Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-06-19
PRorIr IN cATTlE rEEpIHa.
some Statistics which should be Of
Interst to Audrain County Farm
ers and Stock Growers.

From Colmnn's Rural World.
The Hon. W. W. Cole, All recent
Farmers institute Of Illinois, gave the
following experience ia his own cattle
feeding. He said;
The most important question Of all,
IS what II really costs 10 feed cattle,
and is there . reasonable profit In the
buslnessp / will give my experience,
and hope that some kind feeder will
r~eciprocate. Far our present purpose
no account Is taken OF interest on the
money Invested, the care Of the stock
or the use Of the yards The expense
for the last two items Is fully covered
by the benefits to the farm. Don't
forget this it9n-the benefits to the
farm. Last year ! fed 90 steers al av-
yerage OF 8 10 months l had "a shoats
and raised 2O3 pigs, The corn fed ay-
eraged LAG bushels for each steer per
month and the average gain was IS
pounds per month net Chicago
weights, oyerweights paid for when
the cattle we're bought. The whole
gain ON the cattle was $500 pounds,
and on the hogs and cattle in the ratio
Of their gain-saying nothing about
the hay, pasture, fodder, etc.-we will
have rs Of the corn fed to charge to
the hog, and Of course 3-5 to cattle.
The whole gain Of beef and pork ay-
eraged SO pounds for each bushel OF
corn fed. The cost OF each pound Of
gain, counting everything, was 5.s
cents, corn costing on an average Of
"a cents.
The cattle made a gross profit Of
"a, 251.42.
The hogs made a gross profit OF, ST.
1853. 10.
So that on the basis Of profits the d.
visions OF corn fed should be about as
above stated.
Whole profit on hogs and cattle,
s8,1I5.2 q.
Whole cost Of corn, hay, fodder and
pasture, s4,4l1.7O.
Net profit for the year, 81, 703.51.
The cattle were sold at about $3.50
over cost price and the hogs 81 over
invoice price.
AS to the profits in cattle feeding /
think that while they are not always
large they are reasonably certain. Five
years ago | went into partnership with
a renter. furnished the pasture and
yards and he did the work. The mon
ey for the purchase OF corn and cattle
was furnished equally by each. The
first year, on one load and the hogs we
made s3S8.77. The second year the
profit was $685. rs. The third year,
S544 98. The fourth year, on two
leads the estimated profit was $500.
The fifth year Is not yet closed. This,
Of course, includes the hogs that went
with the cattle, and most Of the years
we had many hogs than were really
needed for the cattle. ! only give
these figures that you may see what
can be accomplished for the farmer as
we'll as for the farm.
From the figures here given, which
are taken from life, for the years given
we learn that one year with another II
will take IA bushels OF corn 10 feed a
steerand the hogs that are needed with
him a month, for an average OF 8
months; that, with a liberal supply OF
hogs, about 2-5 OF the corn fed can be
charged to the hogs; that from 81 to 7
pounds gain each bushel Of corn fed is
about an average, when you have good
pasture and good care; that 90 pounds
per month, or 2 pounds per day, is a
good average net gain for an s-month
feed. This would average at least 10
pounds home weights on cattle here
given.
Many OF the steers here reported
we're light cattle when bought. lam
fully convinced that with a heavier
class Of cattle lean materially increase
the gain per month as well as the
profit, and at the same time reduce
the average from 8 to s OF 9 months.
To illustrate what heavy cattle will
do, put in 40 head September Is that
averaged I,0s4 pounds, Chicago
weights. -Four months later / weighed
them again. They had made an ay-
erage gain Of Ala pounds gross, or a
net gain Of over e2 pounds per month
after shrinking them 3per cent.
atnru tha rnroh - WI. mn -.