II. FATTENING STEERS ON SUMMER PASTURE, 

 ALABAMA, 1913. 



OBJECTS AND PLAN OF THE WORK. 



The experiment conducted during the summer pasture season of 

 1913 was essentially a duplicate of the previous year's test except 

 that in the ration of lot 2 corn-and-cob meal was substituted for corn 

 chop. Three lots of steers were carried on pasture from spring 

 until early in the fall, when they were marketed. The 77 head used 

 were divided into three lots and placed on pasture April 8, where 

 they were fed as follows until September 2, when they were sold: 



Lot 1, 26 steers, pasture alone. 



Lot 2, 25 steers, pasture with one-lialf cottonseed cake and one-half corn-and- 

 cob meal. 



Lot 3, 20 steers, pasture and cottonseed cake. 



DESCRIPTION OF CATTLE USED. 



The steers used were mostly 3-year-olds, with a few 2-3'^ear-olds 

 that had been wintered on the Cobb farm. All were in thrifty con- 

 dition April 8, 1913, when initial weights were taken. Most of the 

 cattle were grade Aberdeen-Angus, Herefords, and Shorthorns, 

 though a few showed Jersey blood. In general the steers were typi- 

 cal of those raised in Alabama at the time of the experiment. 



CHARACTER AND PRICES OF FEEDS USED. 



The cottonseed cake and meal were of good quality, containing 

 about 38.6 per cent crude protein, and cost $27.50 a ton at the farm. 

 Late in July the supply of cottonseed cake was exhausted and cot- 

 tonseed meal was used to finish the steers. 



The corn, Avhich was fed as corn-and-cob meal, was sound and 

 good. The entire ears and the husks were ground together and 

 charged against the steers at 70 cents a bushel. 



CONDITION OF PASTURES. 



The same pastures were used as in the 1912 experiment, but all of 

 them furnished better grazing. The pasture of lot 1 had more 

 sweet clovers. The only water in the pasture of lot 3 was that in 

 ditches and pools ; lots 1 and 2 had both well water and ditch water. 

 Except for a short, dry period earlj^ in May, rains were quite fre- 

 quent, and the steers had an abundance of grass throughout the 

 summer. Pasture was charged at 50 cents a head for each 28-day 

 period. 



