FATTENING CATTLE IN ALABAMA. 7 
Table 1. — Results of wintering steers in 1909-10, December 8 to March 9, 91 days. 
Lot. 
Number 
of ani- 
mals. 
Ration. 
Average 
initial 
weight. 
Average 
final 
weight. 
Average 
gain(+)or 
loss (— ). 
Average, 
daily gain 
(+)or 
loss (— ). 
1 
23 
15 
23 
Range alone 
Pounds. 
637 
633 
651 
Pounds. 
531 
676 
579 
Pounds. 
-106 
+ 43 
- 72 
Pounds. 
-1.16 
2 
Range plus half ration of cottonseed 
meal and hulls 
+0.47 
4 
Range plus half ration of coarse hay . . 
-0.79 
It may be seen that the average weight of all steers was about 640 
pounds. In the work previously reported the average weight of the 
animals in 1908-9 was about 705 pounds, and in 1907-8 about 725 
pounds. The above table shows that every steer of lot 1, which had 
no feed in addition to their range, lost 106 pounds in weight during 
the winter, while the steers fed meal and hulls in addition to the 
range (lot 2) gained 43 pounds per head. These steers (lot 2) received 
the same amount of feed per head as those in similar lots for each of 
the previous years, but as they were smaller animals they gained in 
weight instead of practically holding their own, as had been done pre- 
viously. The steers of lot 4 lost 72 pounds each during the winter, 
showing that while the hay given them helped them to a certain 
extent they did not receive enough of it. It was estimated that about 
11 pounds of hay was given each steer per day, but a large amount 
of this was refuse, which was not consumed. 
The average daily gain or loss per steer was minus 1.16 pounds for 
lot 1, plus 0.47 pound for lot 2, and minus 0.79 pound for lot 4 during 
the winter of 1909-10. 
AMOUNT OF FEED CONSUMED. 
In Table 2 is shown the amount of concentrates and roughage fed 
to the steers of lot 2 during the winter. The steers of lot 1 did not 
receive any feed in addition to the range. The amount of hay con- 
sumed by the steers of lot 4 could not be determined accurately for 
reasons previously mentioned, so no weights are given. 
There is no doubt that the steers of lot 1 needed a greater acreage 
of range than the steers which received feed in addition to the range. 
This is shown by the fact that they exhausted their range of 10 acres 
per head about four weeks before the winter was over and had to be 
turned out to secure something to eat from the outside. The steers 
of lots 2 and 4 did not eat all of the feed in their fields before the test 
was over, although feed became scarce and very poor in quality 
during the latter part of the test. If a valuation could be placed upon 
the range, therefore, it is seen that lot 1 should be charged more than 
the other lots. 
The steers of lot 2 each consumed 221 pounds of cottonseed meal 
and 808 pounds of hulls during the winter. This was an average daily 
