WINTER RATIONS OF YEARLING STEERS. 13 



There are some very noticeable differences in the gains made by the 

 different lots during the first 28 days of the pasture season. With one 

 exception all lots in each trial took on weight. The steers of Lot 3 

 during this first period of the spring of 1917 actually lost 2 pounds 

 per head while on grass. There is no apparent explanation for this 

 loss, in view of the fact that both Lots 1 and 2 made gains during this 

 same month. Since all the steers were in the same pasture and 

 received the same treatment, no satisfactory reason for the loss by the 

 steers of this one lot can be advanced. 



As would be expected, the cattle which had been fed' on a ration 

 that caused them to lose weight during the winter made the greatest 

 gains during this first month on pasture. The steers which had been 

 fed on a ration of corn silage, cottonseed meal, and wheat straw and 

 which made a steady gain throughout the winter did not make so 

 large a gain from grass during this first period as did the steers of Lot 

 3, which lost weight in the winter. 



The greatest gains from pasture were made by the steers of Lot 1, 

 although the difference between this lot and Lot 3 is so slight as to be 

 almost negligible. While the summer gains of the steers of Lot 2, fed 

 silage, cottonseed meal, and straw, were not so large as those of the 

 other two lots, the total of both winter and summer gains shows an 

 increase of 49 pounds over the gain made by the steers fed mixed hay 

 and wheat straw and 14 pounds over those fed corn silage, mixed hay, 

 and wheat straw. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



1. An average daily ration of 19.8 pounds of corn silage, 5 pounds 

 of mixed hay, and 2.5 pounds of wheat straw fed to average good 

 steers weighing 663 pounds (Lot 1) for 130 days during the winter 

 should maintain them without a loss in weight. 



2. An average daily ration of 23.1 pounds of corn silage, 4.9 pounds 

 of wheat straw, and 1 pound of cottonseed meal fed to average good 

 steers weighing 664 pounds (Lot 2) for 130 days during the winter 

 should maintain their weight and allow an average gain of 62 pounds 

 per steer. 



3. An average daily ration of 11.9 pounds of mixed hay and 4.1 

 pounds of wheat straw fed to average good steers weighing 665 pounds 

 (Lot 3) for 130 days during the winter will not maintain their weight 

 but will result in an average loss of weight of approximately 35 

 pounds. 



4. The steers in Lot 2 receiving a protein concentrate in the ration 

 did not lose weight as did Lots 1 and 3 (fig. 5) . 



5. The steers receiving corn silage as a part of their ration (Lots 1 

 and 2, Table 7) made greater total gains for the year than those 

 receiving rations of dry roughage alone. 



