6 BULLETIN 1333, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
weights were taken. During the 28 days before beginning the experi- 
ment, the steers gained 1 pound per head per day on velvet-bean 
pasture. 
FEEDS USED 
The silage was made from corn in which a scattering stand of velvet 
beans was grown. The silage contained velvet beans enough to 
give it a brown color and make it very palatable. The velvet beans 
were a thin-podded, speckled variety. Ordinary air-dry velvet 
beans can not be satisfactorily ground to the fineness of meal in bur 
mills. Consequently, the beans in this test were crushed so that all 
beans were broken into coarse particles with some fine meal produced. 
Beans crushed in this manner and stored loosely on the floors of 
the feed room were found to heat rapidly and it was necessary to 
grind a fresh supply every second day to prevent the feed from 
molding. 
METHOD OF FEEDING AND HANDLING 
Both lots were fed the same quantities of velvet beans and silage, 
the only difference in the rations being in the preparation of the 
beans, lot 1 receiving whole, dry beans in the pod and lot 2 receiving 
beans of the same quality coarsely ground. The amount of feed was 
governed by the quantity the less hearty feeders would clean up. 
Each lot was fed under an open-side barn with a barn space of 16 by 
50 feet and a lot space 50 by 50 feet. As the lots were new and 
unpaved the ground became very muddy at times. On account of 
the burning of the barn and scales the only final weight obtainable was 
that taken at the shipping point 5 miles from the barn where the 
steers were fed. 
JOBSERVATIONS DURING THE EXPERIMENTS 
The steers fed whole velvet V>eans in pods relished them much 
better and would have eaten more than the steers fed ground velvet 
beans. The steers relished the beans but did not eat the silage well 
until the latter part of the first period. Even then they did not eat 
it greedily. Previous to the experiment only one steer from each lot 
had ever tasted silage. In the ground-bean lot there were two very 
poor eaters. During the first period the weather was very severe; 
there was rain and a freezing temperature for two days, covering the 
feed lots with a sheet of ice. The temperature fell to 7° F. 
During the second period the velvet beans were increased as 
rapidly as the steers would clean them up; consequently, the silage 
was reduced. During the third period both lots were "off feed" on 
account of immature and frosted beans. These beans appeared all 
right on the outside but were moldy inside the hulls. At the end 
of the first half of the third period mature beans were secured. The 
steers had made practically no gains on the immature beans, but 
began to gain soon after the mature beans were fed. 
On April 1 the barns and silos were burned. A carload of hay was 
ordered at once and the steers were fed native hay for three days. 
k& I lie farm scales were destroyed by fire the steers were driven 5 miles 
to the loading point and final weights were taken there. There was 
necessarily some shrinkage, so that the weights showed practically 
no gain during the last 10 days.' The steers were driven to Collins 
late m the evening, April 4, and loaded the next morning about 6 
