14 
BULLETIN 1333, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
THE 1919 EXPERIMENT AT BELTSVILLE, MD. 
The object of this experiment was to compare cottonseed meal and 
soaked velvet beans with and without the addition of corn when fed 
with corn silage and wheat straw. 
STEERS USED 
Forty "long-yearling" steers, averaging 769 pounds, were bought 
on the East St. Louis market, for $12.25 per 100 pounds. (Fig. 7.) 
They were good feeders of mixed breeding, with Angus and Short- 
horn blood predominating, and had been raised in the Corn Belt. 
They arrived at Beltsville three days before the experiment was 
started. When the experiment was begun they averaged 731 pounds 
and cost $13.80 per 100 pounds including freight charges and feed. 
All lots had the same initial value at the beginning of the experiment. 
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Fig. 7.— Representative steers of the 40 head fed at Beltsville in 1919 
METHOD OF FEEDING AND HANDLING THE STEERS 
The same feeding equipment was used as in the year previous, and 
the feeding was done in much the same manner. A full feed of corn 
silage was given and wheat straw was kept before the cattle. 
OBSERVATIONS DURING EXPERIMENT 
There was no appreciable difference in the palatability of the 
rations given to the cottonseed-meal lots or the soaked velvet-bean- 
corn lot, but the ration of soaked velvet beans first fed to lot 4 was 
much less palatable. At the end of 70 days' feeding the steers were 
doing so poorly, because they refused to eat the soaked beans, that 
on March 28 cottonseed meal was added to the ration as an appetizer. 
Thereafter the cattle did considerably better, and the amount of 
beans consumed was gradually increased. The soaked velvet beans 
with corn were readily eaten by lot 3. 
QUANTITY OF FEED CONSUMED 
Lot 1 was started on a very small quantity of cottonseed meal, which 
was gradually increased until, toward the end of the experiment, the 
steers were eating daily 7 pounds per head. 
Lot 2 was given a medium allowance of cottonseed meal and about 
a half feed of shelled corn. 
