UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



#HK BULLETIN No. 870 ., 



JTU^P- ^S-Tts 



Contribution from the Bureau of Animal Industry 

 JOHN R. MOHLER, Chief 



.tf^HLrt, 



Washington, D. C. 



October 20, 1920 



EFFECT OF WINTER RATIONS ON PASTURE GAINS 

 OF YEARLING STEERS. 1 



By E. W. Sheet?, and R. H. Tuckwiller, Animal Husbandry Division. 2 



I. WINTER RATIONS AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON PASTURE 



GAINS OF YEARLING STEERS. 



II. THE USE OF SILAGE AND THE COST OF RATIONS FOR 



WINTERING YEARLING STEERS. 



CONTENTS. 



Outline of the experimental work 1 



The region and the problems 2 



Objects and plan of the work 3 



Kind of steers used 4 



Feeds used 4 



Character of pasture 6 



Method of feeding and handling the 



steers 7 



I. Winter rations and their influence on 



pasture gains of yearling steers 7 



Quantity of feed consumed 7 



Gains and losses during winter 8 



Gains during summer 10 



Page. 



I. Winter rations, etc.— Continued. 



Gains and losses, winter and summer. . 

 Graphic presentation of gains and 



losses 



Conclusions 



II. The use of silage and the co:t of rations 



for wintering yearling steers 



Prices of feeds used 



Cost per pound of gain 



Value of gains 



Value of silage in the rations 



General summary of costs and gains . . 

 Conclusions 



OUTLINE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



The work reported in this bulletin is part of a series of beef-cattle 

 experiments that have been in progress since December 22, 1914, 

 carried on in cooperation between the Bureau of Animal Industry of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture and the West Virginia 

 Agricultural Experiment Station on the farm of David Tuckwiller, 



i A report of cooperative work by the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, and the West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. 



2 The authors acknowledge the services of W. F. Ward, formerly of the Animal Husbandry Division, 

 who assisted in planning this experiment, and of F. W. Farley, J. B. Huyett, and E. A. Tuckwiller, 

 formerly of the Animal Husbandry Division, who assisted in carrying on the work. 

 183544°— 20— Bull. 870 1 



