BEEF CATTLE IF NORTH CAROLINA. 
21 
and herd's grass, which is a characteristic mixture for this part of 
the State. The land was rolling and hilly, some of it being very 
rough and steep, having some of the old dead trees standing. The 
pastures were charged at the rate of $1 per steer for 28 days. 
The cottonseed cake fed was high grade and was used because it 
is not injured in quality by the rain, the wind will not blow it about, 
and as the steers must chew the cake they are more likely to get an 
equal share of it than with cottonseed meal. The difference between 
the cake, and meal is that the cake is unground. The cake was 
cracked on the farm by running it through a corn-and-cob mill. 
In the financial statements it is charged at actual cost for each year, 
but in all the comparative tables it is charged at an average cost of 
$30 per ton for the three years' Avork. 
METHOD OF FEEDING AND HANDLING STEERS. 
The steers were turned on pastures in the spring as soon as the 
grass would carry them without injury to its subsequent growth. 
They were given salt once a week, and every four weeks they were 
driven to the scales and weighed early in the morning. As soon as 
weighed they were driven back to pasture, never being out more 
than an hour at a time. 
Troughs were provided in the pasture for feeding the cottonseed 
cake, which was given late in the afternoon. Each steer was num- 
bered by means of an ear tag so that individual records could be 
kept and the steers of each lot identified. 
AMOUNT OF PASTURE AND COTTONSEED CAKE CONSUMED. 
The steers were given an average of about 3 acres of pasture per 
steer during the summer. Table 9 shows the amount of cottonseed 
cake consumed in each year's work, giving the lot numbers, number 
of steers, number of days on feed, ration, total amount of cake eaten 
per steer, and daily feed per steer. 
Table 9. — Average total and daily rations, three summers. 
1914. 
Lot 
No. 
Number 
of steers. 
Number 
of days 
on feed- 
Ration. 
Cottonseed cake. 
Total con- 
sumed by 
each steer. 
Average 
daily ration 
per steer. 
126 
126 
165 
177 
Pasture and cottonseed cake. 
....do 
Pasture only 
....do 
Pounds. 
437 
440 
Pounds. 
3.47 
3.49 
