The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-22
TESTING BEEF CATTLE
MENT REPORTS SOME INTER-
EsTING EXPERIMENTS
SOME HINTS AS TO FEEDING
Prof. Thomas Shaw Suggests That
Due Observance of the Diet Can
Make Every Farmer in Mime
sofa Successful Stock Man If
He VIII Only Give His Study
to 1t.

The state experimental station has
just issued a bulletin on Growing
Beef in Minnesota" based upon recent
experiments made by Prof Thomas
Shaw, Of the department of animal
hUsbandry. Prof. Shaw says of the
possibilities of beef cattle in Minneso-
ia: THE opinion has heretofore been
held by many in our state that beef
ca mot be grown at profit on the av-
erage Minnesota farm. To so great an
extent has this view prevailed that it
has doubtless virtually hindered num-
bers making the attempt to grow It,
This opinion was largely grounded on
the fact that farther West on the
ranges the pastures are free, and that
therefore it was impossible to grow
beef on an arabic farm in which con-
siderable capital had been invested in
competition with beef grown ON a free
pasture. This opinion has been voiced
by public speakers on the platform. 1t
1T not unnatural therefore that those
who titled the soil should settle down
to the conviction that beef could not
be grown at a profit in our state.
have never sympathized with such a
view, and my experiments We're under
taken to ascertain, if possible, which
was the correct view.
TWO CALVES WE'RE TRIED.
I'm planning the experiment it was
proposed to take two calves at birth,
feed them freely on suitable farm
products under the same conditions IN
til nearly two years old, and then push
them to a finish, so they could be put
on the market at thirty months. We
selected a pair Of Shorthorn steers
bred by H. T. Brown, of Minneapolis,
The two steers were named Jack and
Prince respectively. Both were es-
sentially Of the parallelogranic outline
band; both were possessed, but not
quite equally, of what may be termed
the essential features Of the beef form
in at least a fair degree.
THE foods fed were new milk skim
milk, meal, hay, soiling food, ensilage,
pasture and field roots. The skim milk
was obtained from the dairy and fed
While yet warm, soon after it had been
separated from the cream. The meal
fed included wheat, bran, oats, barley,
corn and oilcake, in such combinations
as were thought prudent from time to
time. The grain was all ground. The
hay was clover and timothy, chiefly
the former, and was fairly good in
character until the last winter, when
it was chiefly timothy and of poor
quality. The sOiling food consisted
mainly of green corn and green sor-
ghum. The ensilage was corn. The
pasture was blue grass, and was plen-
tiful in supply. The field roots con-
sisted mainly of mangels.
KEEPING GROWTH GRADUAL.
up to the commencement of the fin
ishing period it was the aim to keep
the steers growing nicely without I'M
due fairness. This was ACCOMPLISHED
by feeding heterogeneous foods. and the
preference was given to such of them
as were cheap. The only period of
even partial stagnation that occurred.
was when the steers were on pasture.
This unlocked for result is again re-
ferred to in that section of the bulletin
which treats of pasture. During the
finishing period, which occurred, say
the last three and half months of the
experiment, the process was reversed.
The aim then was to fatten quickly by
feeding carbonaceous foods. and as
much as the steers could take with a
relish. Quick and profitable fattening
was made possible by the condition OF
good thrift in which the steers had been
kept, result that is practically unat-
talnable when animals are unthrifty
or lean When feeding for the block be-
gins. Men are slow to learn that in
growing meat, periods of stagnation in
development are indeed expensive. Con-
slant growth upon suitable foods has
also a beneficent influence on the quail
ity Of the meat, as exemplified in this
experiment.
FINISHING THE FLESH.
THE finishing period began Oct. II
| and ended Jan. 81, 1898, the last date at
which the steers were weighed pre-.
vious to being slaughtered. Sept. 7,
when they were taken in from the
pasture, each steer was being given
four pounds of meal per day, and this
amount gradually increased. Oct. IL
each was given six pounds Of meal a
day, consisting of bran, oats, corn and
oilcake, fed in the proportions of five.
two, two and one parts. On Oct. %
the meal was changed to bran, barley.
corn and oilcake, fed in the proper
lions Of three. three, three and one
parts, respectively Nov. Is the bran
fed was reduced to two pounds. and
the oilcake increased to two pounds in
stead of one. The quantity fed was
increased gradually until Dec. %, when
Jack was given fifteen pounds of meal
daily, and this amount was continued
until the steers were sent to the block.
Dec. Is the grain portion given to
Prince had been led up to thirteen