Vol. LXVI. No. 3018. 
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 30, 1907. 
WEEKLY. $1.00 PEIi YEAR. 
THE FEEDING OF “BADLANDS BILLY.” 
Making of a Hereford Steer. 
HIS START IN LIFE.—Badlands Billy was a grade 
Hereford steer who was bred and born, dishorned and 
branded with a large TW on some large ranch in the 
big West. Just where doesn’t matter much, because not 
a very large per cent of The R. N. Y. family will ever 
know the joys of a ranch life. Suffice it for us that 
on or about November 1 , 1906, Billy and a “cut” of his 
herd landed in the Chicago stock yards. Here on No¬ 
vember 5, 30 selected head were bought for $4 per 
100, averaging 860 in weight. The poor steers scared 
nearly to death with the unaccustomed sights, sounds 
and smells were hustled on a car again, but their jour¬ 
ney was short this time, and they soon found them¬ 
selves in a Blue grass pasture, where for about a month 
they gradually forgot their woes and regained some 
of the weight lost in handling. With the beginning of 
cold weather the cattle were taken from the pasture and 
turned into stalk fields with a comfortable shed and 
manger of corn fodder at night. Later, when the corn 
that was overlooked in the field was gone a couple of 
baskets of broken ear corn was added to their ration. 
FEEDING FOR WEIGHT.—Just before March 1 
they were kept in the yard and as corn was our cheap¬ 
est feed were fed approximately six bushels per day, 
“PUDGE” PUTTING ON BEEF. Fig. 433. 
with clover hay, shredded corn fodder and oat straw 
for roughness. Here Billy learned an important les¬ 
son, namely, that all men were not created his natural 
enemies. When first placed in the enclosed yard his 
first impulse when anyone entered it was to rear his 
head proudly aloft and precipitately retreat to the farthest 
corner. If in an unguarded moment anyone approached 
near enough to touch him his entire rear extremities came 
loose with the skill and precision supposed to belong ex¬ 
clusively to the Government mule. Before grass time, 
aided by a little coaxing, Billy learned that the best 
place to eat corn was close beside the feeder who 
was breaking it, and also discovered that it felt good 
to have his back scratched. When this was well learned 
by Billy and his mates, breaking corn for them became 
a matter that required skill and a large degree of 
Christian forbearance. The pasture season of 1907 was 
unusually late, and it was not till May 10 that Billy was 
allowed to leave the barnyard, which at this time of 
year is wet and uncomfortable, and revel in the juicy 
grass that must have tasted so good after his long 
confinement on dry feed. The estimated average 
weight of the bunch at this time was from 1025 to 1050 ‘ 
THE STEERS ON PASTURE.—The season of ' 
1907, though late, was a fine one for pasture, and Billy ( 
was well favored and waxed fat till the flies became 
a burden, and so on August 5 they were taken from 
the pasture and giyen the run of aftermath of a mead¬ 
ow, with a dark barn for shelter from the flies. In 
addition to the grass a large armful of green sweet 
corn thrown from the wagon was allowed to each steer 
twice a day. When the supply of sweet corn was ex¬ 
hausted corn was cut from the low places in the com¬ 
mon field, the said low places being greatly in evidence 
AN AFTER DINNER SCENE. Fig. 434. 
after the unusual Summer floods. Twenty-five more 
Hcrefords were added to the bunch on September 20, 
being bought in Kansas City at $4.65 per 100, averaging 
1090. Usually green corn diet ends from September 
20 to October 1, but in this freak season it was con¬ 
tinued till October 14, when the first feed of snapped 
corn was given. Plenty of boxes, four by six feet were 
placed in the feed yard, and 14 bushel and a half bas¬ 
ketfuls were broken up—the largest ears in three pieces, 
the ordinary ones in two, and when the banquet was 
prepared the cattle were let in so that all—the backward 
ones as well as the leaders—could share alike. This is 
really the critical time of the feeding, for unless great 
care is taken the cattle not having the wisdom of a 
hog, will overeat and derange their digestion—possibly 
permanently. Happy is the man—and the herd—who 
has plenty of grass to go with the corn, for it is a hard 
matter to overfeed if the great mixture of corn and 
grass is available. If the latter is lacking, roughness 
in various shapes—though corn fodder, ears and all, 
is about the best—must be freely provided with a 
constant supply of salt and fresh water, and the feed 
must be short at first and gradually increased. Gen- 
IN TIIE FEED LOT. Fig. 435. 
crally speaking a 1/ bushel basket of snapped corn will 
feed two steers a day. Better begin with rather less 
than that, especially if the weather is warm, giving a 
little larger feed at night than in the morning, and 
increase a basket every other day till the limit ,is 
reached. Remember one would better feed a basket 
short than have an overfed, possibly foundered, steer 
Qti his hands. Fill the baskets as high as they can be 
piled, thus cultivating the grace of liberality, and always 
giving exactly the same. A small lot where the cattle 
may lie down and have a little exercise is desirable. 
When the great end of getting on full feed is attained 
the cattle would better be confined in the feed yard 
with a well-bedded barn or shed for shelter, a good 
bundle of fodder per head with an occasional feed of 
hay for roughness (we always feed hay on Sunday so 
that we do not need to hitch up a team) but do not 
tempt the cattle with too much roughness now, for they 
need most of their room for corn, and too much rough¬ 
ness will make them “poddy.” 
GENERAL CARE.—You will, of course, allow no 
loud talking or quick moving in the yard, and will 
pamper their liking to be handled, etc. When you are 
carrying a basket of corn, if a steer steps in front of 
you and intimates that it is his busy day and he’d like 
you to walk around, don’t kick him. Walk around. 
Scratch their backs when you can, and get them so they 
look pleased when you come into the yard. In fullness 
of time the snapped corn doesn’t taste quite so good 
(you’d get tired of it yourself), so as soon as it will 
grind fairly well (say about December 1) a small feed 
of corn-and-cob meal will be given at noon in which 
is mixed about two pounds per head of linseed oil 
meal, and in a few days the night feed of snapped 
corn will be changed to meal with the addition of two 
“BADLANDS BILLY” FAT AND CONTENTED. Fig. 436. 
pounds of stock food molasses. These feeds (oil meal 
and molasses) might be doubled where the cost will 
permit. 
FITTING FOR QUALITY.—The carding should be 
well begun by this time, and while we are not offering 
advice to prospective feeders, it might safely be stated 
that a feeder can never tel! how much quality he can 
put in his cattle with a card until he has tried it. 
Better buy two eight-inch horse cards—one for each 
hand (we’ve been accused of using sandpaper, but it 
was a base slander) and give each steer about three 
minutes scratching to smooth his coat and add the 
much desired gloss. Tf in a week you think it doesn’t 
pay, it’s easy to quit. One Ins to coax the cattle at 
first, but soon it is positively interesting to see the fat 
fellows get up, stretching and grunting, and come 
crowding around—even fighting a little for their turn. 
It will be a sorry Christmas for Billy and his pals, for 
soon after that he will be driven from the place he 
knows as home, crowded on a car, and landed in the 
great yards where the noise and rush, the whips and 
prods, arc so different from the pampered, luxurious 
life he has led. And then a little while—but the feeder 
who has nurtured the steers as the very apple of his 
eye, who has fondly watched them through the best 
part of their lives, and seen them grow from wild 
westerners to prize 1500-pound beeves, whose large 
patient eyes fairly look their gratitude as he caress- 
