The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1920-11-19

Ordinary Wire Fencing Used to Rel
To assist farmers and stockmen in
feeding beef cattle economically dur
ing the coming winter. specialists Of
the United States Department Of Agri-
culture point out the need for a lib
eral use of rOughage. The meat sit
uation In the United States requires
a maximum Of efficiency In feeding II
production Is to be maintained In the
face Of high costs for feed and labor.
Recommendations Of the department
follow:
Economy should be the keynote In
production. However. discretion must
be used so that economy will be con-
slstent with good gains. A ration
might be so economical as to merely
maintain the animal. but this would
not be economy. when gain In weight
was the object sought.
Greater Zee OF Cheaper Feeds.
At the present time, when grain and
concentrates are so expensive, II Is all
the more important that q greater use
be made Of cheaper feeds The cheap
er feeds are those raised on the farm
and consist primarily Of r~oughages.
Then. greater economy will depend up
on a greater use Of r~oughages, proper
ly balanced with some grain or protein
concentrate.
II should be borne In mind that a
balanced ration Ia not necessarily the
most economical. A ration having a
nutritive ration Of 10 might produce
the greatest daily gains on q twO-year-
oldAsteer. yet, II might show better
Judgment and more profit to feed a
ration with u ratio of Is, produced by
utilization of a greater amount OF
cheaper roughages, and a lesser
amount Of high-prlced concentrates.
The practice Of feeding high-priced
feeds. and not making a full use Of
roughages. Is quite general throughout
the corn belt. In some of the middle
western states, very little straw Is
used for feed. but practically oil for
bedding. Quite often the cattle are
allowed to run around the straw stack.
resulting 10 a waste Of at least 80
per e of the straw. Straw. AS dry
roughage. forms a very prominent
place In a ration for cattle, either 10
the fattening lot or when fed to stock
ers and feeders.
In some sections of Indiana Cat
and wheat straw make up the entire
dry roughage for The greater part of
the feeding period. In certain parts
of Nebraska. where alfalfa Is pro-
duced abundantly. the straw Is used
only for bedding. Even where alfalfa
hay h fed. cattle will eat more or less
Of good straw. II they have access to
u. II In a good idea TO keep some
straw before them. Let the cattle
pick II over and use what is left for
bedding.
Wasts No Straw.
Now Ia a good time to look at your
straw stack. Trim up the stack by rak-
ing down the sides and properly top
ping 20 as to shed the fall rains. by
spending q day on your straw stacks
, you win save many q ton OF
straw which can be used In replacing
considerable expensive hay next vim
or.
In some states most OF the corn Ia
cot. shocked. and husked out by hand
later In Me season. Why not let a
shredder do the husking and have a
roughage left. the greater part of
which will be rellshed by the cattlef
The shredded fodder. which Is refused
By the cattle makes n OF the very
best bedding materials
Corn fodder. while II Is a good
roughage. ~ not an economical one.
There Is a very large waste In
handling A large percentage Of the
leaves are lost. and the corn Itself Is
about all the cattle get from the en-
tire o plant. Run your fodder
through a Shredder. feed the a corn
separately. and the greater part OF the
corn plant viii he utilized. Corn fod-
der, however. can he used udvanta-
reously at the beginning Of the feeding
period In the fall or early winter.
Range cattle that have never seen corn
or grain OF any kind a. be>put on
feed more rapidly by starting on green
or cured coru fodder. This kind OF
cattle win begin nIhbling al the leaves
and gradually get to eating the corn.
On the other hand. n ear corn was
placed before them II would be days
before they would begin TO eat it.
The use Of lesume hays where
grown on the farm. win obyiate che
use of h~'gh-priced protein cOneen-
trates Good hay. however. Is high
priced and should Re fed In such q
var as % avoid any waste.
Corn sAlSs 90 the field. after the
corn has been yemoved should be ufil-
- ~ furalnr a xuf1rIeu4 number NJ