Timber- stand-improvement areas. Grass grows vigorously 

 under the dead hardwoods and is choice forage 



" Winter feeding of range beef cattle . - -During fall and winter the 

 forage on pine forest range is seriously deficient in protein and other 

 nutrients. Since many cattle graze the range yearlong, they need supple- 

 mental winter feed if they are to do well. 



A feeding study was started in December 1946 in cooperation with 

 the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station and the Bankston-Donald- 

 son Stock Farm near Dry Prong, Louisiana. Range beef cattle were 

 divided into three equal lots and fed a daily ration of cottonseed meal 

 during the winter months. One lot received 1. 7 pounds of cottonseed 

 meal per head per day, one lot 2. 5 pounds, and one lot 3. 3 pounds. 

 Feeding continued for three winters. All lots were permitted to graze 

 on forest range during the winter and most of the rest of each year. 



Contrary to expectations, the cottonseed meal did not raise beef 

 production appreciably during the three years. Furthermore, no real 

 advantage was gained by feeding 3. 3 pounds of meal instead of 1. 7. 

 What the study did reveal was that the range forage in winter has un- 

 suspected deficiencies that cannot be corrected merely by feeding a 

 protein supplement. The extent of these deficiencies was not clear, but 

 the animals seemed to need more carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins 

 than they were getting. Bull service was poor also, probably because of 

 these same dietary deficiencies. 



Management of beef cattle on forest range. - -Why do beef cattle 

 that graze the cutover longleaf pine ranges produce less than half as 

 much beef per cow as those in well-managed western range herds? The 

 low production is expressed in two ways--calf crops of around 50 per- 

 ■ cent, and small calves that weigh from 250 to 3 25 pounds at weaning 

 time (fig. 17). 



In 1951 a study was started on the Longleaf Tract to find a 

 system of herd management and nutrition that will materially increase 

 beef production where range forage makes up a major part of the cattle 

 diet (fig. 18). This is a cooperative study presently using three herds 

 of cattle owned by W. M. Monroe, Alfred Tate and S. C. Duplissey, 

 and E. H. Wmegeart. The cows graze for 8 to 12 months each year on 

 three fenced experimental pastures containing about 580 acres each. 



The cattle were placed m the pastures during the fall of 1951, 

 and preliminary herd management and production records were 



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