Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-08-06
CATTLE FEEDING
 PROFITABLE HERE
Experiments in Alabama Show Farmers Can Make
 Profit With Stock.

Washington, Aug. 5.--As result of experiments in feeding cattle ill Ala bama specialists of the department of agriculture have found that the loss Tn weight where steers are Wutared only on grazing iii old stalk fields and waste land can be avoided by laedinS the steers a small ration of 'cottCn seed hulls and cotton seed meal, COW pea hay, or other good feed.
 These experiments, the results of which are applicable to all of the Southern states which have grazing and climatic conditions similar 10 Alabama. show that 800 ot goo pound steers lose about l03 pounds cath when turned loose to grazc without these experiments arc given ill depart ment of agriculture bulletin No. 11c, "Fattening Beef Cattle in Alabama ' which is now in press.
 To keep the steers which &razed l the stalk fields from losing any in weight during the whole winter re- quired a daily feed of 2.4 pounds of cottonseed meal and S.7 pounds of cottonseed hullls per head or a ra- tion of 9 pounds of cowpea hay per 1 head. When cottonsced meal costs $30 per ton and cottoDseed hulls $6 per ton, coWpea hay proved to be worth $16.25 per ton for wintcriLs $ stocker cattle.
 When the various lots of cattle waste lands are available for winter grazing. it is sometimes more profita- ble to make the cattle depend entirely upon them for their winter feed than to use expensive feeds This is of ten true with a cheap grade of cattle but it is seldom economical to handle high priced stocker cattle in this manner because the initial cost of the weight lost is too great. For instance if two steers costing cents and [ cents respectively lost 100 pounds each in weight. the actual cost of the flesh lost would be $4 and $7 re- spectively.
 Whe nthe various lots of cattle that were wintered in different ways were fed cottonseed cake the follow ing summer, it was found that the steers which became thinncst in flesh during the winter made the larg- est daily gains during the summer ] Likewise the steers which had been fed during the winter and had not lost in weight made the smallest gains the following summer When thu 1 daily gains for both the winter and summer periods were considered, how ever, the cattle which had been fed | J,,, l,o vi; gains.
 If scrub cattle are raised it may bt more economical to make them utilize : the waste fields, and rought folders of the farm without other feed during the winter than to give them good feeds, but cattle of good quality which will bring a high price should not be allowed to lose so heavily in flesh.
 According to the same authority it is much more profitable to feed steers a daily ration of 3 1-2 to j pounds of cottonsecd cake per head while ol partsure than to graze them on pasture alone. The steers which were fed cottonseed cake on grass made larger daily gains, fattened faster, sold for higher price, and dressed out higher percentage of marketable meet than the steers l which received grass alone. The fin ancial results, as whole, are ill keeping with the results obtained in former work. 1t paid both years to supplement the pasture with cotton seed cake, but it did not pay to feed alfalfa hay to steers on pasture The steers which were grazed without supplementary feeds made al aver age profit each summer for two years of $606aper head while the steers fed cottonseed cake on pas ture made an average profit of $76O per head.
 A copy of this bulletin can be secured without charge upon applica- ton to the department of agriculture, as long as the supply lasts.
 Pickles may be kept from becom-