The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-02-23
TO REAR CALVES.
Are Western Eteers Deteriorating In Size
and Quality?

and Quality:
Il is the opinion Of well informed
castlemen that the steers of the western
states have deteriorated in quality with
in recent years. This opinion seems to
be we'll founded. Various causes are as
signed. Prominent among them is the
changed method of raising calves. Ten
years ago the common method in the
grazing and leading agricultural states
was a calf to a COW, and such a thing
as milk with all Of its fat taken out was
unknown in the list of calf feeds. With
the advent of the creamery separator
calf raising suffered. Many declared
and still maintain that good calves can
not be raised upon separator milk. The
best experience, however, teaches that
the difficulty is mainly in the methods
employed rather than in a failure OF
the milk to supply the calf's needs.
Fresh separator milk lacks but one
element necessary to a perfect growing
ration for young anilnals-yiz, the fat
that the separator removes. The prob
lem then lies in getting the milk to the
calves under uniform and as nearly nat
ural conditions as possible, with some
good substitute for the fat added. High
priced land and changed conditions have
forced this problem upon us. Believing
this to be practical and important line
Of investigation, the Iowa station has
given considerable attention to the sub
ject. About q year ago six high grade
ShorthOrn steer calves were taken when
about 10 days old, divided into three
lots of two each and put into an expert
ment.
Lot / had 3,008 pounds of separator
milk-from 10 to IS pounds per day
$50 pounds Of hay and IS pounds of oil
meal and gained 275 pounds at a cost
of 81 cents a pound for feed, rating
skimmilk at Is cents per hundred and
grain at prevailing prices. Lot 2 had
3,009 pounds of separator milk, 249 Of
hay and 59 pounds of oatmeal and
gained 301 pounds at a cost of 1.9 cents
a pound. Lot 8 had 3,O0S pounds Of
separator milk, 253 of hay and Sc of corn
meal and f1axseed, mixed at the rate Of
nine to one by weight, and gained 2Sl
pounds at a cost of L. cents a pound.
These calves were fed on milk supple
mented by grain and hay, as detailed
above, for 100 days, after which the
milk was gradually taken off and the
allowance Of grain and hay increased.
When a year old, they averaged 100
pounds, having gained ego pounds in
365 days. This record shows not only
.ool ,,,f,. 1,+ o,- oo,,Dn,i,,l p,oyrtb
The feed record shows that the calves
have made gain in weight for much less
than is required to make it on steers a
year older.
During the first 80 days feeding the
calves gained S57 pounds on 1850
pounds Of dry matter consumed, a
pound of gain for each 1877 pounds of
dry matter eaten. During the month of
May these calves at the age of 8 months
consumed an average Of lis pounds of
dry matter per day and made an aver
age daily gain of 2.5 pounds, or the
equivalent Of n pound Of gain in live
weight to each 40 pounds Of dry mat
ter consumed. Five 2-year-old steers
fed at the Iowa station from Jan. 4 tc
Dec. l, 1898, ate an average Of 25.2
pounds each of dry matter in feed pc,
day and gained 2. Al pounds each daily,
thus requiring an average Of 10. 4 pounds
of dry matter in their feed for each
pound of increase in live weight. &C.
F. Curtiss. Ames, Ia, in Live STOCK
Report.
A Methodist church in Lansingburg