BULLETIN 777, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The character of the pasture lands and grasses is described in De- 

 partment of Agriculture Bulletin 110, entitled " Fattening Cattle in 

 Alabama," from which the following is quoted: 



The summer pastures used in these experiments consisted of a mixture of 

 sweet clover (melilotus), Japan clover (lespedeza), Johnson grass, crab grass, 

 and some Bermuda grass. The sweet-clover seed had been planted, but the 

 other plants were purely voluntary. As a rule sweet clover becomes available 

 for light grazing by March 1.5, while the Japan clover and Bermuda grass 

 seldom afford good grazing before May 15. 



Eains and showers w^ere frequent throughout the summer, and 

 abundant grazing was furnished by the pastures until September, 

 when it became very dry. The pastures were charged to the steers 

 at 50 cents a head for each period of 28 days. 



METHOD OF FEEDING AND HANDLING THE CATTLE. 



The three lots of steers were put on pasture Maj' 28, 1912. The 

 pastures had not been used for a month and were in fine condition. 

 The steers were weighed at the beginning of the work and again at 

 the end. As some of them were extremely wild, the former practice 

 of weighing every 28 days was discontinued. 



Lots 1 and 2 were supplied with good artesian water, while lot 3 

 had water onlj^ from pools in the pasture. All the cattle were salted 

 once a week. The cattle of lot 1 had little attention other than 

 salting. Lot 2 was fed once a day, about sundown, cottonseed cake 

 and corn chop, and lot 3 was fed cottonseed cake in troughs placed 

 in the pasture. The cattle went on feed well, and came up for their 

 feed with little trouble. 



All steers were clipped four times during the progress of the 

 experiment to insure freedom from ticks. 



RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT. 



A summary of this test is shown in Table 1. 



Table 1. — Results of summer steer feeding in Alabama, 1912. 



Item. 



Number of steers 



Days of feeding period 



Average daily ration per head: 



Cottonseed cake pounds. 



Corn chop do . . . 



Cost of feed per 100 pounds gain 



Cost per head to feed through summer 



Initial cost of steers per 100 pounds. 



Selling price of steers do 



Average profit per steer 



Per cent dressed 



Average initial weight pounds. 



Average final (market) weight per head do 



Average total gain per head do 



Average daily gain per head do 



Lotl. 



Pasture 

 alone. 



29 

 112 



SI. 71 



82.00 



S3. 87 



S4.00 



S3. 47 



48.68 



646 



763 



117 



1.04 



Lot 2. 



Pasture 

 and one- 

 half corn 

 chop and 

 one-half 

 cottonseed 

 cake. 



2.5 

 106 



1.75 

 1.75 



So. 14 

 87.36 

 S3.S7 

 S4.75 

 $4.69 

 51.91 



.601 

 744 

 143 



1.35 



Lots. 



Pasture 



and 



cottonseed 



cake. 



36 

 101 



3.56 



So. 32 



$6. 88 



S3. 87 



84.75 



S4.61 



51.62 



611 



740 



129 



1.28 



