Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1913-05-15

mississippi
Steers at $3.50

CoIIege-fed cattle occupied the
mrlighl here today in the quarantine
livision and topped the market by a
big wide margin.
Prof. Arch Smith of the Mssissip.
oi Agricultural and Mechanical COL
ege at StarkvilIe, who has charge Of
The cattle feeding experiments there,
was on the market today with two
cars Of beef steers fed at the college.
For the purpose OF demon stratinG the
efficiency and economy Of various ma
tive feeds the cattle had been handle
in four lots. Two lots fed on cotton.
seed meal and silage sod at So 10,
the top of the market, and the other
two lots fed on cottonseed meal, hulls
and corn stover sold al 81 40.
Prol Smith was accompanied to
market bv D A Saunders, said to b,
the biggest land owner al / catt
feeder IN Mississippi. Mr.. Saunder,
owns some $4,000 acres Of good lane
and handles about 1000 head Of cal
tie per annum. To representativ,
Of he Reporter Prof. Smith said;
We divided the cattle into -four
lots. Lot consisted of twelve heac
of grade Hereford steers, mostly ma
tive Minslssippi stock, that cost us
SIS so laid down at the college as
feeders. We fed them 120 days or
a ration Of corn silage and cottonseet
meal. We started them at 5 pound
Of cotonseed meal per day to tn,
head and at the end Of the Feedinl
we're giving 7 pounds Of meal pei
steer. We gave them all the siIage
they would clean up, which was about
40 pounds per day. This lot Of steers
averaged I'LL pounds on the marke
today and brought So 10. They wer,
the most profitable lot of the four. civ
ing the cheapest and best gains anc
showing the incest finish,
Lot No. 2 we're the same grade o
cattle as No. l. costing the same lac
down in the lots and were handled
on the same rations as lot No. | will
the addition of hay as roughness
We found that the hay proved to n'
advantage whatever. These steers
averaged 1907 pounds here today anc
brought $50, the same as Lot No. |
Lot No. 3 we're native Mississippi
steers hardly as good in quality as the
FIRST two lunches. They costus $4.5(
laid down in the feeders. Lot No. ,
we're fed on cotonseed meal and hull'
starting on 5 pounds of meal per stee
per day and finishing on 7 pounds
They were given from Is to 81
pounds Of cottonseed hulIs daily. Tn
cattle averaged 1856 podnds here an
brought $740.
Lot No. 4 we're the same kind c
cattle as No, 3 and were handled 0
cottouseed meal and corn stover, cor
sumlng about Is pounds o: the latte
per day. These cattle weighed 100
pounds and brought S740.
The experiment demonstrates col
clusvely that corn silage solves tE
problem of economical cattle teedlr
in the South. Profitable cattle feet
ing in the South is dependent upc
home grown rouqhage and to use
1 conjunction with silage in order
finish the beeves we have coltonset
meal which with us is abundant ar
cheap. We can latten steers in Mi
, sissppi on corn silage and cottonset
6 meal at a much less cost than you ca
feed them straight corn in the North,
! Mississippi offers unequaled o
=, portunites for the lattening OF be
cattle. We have the two importa
feeds above mentioned and in addili,
raise an abundance Of splended nat
grasses The winters are mild al
' we can iced in the open all the We
round and moreover have a long gra
v ing season.
Our great drawback up to t
present time has been the presen
of the cattle tick. However, we a
making more progress in wiping O
. the tick than any other state in t
South. By the end Of the prest