The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-10-20
WITH BRAN.

On lakewood Farm near inneap-
oils, Mimi, fifteen steers + kepton
a regimen that makes common
wheat bran an object Of scientific
enquiry, the purpose being to deter
mine what value it has as a tat and
flesh producing food. These cattle
were put on bran and hay the first
day of last June and at the end of
sixty days all had made a substan-
tial gain. The facts are reported in
the Northwestern Miller the condi-
tons as follows:
"When this matter was first con-
sidered, | urged Mr.. Pilbury to get
his cattle then and begin the feed
ing in the summer, in order that the
heat and the flies might do their
worst to defeat u object. |
thought that tho test at this time OF
the year would be the most severe
which could be made, and if the
results wer good, it would prove
that for an all-the-year-round fat
tener it is a great success, as we'll as
the most economical feed. If you
could 20 out to the farm on n of
the hot days and watch the animals
pant and fight flies, you would read
lily admit that we are testing the
value Of bran to the limit. What
everthe result under these conditions
it may be relied on that the figures
are the lowest that can be made in
any season, for the heat and the flies
in Minnesota this year beat all pre-
vious records"
As we stated in the first article
on this subject, the fifteen steers
being fed are all "scrub" stock, but
one showing any signs Of good
blood. All the grass they had this
year they got in May, and Dakota
grass in May is short and hard to
get. Since June l they have lived
on bran, hay, salt and water. The
second month was by far the hot
test and was most trying to the cat
tie, and flies multiplying at a rate
which threatened their total extinc-
ton.
Accompanying the report lisa tab
ular statement from which we
gather facts that must have impor-
tant bearing on the question of value
Of wheat bran as food for cattle.
Thus for the fifteen steers two
periods of thirty days each:
Av. daily ration of bran, each month 121a TBS
Av. daily ration of hay, each, first
Av, daily gain. each. first month."" 81 TBS
Av. daily ration of bran, all, second
Av. daily ration Of hay, ali: second u.s.
Av. daily gain, ali, second month. los IFS
Az. gain, eas W months".".~."~ II TBS
IOtal bran gu lbs
Total hay ,62O Tbs
1t will be observed that the daily
average of gain for each steer in the
sixty days was two and four tenths
pounds. The greatest gain was
three and a half pounds daily
increase through the whole period
2l7 Tbs. But a large part of this
gain was in the first thirty days
when five steers increased their
weight four or five pounds each
daily, and one nearly five and a half
pounds-172 lbs. in 30 days. In the
second period this same steer gained
but 45 Tbs. and there were but two
that gained more-each so Tbs.
Without doubt unnecessary. expos
ure to annoyance from flies in the
month of July had effect in lessen
ing gain.
The Miller remarks: "The con-
sumption of bran the second month
was greater<than the first, the prac-
tice being to increase the feed when
the box was cleaned out by the ami
NAL and all have steadily increased
their consumption, though some are
naturally greater eaters than 9th
'ers."-Agriculture.
. V FARM EXPERIMENTS.