XIV. 



MAIZE GRAIN AS FOOD 703 



by midsummer to fully \ bushel (iSi lbs.) daily, for grown chap 

 bullocks. The grain is dealt out once a day in a feed box 

 in the camp. Pigs are allowed to follow to save the 

 waste. 



" Instead of giving maize only, it is better, when possible, 

 to substitute 2 or 3 lbs. of oil-meal or bran for the same weight 

 of grain. The feed should always be supplied at the same 

 hour. Where maize is fed not over half the usual area of 

 pasture land is required. Fasture-fed steers eat about as 

 much grain as if confined to the feed-lot." 



J. D. Gillett, the great Illinois steer feeder of the last 

 generation, is quoted by Henry as having said that he could 

 not afford to fatten steers in winter. His cattle were fattened 

 in the summer and autumn, subsisting in winter in the maize 

 stalk fields, and on the dry grasses of the pastures. In summer 

 the}' luxuriated in rich old blue-grass pastures where the feed 

 boxes always stood loaded with grain. "The great success of 

 this feeder is sufficient evidence of the wisdom of his practice, 

 with the conditions and markets then prevailing, i.e. good 

 prices for well-fattened cattle." 



But Wallace (2), in summarizing the experience of numerous 

 cattle feeders in the Western States, writes : " The general 

 opinion seems to be that good steers fed grain or grass will 

 gain from 75 to 100 lb. per month, and that steers on good 

 pasture will, during the two or three most favourable grazing 

 months, gain almost as much on grass alone. . . . From all 

 the facts I have been able to obtain, I am inclined to the 

 opinion that in general there is not much money in feeding 

 grain to steers that are on full pasture of the best kind." 

 Henry (1) also concludes that, "where pastures carry a suffi- 

 cient growth of [nutritious] grass for full feed, even during 

 midsummer, it is usually best to allow the cattle to subsist 

 entirely on natural herbage, for this is of low cost, and animals 

 relying upon their own exertions gather their food vigorously 

 and willingly, wasting no time in standing idly waiting for it ". 



" One mistake that is sometimes made, is turning on pasture 

 steers that have been heavily grained during the winter. This 

 is usually a losing operation, and the more radical the change 

 from the dry lot to the pasture, the greater will be the loss" 

 {Pacific Ru?'al Press, 9 June, 1 906). 



Transvaal sheep farmers have found it useful to feed about 

 \ lb. of maize grain per sheep per day during the winter 



