand in which were kept some animals 
which were the special objects of investigation; a 5-section pasture 
containing an abundance of shinnery oak; a similar pasture of about 
16 sections; and another large pasture containing none of the shinnery. 
The general plan of the experiment, as outlined, was as follows: 
1. Fifteen head of cattle which had been on pasture and had 
received in addition more or less cottonseed cake, were to be kept in 
the 5-section pasture where there was shinnery oak, and fed hay from 
time to time. 
2. In the same pasture a large number of cattle were to be observed 
which had received no cottonseed cake, but would be given hay with 
the first bunch. 
3. A still larger lot were in the 16-section pasture; they had 
received no cottonseed cake and would be allowed to graze, receiving 
no hay. 
4. A bunch in the oak-free pasture which were to receive no other 
forage than that which could be picked up by grazing, and, of course, 
would eat no oak. 
5. A few head were to be taken from the other pastures and put 
in the trap pasture, where they would be obliged to eat oak if they 
ate anything, and given no other feed. 
The experiment was commenced sufficiently early in the season to 
follow the cattle from the time the buds began to swell, and was con- 
tinued until well after the maturity of the leaves. 
RESULTS ON 15 MARKED CATTLE IN 5-SECTION PASTURE. 
The 15 animals were a part of a small bunch of cattle, mostly cows, 
which had been picked up in the pastures and put into a small trap 
pasture near the ranch house, because they were in poor condition. 
Besides what these animals picked up in the pasture, they had been 
fed daily from about February 25 to March 26 on cottonseed cake. 
On March 26, 1917, these animals were turned into the 5-section pas- 
ture and fed hay at frequent intervals as they came to water. At 
times they were driven to water and fed. To get data on individuals 
15 of these animals were numbered and marked. 
From March 27 to May 6 almost daily trips were made over the 
5-section pasture, and observations made on the numbered animals 
found. Because of the size of the-pasture it was not possible to see 
all of them each time. From April 8 to April 29 these cattle were 
given an opportunity to get a little alfalfa hay every two or three 
days or oftener, and most of them took advantage of it. One, No. 
784, probably got much less hay than the others. By May 7 all dan- 
