CARRYING RANGE STEERS THROUGH THE WINTER 
9 
feeding as yearlings was a paying proposition. It is by no means 
proven, but the indications are strongly in that direction. With so 
many problems involved in this one experiment, it is difficult to make 
a clean cut conclusion on each issue. While we have convincing 
proof that the winter feeding of calves, destined to be fed each win¬ 
ter until sold as two-year-olds, was a losing proposition, all we can 
say concerning the question at issue is this: The winter feeding of 
yearlings destined to be fattened and sold as two-year-olds, resulted 
in heavier, fatter and more marketable steers; and besides producing 
good gains during the winter in which the feeding was done, pro¬ 
duced residual feeding effects shown by very heavy gains the winter 
they were finished. And so far as we can tell from the results at 
hand, such feeding will ordinarily produce a profit if feeding stuffs 
are not too high priced. 
FATTEN YEARLINGS OR TWO-YEAR-OLDS ? 
But another question arises: Does it pay better to winter feed as 
calves and finish us yearlings, or winter feed as yearlings and -finish as 
twos? 
This question involves many more points than those taken up 
in this feeding experiment, so that it cannot be answered fully here. 
But we can furnish some data of use to the cattleman in figuring the 
problem for himself. The problem as it lies before the cattleman is 
this: If he fattens his steers as yearlings, he must charge all loss 
of cows and calves and depreciation of value in the young cows 
against this one year's running of the steers; while if he carries the 
steers two years he may distribute this charge over two years. On 
the other hand if he feeds as yearlings he gets cheaper gains on his 
steers, as one will on all young animals, and he releases his capital so 
that it is turned over every year instead of every other year. He 
does not need to make so large a profit on the yearlings, because.he 
will make that profit twice as often. 
The light which this experiment throws on that problem, con¬ 
sists in a definite knowledge of the gains made by steers during the 
different seasons as is shown in Table A. 
The steers winter fed as calves made a gain during that winter 
and the following summer of 400 pounds; while the steers not fed 
until the winter they were yearlings made a gain during that winter 
and the following summer of 415 pounds. With practically equal 
gains, the calves undoubtedly put on their gain much more cheaply 
than the yearlings. By referring to PART II of this Bulletin it will 
be seen that yearlings put on their gain at about two-thirds the cost 
of the gain put on by two-year-olds. The second winter’s feeding 
shows two-year-old steers weighing 1046 pounds per head in the fall, 
making a gain of 361 pounds per head during the winter; while 
yearling steers weighing 804 pounds per head made a gain of 290 
pounds. The tw r o-year-olds gained 34.6 per cent, of their live weight, 
while the yearlings gained 37.3 per cent, of their live weight. This 
again is in favor of the younger steers. 
