The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-09-25

feeding are always necessary, and
that these two factors largely govern
the profit.
Cattle will not put on satisfactory
gains If their feeding and sleeping
places are deep in mud. The best ar
rangement seems to be a basemen.
stable. where the cattle are fed, and
where they can sleep. They should
run loose, and are best dehorned.
The open feed lot, or the feed lot
with small shed for protection, are
not proof against the rains of western
Washington. nor are they suited to
the greater part OF the Palouse coun-
try. Such yards and sheds soon get
trampled deep in mud; roomy base
ment stables with generous bedding
seems best. In such stables the cat
tie can feed and lay down in COM
fort. and comfort Is as essential as
feed.
Cattle to be winter fed should be
bought not later than October be-
cause they should be put in the feed
yard in good condition and before
they have begun to lose in flesh. It
is we'll to start them on feed early in
November. The cattle should be
sold whenever they can be disposed
of at good profit. This fact must
always be borne in mind. With feeds
at the usual prices the steers must
increase in value 81 per hundred for
every ninety to one hundred days
that they are on feed. This margin
Is always necessary to insure prof1ta-
Bile feeding. It is good practice to
have scales handy and to weigh the
cattle from time to time so as to
know how they are gaining and also
to know what they weigh in case a
buyer comes along.
Any of our common hays will serve
we'll for cattle feeding In fact, cat
tie feeding serves as profitable
means of disposing of unmarketable
forage and grain, and often the labor
involved in feeding the cattle is not
greater than that Of hauling the crop
to market. Fodder corn can also be
used for roughage The greatest Diff
fculty with the corn fodder is stor-
ing 1t conveniently and satisfactorily
for feeding. One plan suggested is to
thresh the corn, using an ordinary
threshing machine with part of the
cylinder teeth removed. The corn
grain will thus be separated and the
fodder shredded so that it may be
stored in small stacks
Alfalfa Is Best Hay.
or all our common hays alfalfa Is
probably the most satisfactory for
cattle and the most used. When al
falfa is worth only SIS per ton or less
Ii is doubtful whether grain can be
probably added to the ration, es-
pecially grain costing $50 per ton
or more. When alfalfa is fed alone
the cattle must be fed all the hay
they will eat. When hay Is worth
Sc per to nor more. and ground
wheat, barley or corn can be had for
$50 per ton or less, 1t is profitable
to feed grain, but in limited quanti-
ties. 1t is essential that low pressure
feeding methods be followed and the
grain be fed very sparingly. The
cattle should be started on not more
than two pounds of ground grain
each daily. This allowance should
be increased to three pounds each
the third week, four pounds each the
fifth week and so on. increasing the
daily grain ration one pound per
steer each two weeks 1t may seem
advisable to increase the grain some
what faster. but in no case Is 1t ad-
visable to increase it more rapidly
than one pound daily each week.