BEEP CATTLE IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
17 
AMOUNT OF PASTURE ALLOWED PER STEER. 
The average amount of pasture allowed per steer for winter graz- 
ing was 2 acres, but in the summer about 3 acres were required to 
graze a steer to good advantage. No set rule can be given as to the 
number of acres required to graze a steer either in winter or summer, 
as the condtioins, such as the slope or exposure of the land, the kind 
of soil, and its fertility, are so variable in the different sections. 
The point which the writers wish to emphasize is that less acreage is 
required to winter graze a stocker for maintenance than to summer 
graze the same steer to be furnished as a feeder or for butcher pur- 
poses. It should be remembered, however, that the object of the win- 
ter grazing is simply to maintain or rough a steer through, whereas 
the summer grazing is for finishing the animal, which requires from 
300 to 400 pounds gain to put it in marketable condition. 
GAINS DURING WINTER. 
Table 6 shows the total and daily gains of the steers on winter 
pasture. 
Table 6. — Total and daily gains of steers on winter pasture. 
Year. 
Num- 
ber of 
steers. 
Days 
win- 
tered 
Ration. 
Average 
initial 
weight 
per head. 
Average 
final 
weight 
per head. 
Total 
gain 
per head. 
Average 
daily gain 
per head. 
1913-14 
17 
26 
16 
112 
131 
119 
Winter pasture 
Pounds. 
515 
705 
762 
Pounds. 
532 
722 
788 
Pounds, 
17 
17 
26 
Pounds. 
0.15 
1914-15 
do 
.13 
1915-16 
do 
.22 
Daring the first winter, 1913-14, as shown in Table 6, the 17 steers 
made an average total gain of 17 pounds, or a daily gain of 0.15 
pound. The second year, 1914-15, the steers made a total gain of 17 
pounds per head during the winter, or an average daily gain of 0.13 
pound. This shows that there was very little difference in the gains 
the first two winters. The last winter, 1915-16, the steers did unusu- 
ally well, making a total gain per head of 26 pounds and an average 
daily gain of 0.22 pound. When grass came in the spring all these 
cattle were in good fleshy condition^ but the cattle that were win- 
tered in the barn were much thinner in flesh than they were in the 
fall. 
COST OF WINTERING. 
The cost of wintering these cattle is one of the most interesting 
and important factors to consider. This will vary in different 
localities because of the difference in pastures and cost of feeds used 
during snowy or stormy weather. The cost of steers per hundred 
15333°— 18— Bull. 628 3 
