The Nevada County picayune., 1916-03-16
GROWING ANIMALS ON THE
 FARM.
No. 4. Growing Beef Cattle.
By H. E. Dvorachek, Professor of Ami nal Husbandry, University of
 Arkansas

'
 Arkansas.
 The growing of beef cattle has al- ways been at its best where pasture Is plentiful, so that cattle can feed themselves a good share of the time Besides pastures, the growing of for age crops is essential to cheap produc- tion. Of the forage crops the legumes are especially desirable. The long pasture season on nutritious, native grasses and the adaptibility of AT. kansas conditions to the growing of legumes should make the production of beef cattle profitable.
 The proper wintering of the beef COW is an important matter. The prac- tice of allowing the COW to rough .t through the winter without any pro- vision of feed by the owner is utterly wrong. An unthrifty condition IS bound to result and the COW comes out of the winter too thin, in many cases, to give birth to a strong calf, much less provide an abundant flow of milk which is so necessary to start the calf off right, and keep it growing until it is old enough to util- ize pasture. The ration for breeding cows need not be expensive. In fact, if silage can be provided, and there is no reason why 1t cannot, on a large majority of Arkansas farms. and some dried roughage, preferably one of the legumes, can be given, no grain will be necessary to bring cows out in the spring in splendid condition. If the dried roughage must be such crops as the sorghums, Sudan grass, or na- tive grasses, a few pounds of cotton seed meal will supply the protein re, quirement very cheaply.
 If the calf is given plenty of milk by the COW on pasture and pastures are abundant, it should come in in the fall at weaning time in excellent condition, and from early spring calv- ing. should weigh between four and five hundred pounds. The first win ter is the critical time in the life of a beef calf. At weaning time it should be eating sufficiently well so that the loss of milk will work little hardship. Instead of the common practice of let ting such weanlings go through the winter trying to make an existence on some poor unpalatable dried rOughage, it will be found economical to feed quite liberally on a more wholesome ration. Where calves are roughed through, they generally lose as much as a hundred pounds Tn weight. which it takes them half the following sum mer to regain, besides losing quality which can never be regained. The ration fed should be conducive to growth rather than to fattening Here desirable as well as the legumes to supply protein and mineral matter. Instead of cottonseed meal, oats is ex- cellent when not too expensive. The requirement of grain should be gauged by the results desired. Cotton seed meal is not safe for feeding calves and should not be used A small amount of corn if legumes are used for roughage could be used If crowded too much during the first lowing summer however, are general ly disappointing.
 The fattening of beef cattle in Ar. kansas has thus far been successful only to limited extent Our class of cattle and feed available have made the short periods of fattening, say ninety days, more profitable than the long periods of say one hundred and eighty days. The grain rations neces. sary for the long periods has proved too expensive although the Arkansas feeder has very cheap and efficient concentrate in cotton seed meal How ever it cannot be fed in large quan- titles for only the short period and the corn-fed finish cannot be attained with cotton seed meal alone As the growing of corn becomes more gen. eral, the time will come when the finishing of cattle can be done as well and as prodtably in Arkansas as it Is now being done in the corn belt states and perhaps even more SO
 The greatest needs of Arkansas TOT the profitable growing ana fattenins of beef cattle are the eradication of the fever tick so that cattle can make normal growth, the introduction of better blood through good sires, which will quickly follow tick eradication, and q better understanding of stock growing so that the favorable condi. tions which prevail can be taken ad- vantage of to the fullest extent.