LET THE WEST HEED THE WARNING 65 



is to be profitable, must be largely produced at 

 home. Consequently, first see that you have 

 plenty of live stock and then see that your land is 

 in good condition and capable of producing large 

 crops. After you have secured the crops see that 

 the stock is given a liberal quantity and that this is 

 fed judiciously, so that the largest amount of benefit 

 is received. There is an old saying that the more 

 manure produced on the farm the bigger the crops 

 and that the bigger the crops the more live stock 

 can be kept. This saying is just as true now as 

 200 years ago. Corn, alfalfa and common clover 

 must be the tripod supporting western agriculture. 

 Since the matter of beef production is of such 

 paramount importance, it goes without saying that 

 on many farms in the middle West more feed will 

 be demanded than can be supplied by the acreage 

 under cultivation. Consequently, a careful con- 

 sideration of buying feed for cattle is worthy of dis- 

 cussion. As a general proposition it is a pretty 

 difficult problem for a cattleman to show a con- 

 siderable profit where he must buy all his feed, 

 including corn, or other concentrates and forage. 

 The resident of the corn belt, therefore, is fortunate 

 in that the bulk of the forage and the greater part 

 of his grain feed can be purchased at home. The 

 age and condition of the cattle used must, of course 

 be considered. To fatten a two-year-old steer 

 weighing i,ooo pounds will require about six 

 months. During this time from 55 to 65 bfishels 

 of corn and one ton of hay will be used. It pays 

 to supplement this carbonaceous feed with small 

 quantities of oil meal or cottonseed meal. Then, 

 if clover and alfalfa are available, conditions are 

 quite satisfactory. If cattle are on grass during 

 the time the grain is being fed, gains will be made 



