UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 628 
Contribution from Bureau of Animal Industry 
A. D. MELVIN, Chief 
^^ 
^JT, 
Washington, D. C. 
January 28, 1918 
WINTERING AND FATTENING BEEF CATTLE IN 
NORTH CAROLINA. 
By W. F. Ward, Animal Husbandry Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, and 
R. S. Curtis and F. T. Peden, of the" North Carolina Agricultural Experi- 
ment Station. 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
Introduction 1 
Wintering steers preparatory to graz- 
ing on pasture 4 
Winter grazing of steers 14 
Page. 
Summer fattening of steers on grass. 19 
Summary of three years' work, 
winter and summer 27 
Winter fattening of steers i 38 
INTRODUCTION. 
In the fall of 1913 the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States 
Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the North Carolina 
Agricultural Experiment Station, began a series of extensive beef- 
cattle experiments on the farm of T. L. Gwyn, in Haywood County, 
N. C. The work was located in the western part of the State because 
of the wide range of adaptation, applying not only to North Caro- 
lina, but also to a number of surrounding States. The western part 
of North Carolina is extremely mountainous and rough, presenting 
a problem of peculiar importance to the farmer or cattle grower. 
The extremely rough character of the region makes good grazing 
ample when the land is properly cleared and seeded. The area 
available for the growing of crops for winter maintenance is re- 
stricted, however, because of the mountainous condition, and this 
makes the first three divisions of the experiments reported herein of 
unusual importance to the stock grower. 
The subject discussed, comprising three years' experimental work, 
consists of: (a) Wintering steers in barns and on pasture preparatory 
to grazing on pasture either alone or in combination with cotton- 
seed cake; (h) wintering steers on pasture preparatory to summer 
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