212 



Economic Fattening of Cattle. 



As the quantities of hay, straw, and roots given to each lot 

 were practically identical, only the cost of the cake and meal 

 need be taken into account in determining the economic 

 value of the two concentrated rations. And the total 

 cost of the concentrated foods consumed amounted to 

 ^4 8s. 2d., or 22s. ojd. per head for Lot I., and £y 13s. 6d. 

 or 38s. 4-Jd. per bullock for Lot II. 



It appears therefore from the results of this experiment,, 

 that notwithstanding that the cotton cake and maize meal 

 supplied to the four bullocks in the second lot cost £3 5s. 46.. 

 more than that supplied to the first lot, there was an 

 aggregate gain in live weight in the latter over the former 

 of 72 lbs. which at 32s. per cwt. amounts to £1 os. 6d. or 

 5s. id. per head, and adding the extra cost of the cake and 

 meal supplied to Lot II., viz., 16s. 2d. per head, the gain 

 in favour of Lot I. amounts to 21s. 3d. per bullock. But 

 from this must be deducted is. 6d. per head, the value of the 

 extra long hay consumed on the average by every bullock in 

 Lo: I., which leaves a net gain per head in favour of Lot I., 

 of 19s. gd. The extra value of the manure from Lot II.,. 

 which would partly reduce the balance against this lot, was 

 not calculated. 



On the other hand, to judge from the carcase weights the 

 results are much more favourable to the heavier feeding, as 

 the percentage of carcase to live weight in the case of Lot IL 

 was higher throughout by 2 J per cent., or on the average by 

 about 31 lbs. carcase weight per head, which at 6Jd. per lb. 

 (the price at which the cattle were sold) amounts to 16s. 2d., 

 and exactly balances the extra cost of cake and meal.. 

 But the bullocks in Lot I. gained on the average 18 lbs. 

 more in live weight than those in Lot II. , and on the assump- 

 tion that 6o*o per cent, of this increase was carcase (a low esti- 

 mate), there would be a gain of carcase weight of . iof lbs. per 

 head in favour of Lot L, which at 6}d. a lb. would amount to 

 5s. jd. per head. After deducting is. 6cl. per head for the 

 extra long hay the net gain in favour of Lot I. would then 

 be 4s. id. per head. It is held, therefore, that although 

 when judged from the standpoint of carcase weight the 

 gain in favour of Lot I. is reduced, it still remains, and 



