Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-08-23
CONTINUED from last week.


Corn stover when used as the sole
roughage for fattening steers is not
entirely satisfactory. 1t is not very
palatable, and steers will not consume
as much Of it as they should. When,
however, it is fed in reasonable
amounts along with clover, alfalfa
hay, or corn silage, it is profitable
and satisfactory roughage as a feed
for finishing steers. In tests where
stover was the sole roughage, smaller
daily gains, larger amount Of grain
to make 100 pounds of gain, and more
expensive gains were made, than when
cotton-seed huIls were fed. Unless sto-
yer can be secured cheaper than hulls,
it will be more profitable to use hulls
in rations for fattening stock. Steers
which receive slower as the sole rough
age do not finish well and do not sell
as well as steers which have been fed
on cotton-seed hulls or corn silage.
Slower is a farm made roughage which
can be used to best advantage by the
breeding herd or the stock cattle. In
extensive tests in Alabama it was learn
ed that sorghum fodder could not be
substituted profitably for cotton-seed
bulls. The steers fed on sorghum hay
made smaller and more expensive gains
Than those fed on hulls. Sorghum was
not equal, pound for pound, to cotton
seed hulls for finishing cattle. When
Johnson grass was worth $1,000 and
huIIs worth 500 per ton, it was found
10 be more profitable to feed hulls as
4 sole roughage than to feed combin-
alton Of johnson grass hay and hulls.
The use of certain supplementary
feeds in addition to the grass has been
found to be more profitable than graz
ing cattle without feed. Cotton-seed
cake is an excellent supplementary
feed for cattle on pasture. Larger
daily gains, but more expensive gains.
were secured when cake was fed, but
the cake fed steers sold for enough
more at the end of the season to make
the feeding of cake extremely profit
able. Cold pressed cake did not give
as satisfactory results as the common
seed cake, when cold pressed cake cost
$500 and cotton-seed cake $500 a
ton. Cotton seed at $l4.00 a ton
proved somewhat more valuable than
cotton seed cake at $500 a ton for
feeding to steers on pasture. The use
Of alfalfa hay addition to cotton-seed
seed cake for steers didn't prove profit
able or satisfactory. Steers which
were fed heavy ration Of cotton-seed
cake on pasture and finished early in
July proved far more profitable than
steers which did not receive as much
cake daily. but were fed for longer
time and sold late in the summer The
feeding Of cattle on pasture increased
the size Of the gains. caused the am
imals to fatten faster and smoother.
increased their value per hundred
weight. and produced better carcesses
and higher percentage Of marketable
meat than the grazing Of steers on pas
ture alone
Cattle make better gains when fed
under open sheds facing the South
than when confined in closed barns.
The use Of sheds saves small amount
Of feed which would Be ruined BY rain
falling upon it. and they also protect
from the weather all manure which is
dropped under them. Sheds are es-
sentiaI for feeding cattle on heavy clay
or prairie soils. IN order that she steers
may have a dry place to lie dolsSs and
to prevent injury to the land By lTa1np-
Inc II wet weather. On sandy loan
lands the cattle may Be profitably fed
On The cultivated fields. thereby drop
ping The manure directly on The land
The nouehs should Be moved occasion
ally. 80 that ere manure may Be seat.
tered more uniformly On the Il