Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-05-17
CATTLE FEEDING.
The Nebraska experiment station


experiments in cattle feeding.
The first experiment. Hay with aud
without grain for calves" was Il test To
determine the most economical proper
ton OF grain TO roughness for winter
ing calves.
The results of one winters feeding |
confirm those of the winter preceding.
when it was found that Il 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 a ration of three pounds per day
and much cheaper than no grain.
T., Combining the results. of The winters
feeding with those Of the following
summer when all lots Were given the
same pasture, ii was found that the
three pounds grain ration gave cheap
er gains than either the six pounds
| grain ration or the ration with hay II
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 pro
duced gains at a cost of 81. ~ per head.
those having three pounds. at a cost a.:
81. IA, and those having no grain during
the winter ut q cost OF S3.l..
The second experiment was a test 4"
determine the relative value of five
rations available In Nebraska. Five lots
of yearling steers. ten in each lot. were
fed for a period of six months. from
December &c. 1903. to June %. 1904. 1t
was AN experiment in which the char
acter of the %roughness played an i'm
portant part in the production OF peer.
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 IA little oil meal dim
seed). using nine pounds OF corn to one
of oil meal. This food. like cottonseed-
meal and gluten feed. is very rich IN
protein. Enough large gains were made
by adding oil meal to make the profits
Just 81 per cent. greater with oil meal
than without.
A third lot vas fed alfalfa hay II
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 commercial
protein foods. make o. balanced alton
for fattening cattle.
With alfalfa and prairie hay valued
each at $500 per ton. the ration corn
and alfalfa produced 30 per cent. cheap
er gain than corn and prairie hay.
Corn, oil meal, and corn slower tstalkS
without ears) produced gains almost as
cheap as. alfalfa and corn. Corn oil
meal, and sorghum gave good gains.
Dul SOLIl3W ttut NItoai III oNON-
er or prairie hay fed with oil meal.
The fact that the cheapest gains OF
all nve lots were made on corn and al
falfa emphasizes the Importance of
growing protein on the farm i'll the
shape OF alfalfa or clover.
The cost of grains being only slightly
more with corn. oil meal and slower.
also emphasizes the Importance of cur
ing the stalks in shocks for winter feed
ing. Cornstalks in this experiment
(Which We're early cut and we'll cured)
proved Just as valuable as prairie hay.
The third importan fact shown by
the experiment is that when corn and
prairie hay are most available there
should be fed with ii some protein rich
food like oil meal. to make up the
deficiency of protein in both corn and
prairie 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 So
= per tor.
The third experiment was i. test Will
3-year-old steers to determine whether
or not oil meal added to a corn ration
: with grass pasture would lessen thu
, cost % producing gains.
: One lot was fed daily an average %
: 17.S pounds of cor meal per steer
t while another lot was fed the SAM
. weight of grain. consisting of 30 pc
cent. cornmeal n 10 per cent. oil meal
i Each lot was fed on Il mixed pastur,
consisting of blue grass, bronze grass
prairie grass, meadow fescue and
little alfalfa. During the entire lerio'
!, from April II To November Is those o
corn without oil meal made an iverag
daily gain OF 1863 pounds each. Will
those fed 30 per cent. corn and 10 pc
cent oil-meal gained o.O2 pounds pc
day. Without oil-meal, 1913 pounds q
grain We're required for each pound q
gain. while with oil-lneal but SIS pound
of grain We're required for one poun
of increase in weight. With corn wort
33 cents per busiiel. oil-neal S25 pc
ton and grass SIS per acre. the cost q
producing gains was IL pcr cent. great
er without oil-meal than with it. Th
meal in this experiment proved 10 i
worth $44 per tor. Had ii cost mo-
than that figure, nothing would lla,
been gained by feeding ii.
The results would seem to indica,
that such IL pasture does not furni
quite enough protein 20 make up f.
its deficiency il corn. The fact TN;
oil-meal lesscnel tine tentency of II
steers to scour While on grass may ais
partially acccun: for The larger sair
in their fsNor.
Residents of Nebraska whuee nam.
are not on the regular bulletin list g..
secure this bulletin free of charge l
addressing II card to the Director of II
-braska Experiment Station. Lincol