FITTING SHOW STEERS 117 



in which especial care should be taken, and one which 

 calls for all the skill the feeder possesses. During this 

 time it is necessary to put on the proper amount and 

 quality of flesh, and the finish and bloom necessary to 

 make a prize-winner. 



Probably the most important consideration during 

 this latter period of preparation is the feeding.' Some 

 succulent food for its laxative and .appetizing effect 

 should be given, but care should be taken not to give 

 so much of such feeds as to detract from the consistency 

 of the flesh. Roots or corn silage serve well for this 

 purpose. The grain ration should consist of ground 

 oats, corn, and bran, with a little oil meal, but an excess 

 of corn should be avoided, as smoothness of finish rather 

 than excess of tallow is desired. For roughage, a good 

 quality of bright clover or alfalfa hay should be fed. A 

 variety of feeds is very desirable and everything should 

 be done to tempt the appetite, but sudden or violent 

 changes are very disastrous. If an animal shows a ten- 

 dency to be paunchy, limit the amount of roughage 

 given. An important consideration in feeding cattle 

 for show is regularity. The custom is to feed three or 

 four times a day and water about twice, and this should 

 be done at the same time of day, as the cattle soon be- 

 come able to know when feed time comes and will be up 

 and looking for their feed with very great precision. 

 They should be fed in loose feed boxes that can be taken 

 out, thoroughly cleaned, and occasionally scalded. In 

 order to restore a jaded appetite, the novice is frequently 

 tempted to resort to a tonic, such as iron or some patent 

 stock food which he sees so widely advertised; and al- 

 though these things may have their place, this place 

 certainly is not in the hands of an experienced feeder 

 in fitting cattle for the show ring. The proper handling 

 of a steer with a dull appetite is to withhold all feeds for 

 a time and then give him a fill of grass. It is better to 

 avoid a poor appetite by careful feeding than to 

 attempt to cure it by means of some nostrum. 



