Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-08-06
CORN MEAL VERSUS GRASS.

years Is that of the economy Of feeding
grain to stock in pasture. Pastures
everywhere both East and West ar,
wanting in their capacity 70 carry stock
Few or none of them give really extrs
fine beef that brings the very top prices
on the markets. VIII the superior gsir
Of steers at pasture psy for supplement
tary mealg II not, viii this gain plus thu
increased value of superior quality make
IL profitable to feed IL? Several expert
ments have been reported and while TIN
tendency Is pretty much all one way thu
dairy mind is not at rest on this subject
Mr.. Kent Of the Iowa experiment sta
ton has added one more experiment IL
test of this problem. Fourteen steers
were fed In two lots, one on grass -alon'
and the other on grass plus fifteer
pounds Of fine ground corn per head pei
day, in three meals Of i've pounds each
The experiment continued from May 2
to September Q, or Ill days. From the
table OF results given we find that the
lot receiving grain gained five pound:
less than the steers feeding on gras;
alone, the grass fed steers gaining -four
pounds per day and the meal fed steers
shade less. During the next period
the meal fed steers gained le3 pound:
more han the grasscEs. During the
third period the meal fed steers gained
Ill pounds more than the grassers.
During the fourth period Of fourteen
DAYS the meal fed steers gained b
pounds while the grassers lost 32 pounds.
By this time the intensely dry weather
L.. ID haf ha "A a..
close the experiment.
During the entire period OF Ill dsvs
the meal fed steers consumed 1l.655
pounds OF meal and made net gain
over the grassers Of only 2.3 pounds.
Rating the meal at 15 cents per cwt., the
213 pounds Of oct gain cost 32 cents per
pound. The meal WAS total waste
In the first period Of 81 days, while In
the other periods the net gain Was so
small as To be Improbable.
The question which naturally fol-
lows is the reason why the steers were
unable 10 utilize corn meal, or grass. l
think IL is due 10 the activity OF the ali
mentary canal. Ga dry feed the steer
retains his food in the digestive system
from two TO five days, but on grass, the
movement Of the food in the alimentary
canal il much more rapid, by reason Of
the highly digestible and wstery condi-
ton of the grass. The less digestible
corn meal Is therefore carried along as
waste, IL might be permissible 10 say,
washed out before digested. From these
conclusions we naturally pass TO another
conclusion which il that IL it Is desired
To feed meal To stock steers IL would be
better 20 feed the grass rs soiling, dry
ing IL 10 the condition OF hay so as to
eliminate the water, and maintain nor
NAL conditions for the digestion OF the
grain portion OF the feed"
Shall We fall in with the authors ex-
PLANTATION that corn meal made so poor
showing In comparison with grass
Where did he gain the Information that
grass i more digestible than corn meals
We are again impressed with the fact
that loose writing is still emsnating
from experiment stations. Mr.. Kent
should not have expressed n positive
opinion upon subject OF which he
seems 10 be totally ignorant. In the
following passage the experimenter
shows that those that had meal during
the summer feeding gained most after IL
closed. This fact is worthy of note aud
il In accord with our own observations.
Those that were fed on corn meal prob
ably had less water in the system than
those that had been fed on grass alone
when both were fed alike. This differ
ence IL il existed would very naturally
make itself manifest in difference OF gain
for when more solid flesh was taken on
more food would be absorbed in the
process.
The hair OF the meal fed steers seem
ed 10 have better lustre than the grass
ers. After the grass experiment closed
both lots of steers were fed on full feed
until the 2.th day of the following April,
a period of 23s days. During this
period the lot that had been fed meal
during the pasture period showed gain
Of ll3 pounds over the grassers.
Does the after effect of grain feeding
psy when It's immediate effects are far
short of protitsble:-Mirror and Farmer.