The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-11-28
Deer Creek Farmers Club.
FEEDING VS.. PAsTURING CATTLE.


tages of feeding and pasturing cattle
MIR. Janney said that it was questionable with
him whether farmers can not make more money
by full feeding cattle, that is by fattening them
in the stable during the winter and selling early
in the spring, than by half feeding or wintering
them on rough provender and fattenng on grass
i'll the spring One winter he had fed one barrel
of corn to each steer the next winter two barrels
and the next 213 barrels. He made from SIT to
SOB head on them. That much ought to be
made from pasture alone.
Thomas Lochary said that when you consider
the amount of ground it requires to fatten steer
ON grass and the fencing you must keep up, he
did not think it pays to fatten on grass He be-
lieved in stall feeding Ittakes less land and less
fencing to fatten steerin the stable. Milk cows
and horses should be kept in the stable and green
food be carried to them Taking the country all
| around fattening cattle on grass has not been
profitable for several years past. Crops might
have been raised that would have paid better.
James Lee said he was in favor of "half-feed-
ing" us it is called. Those who fed from to ~
| barrels of corn to each steer, last winter, made
from $50 to S25 per head, and those who winter
ed their cattle on rough feed alone made from $40
to Sl5 per head. ky wintering without grain
and fattening on grass alone you cannot get cattle
fat early enough to compete with cattle from
Virginia. The extra feed during the winter costs
from 50 to ~, and you get more than that by let
ting your cattle go early. Not only that, but
you make manure worth one third more than that
| usually made in n barn yard. The manure from
four steers will cover one acre and is equal in
value to half ton of bone. Unless YOU can buy
very low in the fall it won't pay to stall feed
VIM. f. Hays said he believed full feeding was
| best.
VIM. Munnikhuysen said that if you have stock
worth keeping at all, they are worth feeding
grain. Itmakes them shed off early in the spring,
| and the same amount of grass will make them
put on more flesh than if they had not been fed
grain. Besides, you get them off earlier in the
| spring and leave something on the fields after
| they are gone. The manure pays for the grain
| they eat.
L. NJ. Allen said he believed it is better to feed
more and get the cattle off early. For the reason
that you are likely to get more per pound, and
| you can keep more cattle on the same space, be-
cause the ground yields more grass early in the
season than il does later.
| John Moores said that half-feeding will pay
but full feeding will pay better. 1t is great
mistake to buy poor cattle to feed. 1tpays better
to buy cattle well grown, with plenty of bone
and muscle, and in good condition, weighing
about 100 lbs. The Pennsylvania farmers buy
what we would consider fat cattle, stable and
feed them and make money. 1tisapoor practice
| to make bone and muscle on corn at 80 cents a
| bushcl, when the Western farmer can make it on
corn at 10 to II cents bushel. As for profit,
| there is more money in grazing cattle than in
feeding them. Any man can go to Baltimore
about the 25th of April buy his cattle, put
them on grass, and in sixteen years his profits
| would buy any farm on Deer Creek without the
buildings. Mr. Moores did not think there was
great deal of profit in half feeding. Clover hay
| he regarded as good as background corn to fatten
cattle on. After cattle stabbed it is three or
| four weeks before they do any good.
In reply to a question by the President as to
| which of the three ways he preferred, Mr.. Moores
| said it would depend upon the amount of rough
provcnder and hay he had. If he had good lot
offodder and clover hay he would feed in the field
| and bring them up the first of February. Feed
fodder and clover hay each once day. tits wrong
| to try to make bone and muscle on corn and hay
| in the stable We ought to make fat. Cattle
| should have plenty of grass. They ought to be
kept improving either in the barn yard or field.
If he took fancy he would get fat cattle of good
quality, feed them through the winter and in the
spring he would have cattle fit to send to Europe
| George r. Glasgow said il was always qucs-
ton with him whether or not it pays to feed full
Prefers to feed on rough provender during the
winter and fattcn on grass in the spring. The
last two or three years he had becnfccding grain,
but had made more money by tattening on grass
alone, and had found that they fatten as early as
| when fed little grain.
Silas b. Silver said that last spring he bought
four head of cattle, kept them eight months and
made $40 on them on grass alone. lie would feed
| grain through the winter and feed pretty WE'LL
1t is better to feed cattle well feshed, weighing
about 100 lbs. They should be fed heavily dur
ing the winter. The manure is very valuable
| More money can be made by grazing cattle, if
| you can get them in the spring. 1t does not pay
to feed grain and hay to sheep during the winter,
| but it does pay to fatten them on grass.
| Edward H. Hall said he had fed few cattle last
winter. Commenced giving them grain the mid
| die of February, barrel of corn apiece. Sold
| them at harvest and made SIG advance If he
feeds any more will feed during the winter and
not Craze at all
james H. Ball said he lad ted cattle heavily
during the winter and did well. 1t is essential,
| however, to have something to eat the grass. 1t
| is the general opinion that the best mode to i'm
nlpw
it. The true plan is to feed lightly during the
winter. The cattle will go out strong in the
spring and then let them do the best they can on
grass. The more grain you give them the less
| fodder they will eat.
A. NJ. Fulford said that if you feed alone you
must keep them up in the stable and supply all
they eat. He was opposed to fencing on account
ofthc expense of keeping itup Without plenty
of good fences he would be opposed to pasturing
and would feed in the stables. If soiling, would
buy i'll the fall cattle in fine condition, feed
| through the winter on rough fodder and grain,
and send them in fine condition of flesh. An
animal already in fine growing condition willpay
better for the amount of high feeding you put in
it than any other kind. He once took up pretty
well matured hog in poor condition of flesh, fed
one month and found the gain 25s lbs. per
day. The I'd month the gain was 80 lbs, and
the animal had only eaten 10 lbs. more food, show
ing 1t took good deal to start it. 1t is the same
way with a steer. After you have him in grow
ing condition it pays better to feed high. Ittakes
certain amount of food to run the animal
economy and all above that goes to growth. If
you spread that over year instead of six months
of course the profit is less.
Thomas A. Hays believes in feeding WELL but
| thought it wasteful to feed young growing cattle
too high. He did not think there is the most
| money from high feeding Cattle should be fed
while grazing. They do not like meal alone, but
1t is better to mix bran with it. In the field they
will not eat fine ground as well as coarse meal.
Meal goes to fat and oats and bran to muscle and
bone. Mr.. Hays said he intended to test moder-
ate feeding, wintering on rough food, and heavy
feeding.
James Lee said that if you take calf six
months old and ycarling, and give the calf meal
and the yearlng none, the next year the calf will
be as large as the ycaring. As a steer gets older
it will fatten more easily on grass than younger
animal will
George E. Silver said that if called upon to give
direct answer as to which would pay best, he
would say grazing, but he did not think we could
Craze altogether, without feeding. He would
not buy in the spring and Craze and sell. Our
| lands would run out by that method. One cent
advance on feeding is equal to no advance in
price on grazing. Wedo not give cattle enough
credit for the manure. That from stall fed cattle
is worth one-half or as much more than any other.
There Is no profit in grain. The most of the
| farmers in this section who have made money
have done SO by grazing cattle. Feeding cattle
has extended the business, because we must raise
| crops and have rough provender to feed cattle.
Mr.. Silver said he did not think the Lancaster
county (Pa.) farmers make money on feeding
cattle. They make it on tobacco and are obliged
to have the cattle to make manure for their to-
bacco. If he was feeding he would get heavy
cattle, from ], 100 to 200 lbs.
Mr.. Moores remarked that he had found when
grass gets short, about the first of August, corn
should be cut up for cattle. They eat roots and
ALL and 1t is the most economical way to feed it.
He always plants strip of corn alongside his
pasture field, to feed the cattle on, throwing the
corn over the fence
r. Harris Archer (thc President,) said that if
farmer buys cattle in the fall he should buy
good cattle, say weighing 100 to 200 lbs, feed
them all the corn and as much fodder us they will
eat, but no timothy hay Have them fat in
April, and then be governed by the market, as
to the time Of selling. He considered 25 lbs of