CARRYING RANGE STEERS THROUGH THE WINTER u 
During the winter of 1905-06 the calves were fed upon beet tops 
until the 15th of February, running in the fields with stock cattle. 
When taken from the beet fields ten head were fed a ration of four 
pounds daily of ground corn with alfalfa hay; while the other ten head 
were fed a ration of twenty pounds per head of sugar beets. Both 
lots made approximately the same gains, the only differenece being that 
the lot fed beets ate somewhat less hay. For the purposes of this 
discussion, it is sufficient to say that the amount of feed consumed by 
the younger animal is less than that consumed by the older. And 
from this standpoint of feeding alone, it seems more economical to 
winter feed as calves and finish as yearlings than to winter feed as 
yearlings and finish as two-year-olds. 
FINISHING YEARLINGS 
If you intend to finish steers as yearlings, is it profitable to feed 
them hay and grain the ztnnter that they are calves? 
* 
The steers winter fed as calves gained 30 pounds per head less 
during the winter they were yearlings, than the steers gained that 
were not winter fed as calves; but they averaged 110 pounds per head 
more in weight than the latter and sold for 25 cents per cwt. more. This 
offers no satisfactory conclusion without a knowledge of the cost of 
feed. However, the calves fed during their first winter gained 259 
pounds per head that winter, and yet were only 140 pounds heavier the 
next fall than those not winter fed. This indicates a poor summer 
gain, which their gain of 141 pounds per head undoubtedly was. The 
stee,rs in this experiment lost a great deal of flesh when first turned 
on the range and did not thrive at any time during the summer as 
range cattle wintered on hay would have done. The only conclusion 
that one can come to with the insufficient data at hand, is that whether 
or not there be profit in winter feeding of calves destined to be sold 
as yearlings, depends upon the condition of the range upon which they 
were run. It is more, a question of grass and storms than one that 
can be settled definitely for all conditions. 
market value of the steers 
The last spring of the experiment when all of the steers were 
coming three-year-old, Mr. Henry Gebhardt, of Denver, put a mar¬ 
ket valuation on the three lots of steers, without knowledge as to 
how each lot had been handled. He valued the steers that had been 
fed every winter at $6.10 per cwt.; those fed two winters at $6.20 
per cwt., and those fed one winter at $5.75 per cwt. These prices 
indicate the comparative condition of flesh of the various lots, and 
the valuation given corresponds to the final weights of the three lots. 
These market prices mean that the steers which were not fed as 
calves, but were fed the winter that they were yearlings, then put 
back on the range, and finished out as two-year-olds, not only made 
the most rapid gains and were heaviest when put upon the market, but 
were fattest, having put on a large proportion of their gains in flesh 
and fat. 
