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

The Nebraska Experiment Station
has just issued bulletin So, 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
tering calves.
The results of one winters feeding
confirm those of the winter preceding
when it was found that a 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 a ration of
| six pounds per day gave cheaper gains
than a ration of the three pounds u 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 were 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 were as follows: Those
/ having six pounds Of grain during the
winter produced gains at cost of
/ S346 per head; those having three
hounds. at cost of 1914, and those
having no grain during the winter at
| a cost of $3.17,
The second experiment was test
| to determine the relative value of five
| rations available in Nebraska. Five
lots Of yearling steers, ten In each lot,
| were fed for period or six months,
from December 26, 1903. to June rs,
! 1904 1T was an experiment In which
1 the character of the roughness 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 ra-
/ ton supplemented with a little OIL
meal (linseed), using nine pounds OF
\ corn to one Of oil-meal. This food,
. like cottonseed-m and gluten feed.
is very rich in protein. Enough larger
/ gains were made by adding oil-meal
. to make the profits just q per cent
greater with oil-meal than without.
A third lot was fed alfalfa hay and
). corn. Alfalfa, like clover, is rlch
:. enough in protein to make up 1or ',le
!. deficiency of that nutrient in corn. In
! other words, corn and ai!all', wiei,os
. commercial protein foods make oai-
!. anced ration for fattening cattie.
With alfalfa and prairie nay Vaiueu
, each at SO per ton, the ratloh corn
!, and alfalfa produced 80 per ceiil
: cheaper grain than corn ana prairie
: hay. Corn, oil-meal and corn stosei
/ (Stalks without ears) produceu saiil'
almost as cheap as alfalfa ana cofii'
Corn. oil-meal and sorghum gave
good gains, but somewhat smaller
than either slower or prairie nay leu
with oil-meal. o.,,,s oe
all five lots were made ON corn anu
alfalfa emphasizes the importance "
growing protein on the farm ~ 'ie
shape of alfalfa or clover.
rho cost of gains being only sllsht-
,y r,ora with corn, oil meal and slower,
a1so em1phasizes the Importance OF
cnr,ng the stalks in shocks Tor VIII
ter feeding. Cornstalks an bhls eA
nertment (Which were early cut ana
we'll cured) proved just as valuan'e
as prairie hay ~,
The third important fact shown by
Ybe experiment is that when corn ana
prairie hay are most ava1laole there
should be fed with 1t some protein
rich food like OIL meal to make up the
deficiency of protein i'm both corn ana
nrair,e hay. In this experiment the
III, meal produced enough larger gains
70 make it worth $50 per ton delivered
at the farm. Its actual cost was $40
per ton. .o..
The third experiment was test
va,h tnyo-year-old steers to determine
whether or not oil meal added TO a
corn ration with grass pasture wouAo
1essan the cost of producing gains.
One lot was fed daily an average OF
17S hounds Of corn meal per steer
while another lot was fed the same
weight OF grain, consisting OF 80 per
cont corn meal and 10 per cent OH
meal. Each lot was fed on a nll&eo
pasture consisting OF piue grass,
bronze grass, prairie grass lileauo"
fescue and little afaIla. Dulilis
the entire period, from April ~ 10
November Is those on corn without
oil meal made an average ually gam
Of 163 pounds eacn, Wipi'e eiAo'S -
30 per cent corn and 10 per cent OH
meal gained 2.02 pounds per DAY.
without oil meal. 1913 pounds OF gram
were required for each pound OF gam,
while with oil meal but S.s pounds OF
/ gain were required for one pound OF
increase in weight. With corn worth
90 cents per bushel, Oil meal $40 per
ton and grass SO per acre, the cos.
of producing gains was Is per cent
greater without oil meal than with 1T.
The oil meal in this experiment proven
TO be worth s44 per ton. Had 1T cost
more than that figure, nothing would
have been gained by feeding 1t.
To Increase the Nations Wealth.
Professor Thomas Shaw. in American
Sheep Breeder
If only few sheep were dntroduced
on every farm the increase In the ag-
gregayte would be very great. In fact,
it would be enormous, Take, for IN
stance, the state of Minnesota, with
Its two hundred thousand farms. II
/ 4 11y