FEEDING OF BEEF COWS IX THE CORN BELT. 7 
mately the same as that for the first group, or 10.7 cents daily. On 
the 207 farms of the third group the cheap roughages replaced to a 
great extent the more expensive feeds. Although these farmers 
were the heaviest feeders, this ration cost per cow 2.5 cents a day 
less than that for the second group, and 2.8 cents less than that for 
the first group. This means a saving of $4 or more in the winter 
feed bill for each cow. 
Table II. — Relative percentage of different feeds tohere varying quantities of 
cheap roughage are fed and effect of these rations on cost of keeping a cow 
and of producing a calf. 
Relative quantity of cheap 
roughage. 
Num- 
ber of 
farms. 
Total 
feed 
units. 
Cheap 
rough- 
age. 
Hay. 
Fod- 
dera 
and 
silage. 
Grain. 
Daily 
feed 
cost 
per 
cow. 
Winter 
feed 
cost 
per 
cow. 
Cost of 
calf at 
wean- 
ing 
time. 
14 
229 
207 
1,950 
2,250 
2,350 
2,150 
Per ct. 

24 
58 
89 
Per ct. 
54 
47 
28 
6 
Per ct. 
35 
23 
10 
2 
Per ct. 
11 
6 
4 
3 
Cents. 
11.0 
10.7 
8.2 
5.5 
$18.00 
17.70 
13.80 
9.00 
$39. 00 
39.00 
34. Off 
80 per cent and over 
28 
30.00 
a By " corn fodder " is meant the entire plant cut and shocked. In many localities it is known as ' ' shock 
corn." 
The calf crop was practically the same in all three groups, 87.1 in 
the first and 85.5 each in the two others. The calves in the third 
group cost $34 at weaning time, as against approximately $39 for 
those in the first and the second group. Of the calves sold at this 
time, 1,150 in the third group show a profit of about 75 cents each; 
while 1,050 in the two other groups show a loss of approximately $4 
per head. The calves in the first two groups were produced at a loss 
largely because their dams were not fed as economically as were those 
of the third group. 
In the fourth group — 28 farms — over 80 per cent of the ration was 
made up of cheap roughage. The cows in this group were carried 
through the winter at an average cost of $9 per head, or for 5.5 cents 
a day. This is only one-half the cost of wintering the cows in the 
first two groups, and nearly $5 less than the cost for the third group. 
The calf crop in this group averaged only 78.3 per cent. However, a 
study of the records indicates that this poor calf crop was not due 
necessarily to the ration. Fifteen of the farms were in Iowa and 
Missouri, and on these the average calf crop was 91.7 per cent. The 
remaining 13 farms were in Kansas and Nebraska, where the percent- 
age of calves produced is normally much lower, partly because the 
cows are not as well cared for and partly because there is more trouble 
with contagious abortion. The average calf crop for these 13 farms 
was only 67 per cent, which accounts for the low percentage for the 
group as a whole. In spite of this low percentage, the calves in this 
group were produced at an average cost of only $30 per head. Of 
