The Yale expositor., 1902-11-14
TEST FOOD VALUES
EXPERIMENT AT KANSAS AoRl-
CULTURAL COLLEGE.
Facts Learned Are Of Mush Value to
Cattle Raisero - Warming the
Drinking Water 10 Absolutely Nee
essary In Successful Feeding.

IN the latter part or OCTOBER, is"o'
the Kansas experiment station put
into the feed lots $50 head of calves
that had just been woanci. They
were divided into lots. 10 test the val
nc OF alfalfa hay. prairie hay. corn'
Kafr corn and soy beans In the pro-
duction of baby beef
Sixty head OF heifcrs were pur-
chased In the Kansas City stock
yards. weighed an average 81 AIS
pounds each. cost Si.25 per hundred
weight at the yards, and cost an aV-
crage OF SiS.25 per head delivered In
the college feed lots. These were
range calves-grade Shorthorn, Here
ford and Angus. Fifty head were
purchased OF farmers near Manhat-
tan. and had been kept with their
dams through the summer In small
pastures Twenty head were mixed
bred calves that had been purchased
around Manhattan when born, and
had been raised by the college by
hand. ten being raised on creamery
skim milk and ten on whole milk.
Thc calves were vGcc.natcd TO pre-
vent blackleg. Without this safeguard
we would not have dared TO under.
take tais experiment
Tlc calves were FED seven months
At The close OF the experiment, May
81. the entire 10, averaged 500
pounds per head in the college feed
lots. The shrnkaFe IN shipping 20
Kansas City was 9 Per cent Thirty
TWO steers averaged SIS pounds and
sold nj $40 peg 100 pounds. seventy
four hclfcrs averaged 75S pounds and
sold for s535 and eighteen hciicrs
averaged al pounds and sold for
S515. Six head OF hcilcrs went o.
spriGgcrs.
The packing company which
Slaughtered the calves made tic fol
lowing report:
- steer calves-Iive weight. SOS
pounds: dressed weight. $50 pounds.
tallow. o. pounds: dressed weigat
57.2 per cent; tailow. G1 per cent
"a hcifcr calyos-Iive weight, 1iS
pounds: dressed weight 4}2 pUlnds:
tallow. - pounds: dressed, weight
per cent: talluw. &C per cent
IS hCifc- calves i've weight. ~
pounds: dressed weight. 400 pounds:
tallow. 40 pounds: dressed weight,
oC.6 per ccat: ta,low. &C per cent
The calves were fed twice daily
beginning az a. IN. AID NJ 400 y. m
The lots were fed In tfe same order
each time anu exactly az the same
time each day. The hours OF feeding
were arranged so that the calves did
all the work OF eating IN daylight
Each lot was given 10 each feeding all
the grain and rJugaasc % would eat
up clean within three hours after
feeding. In each lot the grain was
fed mixed with TIC rCugsage and the
roughrgc was God whole. Fine barre
salt was kept In boxes under the
sheds. where the calves had free &C
cess at all times. Eaci lot Of calves
was sheltered with n common board
shed. closed ON the north. open TO the
south
Water was supplied In tanks rec
ulated by n1at valves so that the
tanks were kept iull and the calves
could drink at win. From December
. 20 April ! q tank heater was kept
going In each tank and the water
was kept az n temperature OF about
City degrees.
This showed On average consump.
ton OF 1913 pounds Of coal daily per
tank With coal o. 81 per ton, this
would mako Tie daily cost OF warm
ing tnak a small fraction over
cents per day 4 heater will warm
water for forty head apparently as
chcaply as fer Eve or ten mead. We
found tho previous winter that Il 70.
quircd no more labor 20 keep a tank
heater running than Il did 60 keep
the ice out Of a tank not heated. We
would urge every feeder 90 use n tank
heater a successful feeder OF long
experience recently made the state.
ment that gains I'm feeding follow
very closely tle amount Of water
drank by the fattening animal; the
larger the quantity OF water drank
the greater the gains. provided there
- no unnatural stimulation to drink.
ing. With clean. palatable water,
free from ice. kept where the animal
can drink at viii. the animal drinks
often. and each twenty-four hours
consumes a large quantity. but az no
time Is tie stomach overloaded or un.
duly chilled. Tho cost OF using n
tank heater Is triflng and the returns
are good.
Tho remarkable feature Of this ex
pertinent was the small amount OF
grain required TO make 100 pounds OF
gain. The skim milk calves fed al.
falfa hay and corn averaged 100
pounds OF gain for only f30 pounds OF
corn. and this in seven months feed.
Ing. The other lots fed alfalfa and
corn required 470 pounds OF corn for
100 pounds OF gain.