184 Animal Husbandry 
to finance the farm the coming season, as the steers are marketed 
and out of the way before farm work begins in the spring. 
300. Feeding grain to cattle in the dry-lot. — The amount and 
kind of grain that should be fed to fattening cattle in the dry-lot 
will depend much on the age, condition, and quality of the cattle 
as well as upon the kind of dry forage. Young stock will need 
a heavy grain ration from start to finish if they are to be made 
fat, whereas older cattle may be fed grain rather sparingly at 
first, gradually increasing to a full grain feed sixty days before 
marketing. — 
The amount of grain that can be fed economically to fattening 
cattle depends much on the kind of dry forage. On the average, 
animals receiving a leguminous forage, such as clover, alfalfa, or 
cowpea hay, will make economical use of a larger grain ration than 
when other forage, such as timothy, red-top, corn stalks, and the 
like, is fed. In fact, fattening farm animals will makemore econom- 
ical use of a larger grain ration if the grain also contains a. high 
percentage of protein. The length of the fattening period will 
also have much to do with the amount of grain that should be 
fed. If it is intended to market the steers in 100 days or less, 
they will have to be full-fed grain from the beginning if they 
are to be made reasonably fat, whereas if the feeding period is to 
last 150 days or more, the cattle may be fed grain rather spar- 
ingly at first. 
The kind of grain to feed fattening cattle likewise depends 
largely on the cattle and the kind of dry roughage. When rather 
young steers are being fattened, it is the common opinion that a 
more nitrogenous ration should be used; whereas in the case of 
older and more mature cattle the grain ration often contains less 
protein. The kind of roughage determines, in part, the kind 
of grain that should be fed. When the cattle are being fed a dry 
roughage containing much protein, as clover, alfalfa, or cowpea 
hay, the grain may contain a correspondingly less amount of protein. 
On the other hand, when the dry forage lacks the protein, the de- 
