FEEDING GRADE BEEF COWS RAISING CALVES. 



9 



Most of the calves were dropped in April and May and a few in 

 March and June, one half of them being dropped before the cows 

 were turned to pasture and the other half after. The average date 

 on which the calves were dropped was April 20. The average per 

 cent of calves raised by the three lots of 10 cows each for three 

 years was 92. Such numbers of calves can not be produced from 

 30 cows year after year if the same cows are kept. In these tests if 

 the cows did not become settled in calf so as to drop calves at the 

 desired time others were substituted. 



While the average birth weight of the calves of Lot 2, which, ac- 

 cording to Table 3, was fed considerably more digestible protein than 

 Lots 1 and 3, is 2 pounds more, this may not be significant, because 

 it averaged less than the birth weights of the other lots in 1917-18. 



The smallest average birth weight, that of the calves of Lot 4, may 

 be due to the lack of succulence in the ration, yet the difference does 

 not seem significant, as it is small and represents only one year's 

 work. 



GAINS AND LOSSES IN WEIGHT. 



Table 6 shows the gains or losses of each lot during the winter 



periods. 



Table 6. — Results during four winters. 



Lot 

 No. 



Ration. 



Season. 



Days 

 fed. 



Average 

 initial 

 weight 



per cow. 



Average 



final 

 weight 

 per cow. 



Average 

 gain ( + ) 



or 

 loss (— ) 

 per cow. 



Calves 

 dropped 



before 

 turning 



on 

 pasture. 



Average 

 age of 



calves at 

 end of 



winter. 



1 



Corn silage, mixed hay, and 

 wheat straw. 



1915-16 

 1916-17 

 1917-18 

 1918-19 



Days. 

 122 

 137 

 131 

 134 



Pounds. 



865 

 855 

 740 



858 



Pounds. 

 779 

 879 

 766 



879 



Pounds. 



-87 

 +24 

 +26 

 +21 



Number. 

 6 



Days. 

 30 





1 



5 



15 



38 





132 



830 



826 



—4 









Corn silage, soy-bean hay, and 

 wheat straw. 



1916-17 

 1917-18 

 1918-19 









2 



137 

 134 

 134 



829 

 740 



857 



870 

 789 

 909 



+41 

 +49 

 + 52 









3 

 6 



4 

 28 





135 



809 856 



+47 









Corn silage, cottonseed meal, 

 and wheat straw. 



1915-16 

 1916-17 

 1917-18 

 1918-19 











3 



122 

 137 

 134 

 134 



870 

 849 

 733 



857 



835 

 873 

 808 

 873 



-35 



+24 

 +75 

 + 16 



8 



23 





3 

 6 



6 

 33 





132 



827 



847 



+ 20 









Shock corn, mixed hay, and 

 wheat straw. 



1915-16 







4 



122 



867 



818 



-49 



5 



27 



The main fact shown in this table is that all the different lots of 

 cows, except in 1915-16, gained from 20 to 75 pounds from the be- 

 ginning of the feeding period in December until they were turned 

 on pasture. In 1915-16 the silage-fed lots lost weight because the 



72447°— 22 2 



