The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1904-11-04
SCIENTIFIC CATTLE FEEDING.
THREE EXPERIMENTS CONDUCT
ED AT LINCOLN.
VALUE OF OIL MEAL is SHOWN
Gives a Profit OF About 100 per Cent
to the Feeder 49, The People Who
Fattened the World Champion Steer
Offer Free Advice on the Subject.

braska experiment station AT Lincoln
raised and fattencd the steer Chal-
lcnger that took the prize in a ma
tional contest at Chicago, should give
weight to the information given out
from that station regarding the proper
feeding Of cattle and bulletin No. IS,
Just issued, describing three expert
ments in feeding should be in demand
by every farmer and feeder in the
state. as II undoubtedly contains in
formation of value to them. The fol.
lowing digest of the bulletin is given:
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
tcrinE 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
each 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 ration of three pounds
and much cheaper than no grain.
Combining the results of the win.
tcr's feeding with those of the follow
ing summer when all lots were given
the same pasture, it was found that the
three pounds grain ration gave cheap
er gains than either the six pounds
grain ration or the ration with hay
and no grain.
With the pasture costing 81 per
steer 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 a cost of
S3,46 per head; those having three
pounds, at cost of $314, and those
having no grain during the winter at
cost of $317.
The second experiment was a test
to determine the relative value of FIVE
rations available in Nebraska. Five
let's of yearling steers, ten in each lot,
were fed for a period of six months,
from D'ttlnbtI 30, l''S, w june 20,
1904. 1t was an experiment in which
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 ration
supplemented with a little oil-meal
| Oinseed), using nine pounds of corn
to one of oT-meal. This food, like cot
tonseedmeal and gluten feed, is very
rich in protein. Enough larger gains
were made by adding oil-meal to make
the profits just II per cent greater
with oil-meal than without.
A third lot was fed alfalfa hay and
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, with
out commercial protein foods, make q
balanced ration for fattening cattle.
With alfalfa and prairie hay valued
each at 5000 per ton, the ration corr
and alfalfa produced 35 per cen
cheaper gain than corn and prairie
hay. Corn, oil-meal, and corn-stovel
(stalks without ears) produced gains
almost as cheap as alfalfa and corn
Corn, oil-meal, and sorghum gave goot
gains, but somewhat smaller than eth
er stover or prairie hay fed with oil
meal.
The fact that the cheapest gains o
all five lots were made on corn an,
alfalfa emphasizes the Importance o
growing protein on the farm in tn
shape of alfalfa or clover.
, The cost of gains being only sligh
ly more with corn, oil-meal and stoN
er also emphasizes the importanc
of curing the stalks in shocks for VIII
=. ter feeding. Corn-stalks in this expel
, iment (Which were early cut and We
). cured) proved just as valuable a
r prairie hay.
+. The third important fact shown b
!. the experiment is that when corn an
prairie hay are most available ther
should he fed with it some proteil
- rich food like oil-meal, to make up tn
, deficiency of protein in both corn an
: prairie hay. In this experiment tn
oil-meal produced enough larger gain
to make it worth $50 per ton delivere
- at the farm, Its actual cost was s.
- per ton.
v The third experiment was te'
Y with two-year-old steers to determir
!. whether or not oil-meal added to-
corn ration with grass pasture woul
n lessen the cost of producing gains,
II One lot was fed daily an average
n us pounds of corn-meal per stee
1t while another lot was fed the SAN
t, weight of grain, consisting of 90 p,
1t cent conmeal and 10 per cent o
n, meal Each lot was fed on a mike
pasture consisting of blue gras
bronze grass, prairie grass, meade
is fescuc, and a little alfalfa Durir
g the entire period from April 21
c, November IS those on corn withol
IS oi-moal made an average daily ga