Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-08-01
HOW TO FINISH
CATTLE FOR MARKET

The following letter from Swift &
Co. st. Paul, has oeen sent out by
the freight department Of the North
[ern Pacific road as a suggestion to
the cattlemen Of the Northwest, to
whom it should be of considerable
interest: ... .-a,..... ....> -,
About the 18th of November we put
ninety-nine steers on feed at South
st. Paul. These cattle were bought
on the open market from different
commission men, as feeders, not hay
ing flesh enough for killing purposes.
Most Of these cattle, were from North
Dakota and Minnesota, having been
bred and raised there.
About half of these cattle were
killed after being on feed five months
and the other half were on feed six
months, making the average of the
bunch of cattle five and one-haf
months on feed. They averaged 1910
pounds when going into the feed lot,
and averaged 1857 pounds after be-
ing fed, making an average gain Of
437 pounds per head, or a gain of
about three pounds per day per head.
We started these cattle on ear corn,
just giving them few ears apiece at
first, but kept gradually increasing
quantity each day, until at the end of
thirty days we had the cattle on full
feed. After that we fed them corn
meal, oil meal and bran in the follow
| ing proportions: About "a pounds
corn meal, pounds bran and pounds
oil meal per head day. We fed
them twice a day, giving them half Of
this feed in the morning and half at
night. For roughness we fed them all
the prairie hay they wanted to eat,
kept salt by them all the time and
plenty of good water.
It is very necessary in starting a
bunch of cattle, to feed them light at
first and gradually increase the feed,
so that when you want to put them
on full feed their stomachs are in con-
dition to stand it. Do not figure that
ur cattle made any particular gain for
the first thirty days, as it takes
thirty days to get a steer in condi-
ton so that he will stand full feed.
After the cattle were on full feed we
fed them all they would eat, and the
above amounts shows that each steer
would eat, taking it one day with
another.
When we killed these cattle they
were very prime-the whole bunch
yielded GO per cent beef to each 100
pounds live weight.
They were fed in an open lot with
an open shed for shelter ION the
north end). During the cold weather
we kept the yard we'll bedded with
straw, and the cattle at all times
seemed very comfortable. We do not
approve of tying cattle up and keep
ing them in barn where they do not
get any exercise, as we are satisfied
that cattle do not do near as well that
way as they do if they run in a yard
where they have shelter.
We did not take any particular
pains in feeding this bunch Of cattle,
only that we were very particular to
get them on to full feed right. If cat
tie are fed too much on the start and
their stomachs are not in condition to
stand heavy feed, 1t sets them back
and they will not get over it for some
time. During the time we had these
cattle on feed there were a great
many feeders and shippers who looked
at them, and all thought that they
had done remarkably we'll. Any farm
er can feed bunch of cattle the same
as. we fed these, and do it at a great
deal less expense, as it was necessary
for lis to buy everything that we fed
them, and also hire all our work
DONE ......
do well. and show good gains, in the
first place, you must have the right
kind of cattle. You must have a well
made, blocky, growthy steer going in
to the feed lot in order to get good
results-a poor feeder will eat as
much as good one, and will not put
on near the gain and will not sell for
near as much when he is put on the
market.
The result of our feeding demon
strates that cattle feeding can be as
successfully done in Minnesota and
Dakota as Iowa, and more should be
fed. As Minnesota ships in from the
south fully 10000 carcasses of beef
each year, why not feed them in Min
nesota or North Dakota?
------. {sa5
Bamboo Makes Best Lighthouse.
A lighthouse Of bamboo. which IS