18 BULLETIN 762, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
CHARACTER AND PRICES OF FEEDS USED. 
The steers were divided into 4 lots of 20 each. Lot 1 was fed cot- 
tonseed meal and sorghum silage. Lot 2 received cottonseed meal, 
sorghum silage, and corn stover. Lot 3 received cottonseed meal, sor- 
ghum silage, and oat straw. Lot 4 received cottonseed cake, cowpea 
hay, oat straw, and corn stover. 
The meal and cake used in the test had a crude-protein analysis 
of 41 per cent. Both were bright and of good quality. The cake 
was cracked to nut size. The silage was made of a rank-growth 
sorghum and was very good. The cowpea hay was of good quality ; 
most of it carried lots of peas, and it was nicely cured. The corn 
stover was fairly bright and as good as the average stover found in 
the South. Oat straw that had been baled immediately after thrash- 
ing was used ; it was clean and bright. 
The prices used in charging the different feeds were as follows : 
Cottonseed meal per ton__ $32 
Sorghuni silage do 3 
Cowpea nay do 10 
Corn stover do 5 
Oat straw do 5 
METHOD OF FEEDING AND HANDLING THE CATTLE. 
The lots in which the steers were fed varied somewhat in size. Lots 
1, 2, and 3 were fed in stationary troughs which were located under 
sheds, which opened on the south and west sides. Lot 4 was fed 
from a trough which was in the open. 
"Water was furnished to each lot in large galvanized-iron troughs 
kept filled from a deep well. 
The steers were fed at 7 a. m. and 5 p. m. Each of the first 
three lots were fed cottonseed meal and silage twice a day. The 
hay and stover were fed once a day. The silage was limited to the 
amount they would clean up in one hour. 
All the steers were dehorned about two weeks before going into 
the experiment. About this time they were placed on a preliminary 
feed of cottonseed meal and sorghum silage. The cattle were tagged 
and on November 26 and 27 were weighed individually, the average 
of the two weights being used as the initial weight. 
During the progress of the experiment the steers were weighed by 
lots at the end of each 28-day period. At the end of the experiment 
the steers were weighed individually on three successive days, and the 
average of these weights was used as the final weight. 
