Show the livestock situation by J A mcnaughton one olle 0 of tile the most important problems in dry lot feeding of cattle in tile the west cst Is the converting of 0 yellow fit to white cattle battlo off green ichii grass giada are aie full of carotene which aich la Is responsible for the yellow color of the fat although bousum el ns eli i prefer the yellow color of carotene in fit milk they demand that the fat on oil their beefsteaks beef steaks be white while one reason for tills this Is that lower grades of beef such as that from jersey and guernsey dairy cows possess yellow fat this has identified yellow tat fat with tho the low 9 grade rade of meats lu in the mind of many consumers many cattle that go through western teed feed lots are put there to whiten the tat fat rather than to add flit fat in tills case tho the quicker that the carotene in tile tho animal system can call be converted to vitamin A the better tile tho conversion 0 of carotene to 0 o vit amill A is the process of whitening progressive western feeders are arc testing various rations to find the feeds that will bring about tills this conversion in fit the shortest length of time I 1 ifill an told that the feeding per lod joa necessary to whiten the fat of grass cattle varies from about 20 to CO 60 or more lays days cattle off green grass grasa require longer periods in the feedlot than cattle off dry grass as tho the green grass Is a greater source of carotene this fact faiet Is brought out in ill dairying also ns as cows on green pasture pro duco a than cows receiving dry feed cattle feeders in hi the past have sometimes encountered t trouble r 0 u b 10 when their cattle have been for several months on oil a ration deficient in vitamin A it has haa been found that cattle from green grass can be kept in dry lots on a ration lacking in fit vitamin A for about nut aut be bout days before they wll show fallow signs feigns of vitamin A deficiency when mien a small amount of alfalfa hay is included the feeding per fod od can call be extended some western feed lots have been fattening cattle on ration lations S cow coin posed of cottonseed meal rolled b adiley ar I 1 ey cottonseed hulls bulls barley straw and molasses at present the cattle going on oil feed are arc mostly off dry grass and therefore feeders are aie adding a small amount of alfalfa hay whon when a few pounds of 0 alfalfa hay bay are fed each day large amounts ot of cottonseed meal cottonseed hulls and straw cau call be fed for long feeding periods without out harmful results in a now new medlee college experiment steers were fed for days on oil an average dally ally d ration of ten pounds of cottonseed meal thirty one pounds of silage and four pounds of alfalfa hay these cattle graded choice at the end of the feeding Ier period lod and sold at the top of the market at the los angeles union stock yards |