Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1897-11-19
The Feeding of Cattle.

ceivIng more attention since feed stuff
fell in price, and in order to add TO the
knowledge on the subject the expert.
ment stations have been busy in testing
all systems of feeding that could be
used for making discoveries. The On.
tario Station comes forward and asserts
that calves fed on skim milk and lin
seed meal will equal in weight at one
year old those fed on whole milk. This
fact should encourage farmers to retain
every calf, especially as it is known that
steers matured and marketed at two
years old give 30 per cent. more profit
than 3-year-old steers. Of course, the
experiments we're made with cattle Of
the beef breeds, as steers of no breed
ing will not prove profitable at any age,
and as skim milk is considered almost
valueess on farms the cost of raising
the calves in some localities is but very
little The raising of the calves from
pure-bred or good grade stock is a mat
ter to be considered. as the most diff
cult obstacle in the way of progress in
beef production is the fact that but few
farmers raise their calves, but 90 out
aud buy steers to be fatted. As a calf
can be kept on low-price ration, and
with the aid of the pasture carried to
the age of two years at small cost,
there should be large profit derived
from them when sold so early in their
lives.
1t was determined by the feeding ex-
periments that steer weighing 1000
pounds requires IL pounds of food to
make one pound of gain, and that 2
year-old steer will eat its own weight of
feed every two weeks and gain II
pounds per day. The food includes
both that which is bulky and concen-
trated. Stall-fed steers will shrink 40
pounds each if tasted IL hours in the
stalls, the weight of each steer being
estimated at 1900 pounds. Heifers con-
fined in box stalls constantly from birth
did not breed at as early an age as those
having freedom. Cutting the hay and
pulping the roots fed to fattening steers
produced u pounds more grain per day
than when the same quantity of hay was
fed alone. Cattle make an average of
81 tons of solid and liquid manure the
first year, 81 tons the second year, and
8 tons the third year. The value of
this manure depends upon the kind of
food given, but may be placed as high
as 800 for the three years, estimating
the nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid
at the prices usually paid for such arti-
cfes in the form of commercial fertilizers.
1t rarely happens, however, that the
farmer derives the full value of the
manure owing to waste from several
sources. The increase in weight of
steers varies and they may be forced or
retarded in growth according to the food
and shelter. The estimates given are the
results of experimenting with several
lots in order to arrive at knowledge Of
the facts
The hauling of green corn, rape and
silage to cattle when the pastures we're
short returned fair profit, and mixed
grasses were preferred by cattle to timo-
thy and clover. There is less cost in
fattening cattle than in raising them,
but also less fertility to the soil. Corn
ensilage and meal was not deemed as
safe as when pound of cut straw was
mixed with three pounds of ensilage
While it pays to purchase grain and
linseed meal for feeding purposes the
more of the food that can be grown on
the farm and fed to cattle the better, a.
there is always cost in hauling to the
farm, while the use of farm product.
permits of the saving of foods that woulc
be wasted or find no market. Sheer
will serve to assist in consuming por
tions of the homegrown foods tina
might not be utilized by the cattle
Cattle-feeding is business which shoulc
induce the farmer to grow greater
variety of crops, as a protection agains
the loss of dependent crop from
drought. and also to grow the cheape
foods, such as ensilage, which supple
the succulent foods after the animals ar
removed from the pasture. The result
of the experiments mentioned should b
of service to those farmers who are in
terested in better breeds and the pro
duction of beef at, the lowest cost