2 BULLETIN 73, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUBE. 



tuberculosis caused several deaths. Even when these two extremely- 

 unfavorable conditions are taken into consideration, the calves and 

 steere were still produced at a profit. The authors state that — 



When all the expenses, as deaths, rent on pasture, interest on money, etc., were 

 charged against the animals and no credit was made for the manure, the expense of 

 producing a steer varied from $4.96 to $5.25 per 100 pounds, as follows: 



To 12 months of age, $5.25 per hundredweight. 



To 24 months of age, $4.96 per hundredweight. 



To 30 months of age, $5.05 per hundredweight. 



To 33 months of age, $5 per hundredweight. 



These figures mean that if the animals are sold for the above prices, the feeds Used 

 are marketed at a good farm price; all deaths are deducted; 7 per cent interest ia 

 received on the money invested in the animals; $2.50 an acre is secured as rent for the 

 summer pasture, and finally the manure is secured free. 



DETAILS OF THE EXPERIMENT. 



As noted above, conditions surrounding the previous herd were not 

 entirely satisfactory, as the animals were infested with ticks and 

 affected with tuberculosis, consequently the test reported in this 

 bulletin was undertaken with a herd which was free from tubercu- 

 losis and was rapidly being made free from cattle ticks, as every animal 

 on the farm was dipped in an arsenical solution every two weeks. 

 No ticks were seen on the calves durmg the progress of the test. 



OBJECTS OF THE WORK. 



The principal objects of the' work were: 



(1) To leam what it would cost to raise a beef calf to an age of approximately 9i 

 months under average farm conditions. 



(2) To determine the profit, if any, in finishing these young calves for the market 

 during the winter months, and selling them when about 12 months old. 



THE CATTLE USED. 



The animals used in this work were a herd of grade Aberdeen- 

 Angus, a few grade Shorthorns, and four or five native cows, headed 

 by two bulls, one of which was a purebred Aberdeen-Angus, while 

 the other one was a high-grade Aberdeen-Angus. 



The owner of the herd, Mr. E. F. AlUson, of Sumter County, Ala., 

 with whom the work was conducted, began several years previouslj'" 

 the work of grading up scrub cows which had been bought from some 

 of the neighboring farmers. Consequently, when the herd was 

 entered in this experimental work it was under normal conditions 

 and consisted of individuals considerably above the average of the 

 State. As far as breeding and quality were concerned the Kernachan 

 and Allison herds were very similar. The cows in both tests were 

 small, those in the Sumter County experiment averaging only 630 

 pounds in weight February 9, 1911. However, at this time of the year 

 they were poor and were in their lightest form. In the fall of the 



