263 



daily ration of forty steers, from actual practice, averaging 900 

 pounds, and gaining two and a half ponnds of flesh per day. 

 Their food was: 



Oat straw 480 pounds. 



Hay 200 " 



Corn meal 240 " 



Bran 160 " 



Linseed meal . . 80 " 



1,160 

 The. forty head consumed 1,160 pounds each, daily. An 

 average of 29 pounds each. Analytically, this is nearly a per- 

 fect food, but hardly up to the standard in albuminous consti- 

 tuents. 



A more highly artificial food is shown in the following 

 ration fed to ten steers for ninety days, the gain being three 

 pounds per day, and the average weight, for ninety days, of the 

 cattle, being 1,348 pounds. By analysis, this would show a wide 

 departure from a perfect food; but the straw was cut into inch 

 lengths, the grain was ground and the whole mixed together 

 and cooked, except the hay, which was fed in the natural state. 

 Cooking has heretofore been supposed to assist in the more 

 perfect assimilation of the food. The following table shows this 

 ration : 



Oat straw 150 pounds. 



Hay ,....* 60 



Corn meal 70 



Pea meal 30 



Oat meal 30 



Linseed meal , , . . 10 



35° 

 This would be an average of 3.5 pounds each head per day. 



The steers averaged 1,210 pounds when stabled, and 1,485 



pounds at the end of ninety days. The meal ration was 10 



pounds each head for the first two weeks, and gradually 



