Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-11
Cattle Feeding Experiment


The Nebraska Experiment Station
has just issued bulletin IS. describing
three experiments in cattle feeding.
The first experiment, hay with and
without grain for calves, was test to
determine the most economical pro-
portion Of grain to roughness for win
terng calves.
The results of one winters feeding
confirm those OF the winter preceding
when 1t was found that u light mixed
grain ration. four pounds per day to
steer. fed with hay consisting mostly
of alfalfa, gave cheaper gains than
when hay only was fed.
During the winter months ration of
six pounds per day gave cheaper gains
than ration OF the three pounds Il day
and much cheaper than no grain.
Combining the results of the win
ter's feeding with those Of the follow
ing summer when all lots We're given
the same pasture, 1t was found that the
three pounds grain ration gave cheaper
gains than either the six pounds grain
ration or the ration with hay and no
grain.
With the pasture costing 81 per
ster the exact costs of gains for the
year by lot We're as follows: Those
having six pounds of grain during the
winter produced gains mt cost of
$3.46 per head; those having three
pounds, at a cost of 1914, and those
having no grain during the winter at
a cost of $3.17,
The second experiment was test
o1,t 1stn Srf HNyal
rations available In Nebraska. Five
lots OF yearling steers, ten In each lot.
were fed for a period or six months,
from December 20, 1903. to June rs.
1904. 1t was an experiment in which
the character OF the rouEhness played
an important part in the production of
beef.
One lot was fed on the ration In
most common use In this state, VIZ,
corn and prairie hay.
Another lot was fed the same RAJ
ton supplemented with a little OIL
meal Qinseed), using nire pounds OF
corn to one OF oil-meal. This food.
like cottonseed- meal and gluten feed.
is very rich in protein. Enough larger
gains were made by adding oil-meal
to make the profits just Il per cent
greater with oil meal thar without.
A third lot was fed alfalfa hay ana
corn. Alfalfa, like clover Is rich
enough In protein to make up FOR the
deficiency of that nutrient In corn. In
other words, corn and alfalfa, without
protein foods. make bal
anced ration for fattening cattle.
with alfalfa and prairie hay valued
each at SO per ton, the ration corn
and alfalfa produced 30 per cent
cheaper grain than corn and prairie
hav Corn. oil-meal and corn stover
fStalks without ears) produced gains
almost as cheap as alfalfa and corn.
corn oil-meal and sorghum gave
GOOD gains. but somewhat smaller
.b,n either slower or prairie hay fed
with oil-meal. ,,ns ri
The fact that the cheapes' gains =,
all five lots were made ON corn anu
alfalfa emphasizes the importance OF
growing protein on the iarn' ~ ''e
shape of alfalfa or clover. -,
The cost Of gains being only shght-
,v more with corn, oil meal ana slower,
also emphasizes the importance OF
owning the stalks an shocks for WIN
ter feeding. Cornstalhs nm thls eS-
pertinent (Which were early cut anu
we'll cured) proved just as ValuDpie
as prairie hay.
The third important fact shown by
the experiment is that when corn ana
nrairie hay are most available there
sho,1ld be fed with 1t some protein
rich food like oil meal to make up the
At, I'm
nra,r,e hay. In this experiment the
oil meal produced enough larger gains
to make it worth $50 per ton delivered
at the farm. Its actual cost was $2o
per ton.
The third experiment. was test
with trwo-year-old steers to determine
whether or not OH meal added to
corn ration with grass pasture would
lessen the cost Of producing gains.
One lot was fed daily an average OF
17.S pounds Of corn meal per steer
while another lot was fed the same
OF grain, consisting or ~ pc.
,ent corn meal and 10 per cent on
meal. Each lot was fed on maxeo
pasture consisting of blue grass,
bronze grass prairie grass, meadow
rescue and a little alfalfa. During
the entire period, from April Il TO
IS those on corn Wl1nout
oil meal made an average dally gam
If 1.63 pounds each, while those req
30 per cent corn and ID per cent OH
neal gained 2.62 pounds per day.
without oil meal 1913 pounds OF gram
we're REQUIRED for each pound OF gain,
while with oil meal but S.S pounds OF
In were required for one pound OF
Increase in weight. With corn wor1h
q cents per bushel, Oil meal S25 per
ON and grass SO per acre, the cost
n producing gains was IL per cent
yrea ter without oil meal than with 1t.
rhe oil meal in this experiment proved
% be worth $44 per ton. Had 1T cost
more than that figure, nothing would
ave been gained by feeding 1t.
To Increase the Nations Wealth.
Professor Thomas Shaw, in American
Sheep Breeder
If only a few sheep were introduced
IN every farm the increase IN the ag-
,regate would be very great In fact
t would be enormous, Take, for In
stance, the state of Minnesota, with
is two hundred thousand farms. II
,nay ten sheep were reared annually
IN each of them Minnesota would have
TWO million sheep, or about four times
The number now in that state. Tho
a rms in Minnesota are large. They
average at least a quarter of a sex
ON. Now, on 100 acres of land ten
sheep, with their lambs, could not
nearly consume the waste pasture